http://www.jrmooneyham.com/s2017ref.html
The Signposts Timeline of Future Technology and Social Change
2009 AD-2017 AD
2013 milestone: Significant migration of human homes and businesses to
sea-based and undersea locales is encouraged by new technologies and
scientific discoveries…
…especially increasingly cost-effective apparatus for breathing
underwater near indefinitely without need of resupply or critical
maintenance. A combination of artificial gill technology and air
recycling makes this possible. Complementary technologies include
actual breathing of special oxygenated fluids for deeper undersea
workers. Another crucial advance is in underwater communications:
divers now can easily and coherently converse either vocally or
subvocally (with computerized assistance), depending on their breathing
apparatus and other undersea-related technologies. Diver awareness
undersea has also been greatly expanded with computer-aided
dolphin-like sonar capacities, helping illuminate what previously were
often murky and mysterious depths to human perceptions (people find it
much more comforting to be able to 'see' as far underwater as they are
accustomed to on land). This newly increased vision capacity underwater
also adds much to worker productivity in the environment.