It may not be 20,000 leagues under the sea, but an underwater base destined for a stretch of Caribbean sea bed is drawing comparisons with the science-fiction world of Jules Verne.
The two-storey structure is the brainchild of Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the French explorer Jacques, and is to be sited 18m (60ft) underwater off the island of Curaçao. It is intended to be the ocean’s equivalent of the International Space Station (ISS) when completed in about three years’ time.
Called Proteus, after the Greek sea god, it will accommodate laboratories, a greenhouse and sleeping quarters capable of supporting 12 scientists for days at a time. They will research climate change, look for new species of marine life and new medicines, and test technology, particularly
