Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration and Immersion Presents are divisions of Sea Research Foundation, Inc., a private, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing oceanographic exploration and marine life education, conservation and research.

Noah's Flood & Ancient Shipwrecks

Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration features a replica of an ancient shipwreck as it was found on the floor of the Black Sea, video projections of two important deep-sea archaeological expeditions, ancient artifacts collected from the Mediterranean and a "talking amphora" illustrating ancient Phoenician culture.

The Institute for Exploration (IFE) is a leader in uniting deep submergence technology with leading edge deep-sea archaeological techniques. By designing and developing robotic and remotely operated vehicles capable of carrying out archaeological and geological investigations at deep-water sites, we are making first-ever discoveries in human and earth history.

The Black Sea Expedition
In 1999, IFE launched an expedition off the coast of Turkey to search for evidence supporting the location of Noah's Flood and the formation of the Black Sea and to find the submerged ancient shoreline of this once freshwater lake. In 2000, the IFE team returned to the Black Sea to search for evidence of human habitation prior to the flooding of the Black Sea, to investigate a deepwater trade route and to search for well-preserved ancient wooden shipwrecks. To see a clip from the National Geographic special, click here.

The Ashkelon Expedition
In 1999, Dr. Ballard and the IFE team set out to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in search of ancient Phoenician shipwrecks in approximately 1,000 feet of water. The expedition focused on two shipwrecks, Tanit, named for the ancient goddess, and Elissa. Both ships were trading vessels carrying cooking pots and amphorae, containers holding wine and olive oil.