Man in the Sea Museum - Panama City Beach, Florida

Brittany M.

Such an amazing museum! Definitely needs to be added to everyone's list while visiting PCP. So many cool artifacts and hands on learning experiences for every age. Highly recommend!!!

Alex F.

If you visit Panama City or Panama City Beach, you should visit the Man in the Sea Museum. In about 2 hours, you can see vintage submarines and scuba equipment, as well as artifacts used in the famous SEALAB experiments. You can even walk inside the original SEALAB 1 underwater habitat. There is a documentary that is about 35 minutes long and gives important details about the SEALAB experiments and a Q&A session afterwards that is hosted by a museum staff member. The nice thing about the exhibits is that they are laid out well and have information plaques near them so you can understand what things are even if you are not familiar with diving.

steve C.

Our dog Harley sitting in front of his friend Fernando Lugo’s sign. So glad we stopped, awesome displays and very knowledgeable staff.

Roberta S.

I never knew this was a part of history. So glad it has been preserved. This is a great place for students and family to explore. The footage at beginning of tour was so packs full of exact historical facts and details, as well as the caretakers and volunteers. So thankful for the military their sacrifices, for our freedom and advancements in science and technology to keep America safe. I definitely will go again, bringing others with me.

Todd B.

Spectacular! A must for any Scuba Diver, Navy Diver, or history buff interested in diving, deep diving, under sea labs, the history and research of deep diving and the United States Navy which has a Diving Base here in Panama City.
Most of the United States early dive research and the under sea labs is in the parking lot.
In the museum the central room has a timeline for the research and dive labs with models and a video that reviews the entire history. Many of the employees worked in the Navy Dive Labs and experiments with scuba gear, helox diving and hydrogen mix diving.
They come in after the film and answer questions.
Surrounding the central rooms are exhibits and almost all the dive gear invented, developed and used since the 1960s as well as the history of diving back to the 1500's.
Another exhibits shows how military diving works including secret missions and rescue missions.
I was most impressed with the heavy old dive helmets and gear, how they were hooked up for sound and video and how thy got smaller as progress was made.
Most of the work was done long before computers.
Another good exhibit was about rescuing people and salvaging ships after the Pearl Harbor Attack, December 7, 1941.
Some of the gear was setup so you could take photos wearing the old helmets and you can enter the first Sealab in the parking lot.
The facility was spotlessly clean and they have a nice gift shop.
Ages 12 to 99 with an interest in the Oceans, Submarines and diving will have a great visit.
This museum gets my highest recommendation.

Todd W. Byars
Civilian SCUBA Diver
Tallahassee, Florida

Caitlin B.

The answer is YES! Go check out this awesome museum. Kids who are into cool facts will love this place. It's a fun thing to do in Panama, and it gets you out of the sun. I was so happy we went. All age/genders liked it!

Shawn B.

This is a great place to visit with a fascinating story to tell. There are activities for kids to help keep them occupied if they aren't interested in the museum. I highly recommend this and it will take between 1.5 - 2 hours depending on how in depth you want to get.

Quinn N.

The employees were fantastic and knowledgeable. All of their gear and history was incredible. This museum is unique in letting you pick up items to better understand the weight and technological improvements. It was a lot of fun for adults and kids.