THE world's oceans are big, dark and full of mystery. How to unlock the secrets of the deep? With the SeaOrbiter - a gigantic, solar-powered, floating aquatic observation vessel that will scour the seas non-stop for new life and sunken civilisations.
It might look like something out of a James Cameron dream but this 190ft tall floating behemoth is taking to open water as the world's first non-stop exploration vessel, complete with submarine drones, underwater living quarters and space training simulator.
Oceanographer Jacques Rougerie is the mastermind behind the SeaOrbiter - a creation he's been designing for over a decade - and secured the final 30 per cent of the A$53 million build cost from crowdfunding site KissKissBankBank.
Constantly roaming the oceans and with over half of the 190ft ship under the water's surface the SeaOrbiter offers an alternative exploration proposition to current research projects. Missions have been mapped out when it sets sail to get an in-depth look at seabeds, search for lost civilisations, find mythical deep sea creatures and find new life forms.