Fugusub Facts

The fugusub is a one person, semi-dry, ambient pressured submarine.  When the sub is submerged, the semi-dry design allows the pilot to remain dry from approximately hatch level on up in a spacious air pocket.  This eliminates the need to wear a dive mask.  It also eliminates the need to wear bulky scuba equipment.  When we say that the fugusub is an ambient pressured submarine, it means that the atmospheric pressure inside of the sub will equalize with the atmospheric pressure outside of the sub at all depths.  Pilots will be subject to all laws of decompression found in normal scuba diving.

Fugusubs can be driven on the surface of the water under their own power.  Once a location has been selected to submerge, items are checked and a flood valve is opened.  As the sub floods, it will tilt forward for a short interval.  Then the sub will level out automatically, ready to submerge. 

Breathing normally through a scuba regulator eliminates the concern over CO2 build-up inside the cabin air pocket.   

The fugusubs are equipped with custom made communications made by Ocean Technology Systems (OTS).  All three subs have the OTS AQUACOM SS-B 2010 systems with headsets customized for the cabin air environments.  They are great for coordinating activities and instructional purposes.  Additionally, we have an OTS AQUACOM STX-101 & STX-101M Surface Station that can communicate with all three subs from a surface vessel.  This complete system can also communicate with divers in the water who have compatible communications equipment.

Having a surface support diver in a boat or other craft able to access the subs directly is a safe practice.  The surface support diver can also be of navigational assistance to subs below.  In ideal sea conditions, the range of the communication system is about three thousand feet.  Range diminishes with worsening sea state conditions or other factors. 

Fugusubs are very easy to pilot.  Both of the sub’s thrusters are on a common axle.  Push the steering column forward, both thrusters pivot downward.  Pull back on the steering column and both thrusters pivot upwards.  The steering column is central, between your legs so that the top of it is conveniently accessible to your hands.  On the top of it are two switches that control the thrusters.  The one on the right controls the starboard or right thruster, the left switch controls the left, or port thruster.  This finger tip control system is simple and intuitive.  

Each thruster has four speeds forward, a stop, and three speeds in reverse.  Changing the direction or speed of one or both thrusters gives the pilot a level of turning control that is astonishing.  Very precise movements can be made with subtle thruster bursts in one direction or the other.  Precision piloting becomes a source of gratification within the fugusub experience.

Fugusubs are extremely stable machines while underwater.  Most of the sub’s weight hangs directly beneath lift created by the cabin air pocket, creating stability.  Even a deliberate attempt to destabilize the fugusub with full thruster power will result only in a minor momentary tilt.  This stability can be seen in our VIDEOS as the sub ascends, descends and turns.

The stability of the fugusub is complimented with its exceptionally smooth ride, adding to the comfort of the fugusub experience.   Whether they are cruising or hovering underwater, there are no bumps, sudden stops or jerky movements.  Quiet electric thrusters emit almost no vibrations.

The fugusub was designed to have excellent underwater viewing characteristics. 
Panoramic visibility is a real eye opener for divers accustomed to the relative tunnel vision of a face mask.  The tilted acrylic dome provides a spacious air pocket to look out through.  The side and rear view ports are also excellent in providing more visibility.  Pilots can wear eyeglasses or contact lenses.

The exterior of the fugusub shape includes a short bow that allows the pilot to look down past it with ease.  This is critical in all visibility conditions because normal piloting usually involves using the bottom as a fairly close visual horizon to follow.  Forward and downward visibility is critical for safely and responsibly navigating the realities of underwater terrain.

Fugusubs empower pilots with greater distances, duration and speed compared to conventional scuba diving.  One of our goals was to make a machine that takes much of the work out of diving.  We succeeded with an additional outcome of comfort. Pilots can sit comfortably and relax.

Dramatically reducing the physical exertions of diving can save lives, save air, and save personal wear and tear on oneself.  Air conservation is a powerful advantage to fugusub diving.  Many people with physical limitations or handicaps should be able to enjoy the fugusub experience.  With finger tip controls and a large air supply, fugusubs offer pilots some underwater capabilities that surpass those of most, if not all, of the very strongest divers.   

Fugusubs are best operated in clear, calm water, with minimal currents and good weather conditions.  Anything other than that is always a judgment call by the pilot.  Any condition that presents danger or unnecessary risks to the pilot or sub should be avoided or carefully assessed before proceeding at their own risk.

Neutral buoyancy is the ideal level of buoyancy for operating a fugusub underwater.  It should be maintained at or very near this level throughout the dive using the fugusub’s Buoyancy Control Valve (BCV) and air from a scuba regulator.  Once it is set at the beginning of the dive, it is left alone until final surfacing procedures are enacted.

As a fugusub descends, the cabin air pocket will begin to compress into a smaller volume, providing less lift.  If the cabin air pocket is allowed to shrink smaller than the neutral buoyancy level, the sub will become negatively buoyant.  To maintain the cabin air pocket at neutral buoyancy while descending, the pilot simply purges a regulator to maintain the size of the air pocket.

As fugusubs ascend, the cabin air pocket will expand.  The expanding air vents out of the sub automatically through the BCV, maintaining neutral buoyancy.  Fugusubs were designed to ascend slower than the rate of rising air bubbles, even with thrusters aimed straight up and under full power.  This fact should reduce many problems associated with overly rapid ascents.  Controlling the size of the cabin air pocket is critical to avoid dangerous rates of ascent or descent.  Thrusters can also be pivoted upwards or downwards to assist in ascending or descending.

On board each fugusub are four, eighty cubic foot scuba tanks.  One tank functions as part of the sub and the other three tanks are for breathing.  Each of those three tanks has its own regulator, one having a twenty foot extension hose.  Three regulators may seem safety excessive, but having multiple sources of air readily available is convenient in practice, and probably safer than normal diving because you have more air sources available to you than most divers are willing or able to carry.  A small reserve tank may be added also.

Potentially, a portion of the air supply could be used to operate underwater tools.
This is not an insignificant point for people with tasks to perform.

The fugusub also has underwater exit and re-entry capability.  The pilot can carefully select a landing area on a sandy bottom, put a face mask on, let the air out of the acrylic dome area, unlock the hatch and exit the sub.  As mentioned earlier, we currently have one of the air tanks hooked up to a twenty foot regulator hose.  This allows for underwater excursions outside of the sub without the need of having to put on all of your dive gear.  This is really convenient for taking a closer look at something found, or for attending outside tasks.  The diver can swim back into the sub, close and lock down the hatch, purge air from any of the regulators to restore the cabin air pocket, and take off again to resume the adventure. 

Something worth mentioning here is the thermal advantage of fugusub diving.  When you initially flood the submarine, it fills with surface water.  This water is typically warmer than deeper water.  Being dry from near hatch level up also reduces loss of body heat.  Water absorbs heat about twenty-five times faster than air.  During the course of your dive, some of your body heat is lost into that same cabin water, warming it slightly more.  Advantageously, as fugusub dives proceed and heat is discharged from the sub’s electrical usage, the right and left sides of the steering column are good for warming your hands and inner thigh areas.  Collectively, this heat makes the inside of your cabin a relatively comfortable place to be.

If you choose to exit the submarine into a cooler thermo cline at a greater depth, be prepared to lose heat for an unpleasant temperature drop.  After a couple of notable experiences, you may find that staying inside is an option worth considering.

Fugusubs were designed specifically for shallow water operations.  Fugusubs were designed to be run in less than one hundred feet of water.  Ideally, the bottom depth should limit the descent of the submarine under all circumstances.  

Fugusubs were not designed for mid-water exits or entries.  Exit/re-entry capabilities were designed for when the sub is fully surfaced or after it has been carefully landed on the bottom.  Shallower depths make it easier for a surface support diver to access the sub at any point during a dive.

Some excellent diving may be in the surface waters of some very deep water.  Wildlife of all sizes can be in abundance there.  In water where depths are much greater than one hundred feet, perhaps thousands of feet deep, landing a fugusub on the bottom to exit in an emergency or otherwise, is not an option.  Diving fugusubs in such places should not be done without taking special precautions.

A simple safety solution is at hand for operations in deep water.  The fugusub must be tethered by a very secure line, to a float that is larger than the fugusub’s cabin air pocket.  This way, the sub’s canopy hatch could actually be opened and the fugusub cannot descend further than the length of line tethered to it.  Surplus lift would be included in this float.
   
Distance is one of the great advantages of fugusub diving.  In normal scuba diving, most diving is generally within one or two hundred meters from the boat or point of entry.  With a fugusub, you can go for miles if you choose to.  You can trek around and between known destinations or cross areas that have never been seen. 

Fugusub diving takes on a fish or turtle-like dimension that is unique and extraordinary.  Cross-cutting currents, making tight or sweeping turns and going up or downstream become second natured, hand-eye, coordinated movements. This is three dimensional flight at its best.  Refining one’s personal piloting skills is a rare and rewarding personal experience.  It is a true melding of man and machine to function as another creature altogether.  

The advanced high impact resistant composite technology materials provide exceptional strength.  They definitely provide a measure of physical protection from many outside elements, great and small.  Not perfect protection, but substantial protection.  By staying inside of a fugusub, a pilot can reduce the possibility of being bitten by many creatures or stung by toxic jellyfish and other marine organisms.  Fugusubs may be able to protect you from some, if not all dangers posed by many creatures, but not all creatures.  Claiming otherwise is almost an offense against nature.  A powerful truth remains; having some protection in a marine environment can mean the difference between a close encounter and a tragedy.
 
The fugusub certification system of training will have four separate levels.  They are:
FUGUSUB INTRO, FUGUSUB BASIC, FUGUSUB ADVANCED, FUGUSUB INSTRUCTOR.  More at ECOTOURISM OPPORTUNITIES.

Fugusub safety will ultimately bring people into the sport of diving who otherwise may not have participated in the sport.  The balance of risks and rewards becomes more acceptable and the personal energy saved makes diving physically easier to do.

The hull of the sub was carefully designed so that the fugusub has an excellent side loading feature for the sub’s battery cartridge.  The battery is always outside of the cabin.  They were designed for rapid change outs and/or convenient charging.  This is a time and labor saving system that will greatly contribute to safer and more efficient operations.

In the future we will be looking carefully at some of these lithium ion battery systems being developed for the automotive industry.  Potentially, they can provide more power with a much shorter charging time.  Additionally, fugusubs could be adapted to run on a tethered AC power system instead of DC batteries.  Surface generators tethered to fugusubs could turn them into relentless underwater search engines.  See EMERGENCY RESPONSE under OTHER FUGUSUB USES.

How long a battery charge lasts depends on a number of factors including temperature, rated charging cycles, amp draw and other variables.  Generally, at full speed, the battery we are currently using will last approximately two and a half hours.  Conserving your power at lesser speeds can seriously extend your battery operating time before it needs a recharge.  Good piloting techniques can do the same.

In the event that a pilot should completely drain the sub’s battery or lose power for any reason, surfacing is still possible.  The fugusub can be fully surfaced without the use of any electrical power.  A manual bilge serves as a back-up for the electric bilge. 

Expanding the cabin air pocket any volume above the neutral buoyancy level can bring the fugusub to the surface with or without power.  Once there, shut the flood valve so water can no longer enter the fugusub.  At the surface, the sub’s snorkel sticks up into the air.  It has a snorkel valve inside of the cabin.  Open that valve first and then begin bilging.  The specific procedural order of opening the snorkel valve first, bilge second, must always be observed for safety reasons when resurfacing. 

Manually or electrically, the bilge in use will pump water out of the cabin and be displaced by an equal amount of air coming in from the snorkel.  The fugusub’s internal water level goes down as water is pumped out, and the sub rises up to the fully surfaced position, which is where it was before it ever dived.  The electric bilge requires just a turn of a switch to operate, making the task of resurfacing almost effortless.

On board each fugusub will be a waterproof, flashing xenon light.  If activated, this emergency device can be seen for miles. 

Yellow was chosen for the fugusub color because it is highly visible both above and below the water.  It is also good for underwater photography purposes.

Portability is another very significant facet of the fugusub design.  They can be launched from a small trailer in many coastal locations.  Their shallow draft hull design will allow them to pass over many shallow water locations. 

Fugusubs can be driven on the surface under their own power.  Additionally, many boats can carry fugusubs with davits.  Those not large enough to carry one have other options.  Fugusubs can be towed on the surface of the water, but only at four or five miles per hour on their own.  However, a special inflatable boat system could be utilized for higher speed towing.  This could allow boats of almost any size to tow them at a much higher speed.  Fugusubs can also be air lifted by helicopters or airplanes to selected locations.  They are ideal for rapid deployment.

With a video, hands-on instruction and guidance, fugusubs are easy to operate at the basic levels.  With direct radio contact between student and instructor, the process becomes simplistic.  Most people should be able to learn how to operate a fugusub in less than an hour at the basic levels.  This simplicity can be utilized in waters all over the world.