aquanaut
noun
aqua·naut ˈä-kwə-ˌnȯt 
ˈa-,
-ˌnät
: a scuba diver who lives and operates both inside and outside an underwater shelter for an extended period
Did you know?
Aquanaut Has Greek Roots
Aquanaut combines aqua with the Greek nautes, meaning "sailor". Like astronaut and aeronaut, the word may remind you of those mythical Greek heroes known as the Argonauts, who sailed with Jason on his ship, the Argo, in quest of the Golden Fleece. Various underwater habitats for aquanauts, such as Conshelf, SEALAB, and MarineLab, have captured the public imagination since the 1960s.
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Eventually, Cameron’s aquanaut tendencies bled into his movie career. 
Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2021 Last month, a crew of aquanauts and astronauts surfaced after spending nine days in an undersea habitat known as the Aquarius Reef Base, located 62 feet below the ocean surface off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, 29 July 2019 Ari D’Agostino was joined by aquanaut Shirley Pomponi, a marine biologist at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute of Florida Atlantic University, and NASA astronaut candidate Jessica Watkins. Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, 29 July 2019 Within seconds, aquanaut Robert Carmichael and I were enveloped by a vibrant shade of blue, watching streaks of sunlight pierce the water’s surface. David Keyton, The Seattle Times, 13 Apr. 2019 There, four aquanauts at a time can practice living and working in an environment that really wasn’t meant for humans to inhabit. Philip Toledano, National Geographic, 12 Dec. 2016 There, four aquanauts at a time can practice living and working in an environment that really wasn’t meant for humans to inhabit. Philip Toledano, National Geographic, 12 Dec. 2016 See More
Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2021 Last month, a crew of aquanauts and astronauts surfaced after spending nine days in an undersea habitat known as the Aquarius Reef Base, located 62 feet below the ocean surface off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, 29 July 2019 Ari D’Agostino was joined by aquanaut Shirley Pomponi, a marine biologist at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute of Florida Atlantic University, and NASA astronaut candidate Jessica Watkins. Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, 29 July 2019 Within seconds, aquanaut Robert Carmichael and I were enveloped by a vibrant shade of blue, watching streaks of sunlight pierce the water’s surface. David Keyton, The Seattle Times, 13 Apr. 2019 There, four aquanauts at a time can practice living and working in an environment that really wasn’t meant for humans to inhabit. Philip Toledano, National Geographic, 12 Dec. 2016 There, four aquanauts at a time can practice living and working in an environment that really wasn’t meant for humans to inhabit. Philip Toledano, National Geographic, 12 Dec. 2016 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin aqua + English -naut (as in aeronaut)
First Known Use
1881, in the meaning defined above