In 1977, a group representing all segments of the military, commercial, and governmental diving communities convened in Panama City, Florida, formed The National Institute of Diving, and discussed the concept of the Man in the Sea Museum. The Institute of Diving was a voluntary, no profit (501.c3) organization formed for the advancement of professional, literary, and scientific knowledge related to human-oriented activity beneath the surface of the water. In 1981, Sealab I was salvaged from Navy Stage II in the Gulf of Mexico, towed to the Naval Coastal Systems Center, and exterior restoration began. On March 6, 1982, Sealab I was restored and trucked to the Man in the Sea Museum site at the Panama City Marina, and on March 7, 1982, the nation’s only diving museum opened its doors there. On September 20, 1985, the Institute of Diving received a grant from the State of Florida to move the museum into a 5000 sq. foot building on an acre of donated land. On February 15, 2014, a Sealab restoration project for the 50th anniversary began, and on November 11, 2016, the newly refurbished Sealab I was christened as a walk through exhibit. On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael caused significant damage, and the museum opened on a limited basis. In 2020, the COVID 19 pandemic forced the museum to close its doors, and on December 1, 2020, interior and external renovation began. Thanks to the hard work of volunteers, the museum reopened on February 1, 2021, followed by a grand re-opening ceremony on February 19, 2021.