Young divers wanting to visit NOAA’s undersea laboratory/habitat Aquarius can enter a writing contest for the opportunity to visit this one-of-a-kind facility in the Florida Keys. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“Aquarius fascinates divers of all ages,” said Steven Miller, director of NOAA’s National Undersea Research Center in Wilmington, N.C. “This contest gives young divers a chance to visit Aquarius and perhaps think about a future career that combines diving and science.”

Aquarius is the world’s only undersea laboratory where scientists can live and work for about two weeks without coming up to the surface. Located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Aquarius offers a unique opportunity to study coral reefs.

The writing contest is open to students in grades 8-12. Entrants must submit an essay of 1,000 words or less on “I want to live for two weeks underwater in Aquarius because…” The grand prize is a conventional SCUBA dive visit to Aquarius and a 60-minute tour of the underwater habitat for the winner, parents and teacher. Details and an entry form are available online: http://www.uncw.edu/aquarius.

Entries must be mailed to the address shown below and received by April 9, 2004. Faxes and e-mails will not be accepted.

Aquarius is owned by NOAA and operated by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research is dedicated to enhancing economic security and the nation’s welfare through research to better understand weather and climate-related events and to manage wisely our nation's coastal and marine resources.

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NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov