Who we are

MarineLab Undersea Park & Museum, home of Jules’ Undersea Lab, is the public face of Marine Resources Development Foundation (MRDF), a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. Founded in 1970 in the US Virgin Islands by Ian G. Koblick, in the early years, MRDF worked closely with the governments of the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. It helped these islands establish ocean policies, set up marine training programs, operate undersea labs, improve fisheries techniques, test new diving equipment, initiate environmental management strategies, and develop marine archeological and commercial diving techniques. By far the largest project was the design, implementation, and management of the Puerto Rico International Undersea Laboratory (PRINUL), also known as La Chalupa. Today La Chalupa is better known as Jules’ Undersea Lab, the only place on Earth where recreational divers can spend time in a working undersea habitat, for three hours or even overnight.

In 1985, MRDF moved to Key Largo and began operating the MarineLab Undersea Laboratory (MUL), a smaller underwater habitat that was used primarily for students groups and researchers. in 2018, the MUL, affectionately known as the “little habitat”, was returned to the surface and refurbished as a museum. Also in 1985, we began operating the MarineLab Environmental Education Program for school groups on half of the campus. These programs include school programs, teacher workshops, summer camps, virtual learning programs, and free learning resources.

In 2025, after 39 years as an undersea hotel, Jules’, the lagoon surrounding it, and the public side of the campus came under the management of MRDF, fulfilling its mission of inspiring and empowering ALL individuals through marine education to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for the ocean, championing its exploration and conservation.