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UK startup DEEP envisions human life underwater, aiming for childbirth beneath the ocean by 2050. Their Vanguard habitat launches this year, with ten settlements by 2035.
UK startup DEEP envisions underwater human settlements by 2035. (Representational Image)
While the world dreams of sending humans to Mars or establishing colonies on the Moon, a bold new vision is making waves – this time beneath the ocean’s surface. A UK startup is challenging the assumption that humanity’s next great migration will be into space. Instead, it’s inviting us to look downward, into the unexplored blue depths of our own planet.
The company at the centre of this deep-sea revolution is DEEP, a UK-based startup that believes human life beneath the ocean is not only possible but essential for the future of exploration, science, and perhaps even survival. Their most ambitious long-term goal? To enable human childbirth underwater by the year 2050.
This month, DEEP has ignited international discussion following a landmark experiment: a biomedical engineer lived submerged in the ocean for a full 100 days. The feat, achieved in a controlled subsea environment, has revived questions that haven’t been seriously explored since the Cold War – can humans truly live, work, and even raise families beneath the waves?
“Living underwater isn’t just a sci-fi dream anymore,” said a DEEP spokesperson. “If we can adapt to the challenges, there’s no reason humans couldn’t one day call the ocean home.”
The company’s first major milestone will arrive later this year with the launch of “Vanguard” – a 3D-printed, pressurised metal habitat designed to withstand depths of up to 325 feet – well within the ocean’s “sunlight zone”. Though compact at just 300 square feet, Vanguard will accommodate up to three divers and support short-term scientific missions. But this is just the beginning.
Following Vanguard’s deployment, DEEP plans to construct larger habitats known as “Sentinels”. These underwater dwellings, positioned near the “twilight zone” at depths of roughly 656 feet, will feature six bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom facilities, and even a research lab. The company envisions them functioning much like terrestrial homes, albeit under extreme marine conditions.
DEEP’s roadmap extends far beyond single units. By 2035, the startup aims to establish ten large-scale underwater settlements across the globe. And by mid-century, it hopes to witness a historic first: the birth of a child under the sea, in a habitat engineered for human development in a pressurised, aquatic environment.
The idea of colonising the ocean isn’t entirely new. In the 1950s and ’60s, underwater living briefly captured the imagination of Cold War-era scientists. The US Navy’s “Sealab” and French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau’s “Conshelf” projects both explored long-term human presence beneath the sea. Yet despite early promise, neither initiative went beyond 28-day missions. Logistical hurdles, high costs, and technological limitations ultimately shelved these dreams.
DEEP, however, believes the time has come to try again – armed with modern materials, AI-enhanced systems, and a fresh understanding of human physiology.
Living underwater, however, presents a gauntlet of challenges far more complex than those faced in space. Sunlight diminishes rapidly beneath the surface, posing threats to mental health and biological rhythms. Returning to the surface isn’t as simple as swimming upward – divers must carefully manage decompression to avoid life-threatening illnesses like “the bends”, caused by nitrogen bubbles forming in the bloodstream. Dense underwater air pressure can also strain the circulatory system and affect respiration.
Despite these risks, DEEP’s mission underscores a growing sentiment in the scientific community: Earth’s oceans, which cover more than 70 percent of the planet and remain largely unexplored, may be just as vital to the future of human expansion as the stars above.
