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Fabien Cousteau ends 31-day living experiment in undersea laboratory

Fabien Cousteau waves from inside Aquarius Reef Base, a laboratory 63 feet below the surface in the waters off Key Largo, in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, Tuesday, June 24, 2014. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

ISLAMORADA, Fla. – Fabien Cousteau is preparing to ascend from the bottom of the ocean after spending 31 days underwater in the Florida Keys.

Cousteau and his team of filmmakers and scientists started decompression Tuesday afternoon inside Aquarius Reef Base, 19 metres below the ocean’s surface.

READ MORE: 5 things to know about Fabien Cousteau’s 31-day underwater experiment

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Because they’ve spent so much time underwater, Cousteau and his “Mission 31” crew needed to undergo roughly 16 hours of decompression inside the school bus-sized lab so that they could return to the surface without suffering the bends. They’re set to return to the Aquarius command centre in Islamorada on Wednesday morning.

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READ MORE: Cousteau not eager to return to surface after 31-day underwater living

The crew dove June 1 to Aquarius to study climate change and pollution on a nearby coral reef. Cousteau is scheduled to talk with reporters Wednesday afternoon.

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