Oceans cover 70% of our world and produce much of the oxygen we breathe. They provide food and jobs for people around globe.

Yet they remain mostly mysterious. Only a fraction of these vast waters has been explored, and much of the underwater world is little understood.

Our maps of the sea floor are less detailed than our maps of the moon or Mars.

There's only one operational permanent underwater research facility on the planet: the Aquarius Reef Base.

The lab is operated by Florida International University (FIU), though it's also used by NASA, the US Navy, and researchers and educators from around the globe.

Tech Insider spoke with Mike Heithaus, a marine scientist and dean of the FIU College of Arts, Sciences & Education, to get an inside look at what it's like inside the only permanent lab in the world's oceans.