Florida Keys History of Diving Museum Spotlights the Sport's Fascinating Heritage

ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys — World renowned as a dive destination, and located parallel to the continental United States' only living coral barrier reef, the Florida Keys also are the site of a museum offering intriguing insights into the sport's centuries of history.

Opened in 2005 in Islamorada, the Florida Keys History of Diving Museum is a unique showcase of mankind's quest to explore, understand and venture beneath the sea, and a must-see attraction for dive aficionados.

The museum was co-founded by Dr. Sally Bauer, a Women's Diving Hall of Fame inductee, and her late husband Joe Bauer. Its interactive exhibits, spanning 3,000 square feet, display the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of diving artifacts from more than 30 countries, as well as fascinating photographs and other antiquities.

Beginning their tour in the "Timeline of Diving" gallery, visitors are introduced to 4,000 years of underwater exploration beginning with breath-hold diving.

Museum visitors come within inches of the earliest diving machines, including a full-scale replica of an all-wood diving bell. They also stroll past the Parade of Nations, an unparalleled collection of historic hard-hat dive helmets from 25 nations presented side by side for close inspection.

A separate gallery is dedicated to Art McKee, widely acclaimed as a pioneer of recreational diving. McKee, who began diving with Miller-Dunn helmets in Islamorada in 1939, also earned renown as the father of modern treasure diving. He is best known for his salvage work on the wreck of the La Capitana, a Spanish galleon that sank off the Upper Keys in 1733.

The museum's free monthly "Immerse Yourself" lecture series is a popular and valuable educational resource that explores a wealth of topics such as marine and mammal life, treasure divers, artists who have been inspired by diving and more. Upcoming lectures in 2013 focus on shipwrecks of the Florida Keys, past and present dive suits, diving in the movies and more.

The evening series is held in the Bauer Diving History Research Library, a world-class library containing an unparalleled collection of rare research materials related to diving history.

Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the museum is located at mile marker 83 bayside in Islamorada. Regular daily admission is $12 per adult, half-price for children age 5-11 and free for kids age 4 and under as well as active military members. Special rates apply for retired military, seniors and groups.

For information, visit DivingMuseum.org or call 305-664-9737. Social: Facebook • Twitter • YouTube