Man in the Sea Museum

The Man in the Sea Museum tells the story of diving and underwater exploration, with a special focus on military diving. Billed as the world’s first diving museum, it opened in March 1982. It grew out of a 1976 effort by U.S. Navy SEALAB program divers working with people from commercial, academic, scientific, medical and sport diving.

Find it at 17314 Panama City Beach Pkwy, Panama City Beach, FL 32413; call 850-235-4101 or visit maninthesea.org. The star exhibit is SEALAB I, the U.S. Navy’s first underwater habitat, which gives visitors a feel for life as an aquanaut. About 5,000 square feet of exhibit space traces diving from the 1800s to today through helmets, dive boots, commercial and naval diving equipment, submersibles and historical documents.

Many displays are hands-on, and visitors can try on diving helmets and deep sea dive boots. The museum is owned and operated by the Institute of Diving, a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1977 that also keeps a diving history library. Programming has included guided tours, lectures, film screenings and presentations by diving professionals.

Hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm; the museum is closed Sunday through Tuesday. Admission is $10 for adults and $6 for military, veterans, first responders and children ages 5 to 16, and children under 4 get in free (as of September 2026). It is a good rainy-day stop for families and anyone curious about what lies beneath the Gulf.