The Rainbow Warrior sunk after being bombed off Auckland harbor in 1985, and because Greenpeace demonstrators were using the boat as part of a protest of French nuclear testing, the French Secret Service was implicated in the bombing. Although there was an attempt to fix the ship, it was deemed beyond repair and was resunk in the ocean.
Image Credit: Amos Nachoum/CORBIS
Crew members of the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations project (NEEMO) work 62 feet (19 meters) below the ocean's surface near Key Largo, Fla. In the underwater Aquarius habitat, NASA employees and contractors may live for up to two weeks at a time to prepare for space missions or study underwater life.
Image Credit: NASA
This illustration of the Aquarius reef base shows just how tight a space its inhabitants share! But despite its small size, the underwater research station still has some of the comforts of home, including a shower, instant hot water, a microwave and refrigerator, air conditioning and even computers that are linked wirelessly to land.
Image Credit: Photo provided courtesy of NOAA's Aquarius Reef Base at the University of North Carolina Wilmington
Special underwater air tanks allow Aquarius researchers to work on the ocean floor for up to nine hours at a time, whereas if they worked from the surface, the limit would be closer to one hour.
Image Credit: Photo provided courtesy of NOAA's Aquarius Reef Base at the University of North Carolina Wilmington
The ability to stay underwater for lengthy periods allows marine biologists and researchers to get up close and personal with all kinds of sea creatures. This special probing machine is measuring the pump rate of these sea sponges.
Image Credit: Photo provided courtesy of NOAA's Aquarius Reef Base at the University of North Carolina Wilmington
Is this the moon or the ocean floor? Because conditions under the sea often mimic those of space, NASA workers and astronauts use the Aquarius Reef Base to train for outer-space missions.
Image Credit: Photo provided courtesy of NOAA's Aquarius Reef Base at the University of North Carolina Wilmington
OK, so you're not an astronaut or a marine biologist -- but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a stay at the bottom of the ocean! Visitors to Jules' Undersea Lodge dive to the submerged inn, where they enter through a moon pool and experience life in an underwater capsule for just a few hours or multiple nights.
Image Credit: Jules' Undersea Lodge
Flying underwater? Why not? The Deep Flight Aviator is a winged submersible designed by Hawkes Ocean Technologies and Autodesk Inc. The underwater "aircraft," created in 2003, can dive up to 1,500 feet (457 meters) and carries two passengers at a time.
Image Credit: Hawkes Ocean Technologies/Getty Images
As the tale goes, the mysterious island of Atlantis sunk into the sea in the span of one day and one night. While it's inspired countless sci-fi sagas and much historical speculation, the lost city of Atlantis has never been found. What would it look like if researchers discovered that it did, in fact, exist?
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Is working underwater really so different from working on land? Here, two marine biologists take a break from swimming to do a little undersea studying.
Image Credit: Tony Arruza/CORBIS
Underwater welders face two dangers -- not only those that come with diving, but also those that come with using dangerous equipment under the surface. As they build and repair oil rigs, pipelines and boats, underwater welders also have to avoid electrical shock.
Image Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jayme Pastoric
No underwater photo gallery would be complete without remembering the RMS Titanic. Despite its state-of-the-art engineering, the famous steamship struck an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic Ocean on its maiden voyage in April 1912, taking with it the lives of more than 1,500 people.
Image Credit: Matthew Polak/Sygma/Corbis
When the wreck of the Titanic was finally discovered on the ocean floor in 1985, divers found not only pieces of the ship, but also furniture and personal items. These dishes were, amazingly, still neatly arranged and ready for a dinner service that never was.
Image Credit: Matthew Polak/Sygma/Corbis
These underwater explorers, the NASA SCUBAnauts, are middle- and high-school students who help out researchers by performing underwater fish counts, coral surveys, water analysis and more. In the process, the students get to learn diving skills and observe underwater life.
Image Credit: SCUBAnauts International
Studying great white sharks can be an intimidating underwater job. But at least these researchers are safe inside a cage! Tourists can also pay for the privilege of meeting these toothy creatures face to face.
Image Credit: Jeff Rotman/Getty Images
This diver has also come face to face with an interesting ocean resident -- a moray eel. These creatures can reach up to 10 feet (3 meters) long, and they usually hide in crevices instead of coming out to greet divers up close.
Image Credit: Paolo Curto/Getty Images
No, it's not a dinosaur -- but if that was your guess, you might not be too far off. This ancient frill shark was found off the coast of Japan in 2007, and its body structure is very similar to that of 350-million-year-old shark fossils. These creatures are rarely seen, because they prefer to live at depths of nearly 2,000 feet (600 meters).
Image Credit: Awashima Marine Park/Getty Images
This shipwreck, discovered off the coast of St. Lucia in the Caribbean, has become home to numerous species of coral and other undersea creatures. Who knew a wreck could be so beautiful as it becomes one with the ocean floor?
Image Credit: Sue Flood/Getty Images
Boats aren't the only modes of transportation that sink -- if a plane crashes over the ocean, it may be difficult to find. This airplane will never see the sky again, but it will provide a convenient hiding place for fish, sharks and eels.
Image Credit: Sami Sarkis/Getty Images
Talk about a great hiding spot! The MV Captain Keith Tibbetts was sunk off the Cayman Islands in 1996 to become an artificial reef. Originally built as a Russian destroyer in 1984, the sunken ship is now a popular spot for recreational divers who want to explore a shipwreck.
Image Credit: Stephen Frink/Getty Images
Because it's home to more than 100 species, from sponges and coral to fish and eels, the MV Captain Keith Tibbetts is extremely popular with both professional photographers and amateurs who want to take some underwater snapshots.
Image Credit: Stephen Frink/Getty Images
While its construction is on hold as of 2011, the Poseidon Undersea Resort in Fiji hopes to provide a luxurious underwater getaway for guests, who will be able to access one of 24 underwater rooms by elevator. Since about three-quarters of each room room will be acrylic, guests will be able to enjoy sweeping views of the surrounding lagoon.
Image Credit: Image Courtesy of Poseidon Under Water Resort
Here, divers investigate another shipwreck, this time off the coast of Truk, Micronesia. Sea creatures prove their ability to be eco-friendly by viewing the wrecks not as trash, but as exciting places to create new ecosystems.
Image Credit: Jeff Hunter/Getty Images
The unique Million Dollar Point dive, off the island of Vanuatu, is aptly named for its value. When World War II ended, the United States dumped thousands of tons of military equipment at this site, including bulldozers, trucks and forklifts, making it a fun spot for divers to explore.
Image Credit: Southern Stock/Getty Images
Under the sea or in the air? Before a mission, this NASA astronaut is using the weightlessness of being underwater to practice making vital repairs.
Image Credit: NASA
Here, another astronaut is hard at work underwater practicing for a space mission. In addition to getting used to the feeling of weightlessness, these astronauts also get a feel for what it's like to work in a heavy, bulky spacesuit and helmet.
Image Credit: NASA
Archaeologists don't just dig on land. Much like those who search for dinosaur bones above water, these archaeological divers are excavating an undersea site, searching for clues to the Earth's past. Because the vast majority of the ocean is still unexplored, there's no telling what mysteries may await them.
Image Credit: Jonathan Blair/CORBIS
These divers off the Cayman Islands are getting a close-up look at a gun turret on a sunken Russian destroyer. While deadly on land, at the bottom of the ocean, the guns are yet another place for underwater organisms to find homes and hiding places.
Image Credit: Jeff Hunter/Getty Images
While we may not think about them until there's a catastrophic oil spill or oil rig explosion, these underwater workers have a dangerous but extremely important job -- maintaining and repairing oil pipelines under the surface. This offshore diver is performing a routine pipeline inspection.
Image Credit: Terje Rakke/Getty Images
Who knew you could sculpt below the surface? Kemel Tufan is a Turkish sculptor who works underwater with just a hammer and chisel. He revealed the world's first underwater sculpture, this 8-foot (2.4-meter) marble shark, in 2000, introducing a new type of studio to artists everywhere.
Now that you've seen some interesting ways that marine life has adapted to living in and around displaced objects, check out how displaced species adjust to their new homes by looking through our 10 ecosystems devastated by invasive species list!
Image Credit: Ali Kabas/Getty Images
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