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1969, Ed Link purchased a
deserted mining channel
between Vero Beach and
Fort Pierce. He called it Link
Port, and it became a permanent
base for Sea Diver II.
In 1971, a friend of Link, J.
Seward Johnson Sr., an heir
to the Johnson & Johnson
pharmaceuticals fortune,
joined him to pursue a
cutting-edge underwater
exploration program and established
the Harbor Branch
Oceanographic Institute. To
further the project, Johnson
purchased 600 acres surrounding
Link Port along
the shores of the Indian
River Lagoon.
Scientists at Harbor
Branch have spent the past
38 years discovering the
mysteries of the world’s
oceans. From developing
cures for cancer using
marine invertebrates to
engineering sensor systems
at water control structures
to prevent manatee deaths, Visitors can discover the ocean and estuary through hands-on exhibits inside the Ocean Discovery Center. Future
>> plans call for installing a touch tank where guests can handle live animals such as starfish.