Karl Stanley's yellow submarine

[Didje]

Has anyone ever tried this?

http://www.stanleysubmarines.com/

I saw a report on French show "Thalassa" on TV5 this past Friday, and thought it was quite interesting, to say the least.
In short, the guy built his own submarine, which can go down to 2000 feet. And he is self-taught.

You can also view part of the report here, although in French (sorry!) : Honduras : Karl et le sous marin jaune - Thalassa du 24/06/2011 - Les émissions - Thalassa - France3

 

[Doc]

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bay-islands/264134-roatan-stanley-submarines.html

 

[lionfish-eater]

It sounds like fun. However the main reason he is operating in Honduras is that the US and Mexico and all other countries said no way. The sub is unteathered and no support vessel is used. There is no second sub to come down and look for you. In someone's post I read elsewhere, the sub had got stuck in a crevice while exploring, after a few tense moments it was free. The failsafe is to drop ballast and gain bouyancy, however parts fail and things can go wrong. The onboard breathing gas is provided by a rebreather apparatus that introduces another potential risk. Lastly the plastic viewing ports can crack, crushing the occupants. Like I said sounds like fun. I have seriously considered going in this sub. I researched other homemade subs and there are many others out there, however they are only for shallow use. This sub is basically a diving sphere with propulsion. The sub moves out over the dropoff and descends, then scooters around for a while before surfacing. If anyone has first hand experience please post your opinions.


Get out of the jar!

 

[Sloeber]

Agreed it sounds like fun. I was tempted to do it, but stopped my research at homemade sub but self-taught guy. Toss in the above safety concerns and my opinion is... Uhm, no thanks.

 

[ade_eccles]

There's a few reviews on trip advisor - all very positive:

Stanley Submarines - West End - Reviews of Stanley Submarines - TripAdvisor

The fact that he drives the sub and has done so thousands of times gives some comfort

We plan to give it a go when we are in the region - sounds awesome !

 

[Doc]

This sub is basically a diving sphere with propulsion. The sub moves out over the dropoff and descends, then scooters around for a while before surfacing.

Which is what all deep diving subs are.

However the main reason he is operating in Honduras is that the US and Mexico and all other countries said no way.

Much the same reason that very very few liveabaords are under the US Flag, as well.

There's a few reviews on trip advisor - all very positive...

I would sooner go aboard a Honduran homebuilt submarine made by amateurs than believe anything I read on Trip Advisor. (You could assume by logical deduction that anyone that would ever have a bad experience on a submarine would likely not be blogging it on Trip Advisor)

SCUBA divers are by nature, risk takers. Many folks have enjoyed this ride. I have not done it as I am rather large and when confined in small spaces, I get gas.

 

[ade_eccles]

I would sooner go aboard a Honduran homebuilt submarine made by amateurs than believe anything I read on Trip Advisor.

Really? I have seen positive & negative reviews on places & operators on trip advisor. Based on my experience, I wouldn't discount feedback on this site.

Point being that the OP asked if anyone had tried this operator and that was a link showing a few that had...

Agree, it may be a risk doing but crikey... looks amazing!!

 

[gkndivebum]

My wife and I have been tempted to take a ride with Mr Stanley several times. On our first trip to Roatan I was doing my NAUI technical instructor qualification, and was teaching mixed-gas rebreather diving to a former USN submariner. When I mentioned to him that we were considering taking a dive in Mr Stanley's sub the look on his face and raised eyebrow was enough to dissuade me from doing it on that trip

 

[hypersonic]

It sounds like fun. However the main reason he is operating in Honduras is that the US and Mexico and all other countries said no way.

Karl's Sub may not be the only Roatan adventure operating on the fringe. Bay Island Airways flies out of Fantasy Island and caters to divers at FI and CCV.

The airplane BIA uses is a Lockwood AirCam, a twin-engine experimental home built aircraft.

There is a fair amount of info about the AirCam on the web including youtube videos on how it is built.

In the U.S., the FAA does not allow the carriage of paying passengers in an experimental homebuilt airplane and if somehow BIA has managed to obtain certification in some other country for the little craft, you can bet the proce$$ did not follow the rigorous testing and analysis required for certification with the FAA.

My wife and I were guest at CCV last Sept. During the Sunday orientation session the pilot for BIA gave a 20 min pitch on how much fun it was to ride in his little yellow aeroplane. He never once mentioned that the airplane was a homebuilt and what he was doing in Roatan he could not be doing in the Miami Keys.

A more recent CCV guest told me his Sunday orientation did not include the BIA pitch and CCV appears to have removed all images of the BIA aeroplane from their web pages. Probably a smart move from a legal standpoint since they are a U.S. owned resort managed by U.S. citizens and that bookings are made thru a Houston based company.

 

[Mike]

The sub I chickened out on.

The air plane ride I've done, and it was a well spent $400 bucks! The views, the experience are amazing, you're flying open air like an old bi-plane, low and slow and you have 360 degree views, you can see sharks and rays in the water and you'll experience Roatan like nothing else. Great experience, plus it's got pontoons, what could go wrong?