0:49

Welcome everyone . By now you've all

0:51

heard , unfortunately , about the submersible

0:53

from the expedition company Ocean

0:56

Gate imploding during a journey

0:58

to view the wreck of the Titanic

1:00

in the North Atlantic Ocean . That

1:03

horrific event sent shockwaves

1:05

around the world and also , understandably

1:07

, through the Super Yacht sector . Some

1:10

owners and their families , as well as Super Yacht

1:12

charter guests , felt quite uneasy , since

1:15

they had upcoming trips in which they planned

1:17

to enjoy a dive beneath the surface . Now

1:20

, if you are one of them , or if you have had

1:22

misgivings about buying or using a Super

1:24

Yacht submersible , today's conversation

1:27

is particularly for you . As

1:29

a journalist who has covered safety regulations

1:32

over many , many years , I was horrified

1:34

by the implosion and equally horrified

1:37

by Ocean Gate's well-documented ignorance

1:39

by its own admission of long-standing

1:42

safety practices . It is

1:44

important for people like you to

1:46

understand that there are reputable

1:48

professionals who follow rigorous

1:51

safety standards because they want

1:53

the public people like you to

1:55

enjoy trips properly and with peace

1:57

of mind . So joining me

1:59

today are three of these professionals

2:02

. We have Kohnen of of

2:04

SEAmagine , which designs

2:06

and builds subs for superyachts , among

2:08

other clientele . Patrick

2:10

Leahy of Triton Submarines Submarines , which

2:13

also designs and builds subs

2:15

as well as subs for other companies

2:17

. and Ofer Ketter

2:19

of Submerge , which is a private sub-expeditions

2:22

company working with yacht clients

2:24

. All three are here to share

2:26

insight into the standards that they uphold

2:29

, so that you are better informed

2:31

, but also so that you can enjoy

2:33

diving beneath the surface . So

2:36

, gentlemen , thank you so much for joining me

2:38

today for this important conversation . I really

2:40

appreciate your time and your insight . Patrick

2:43

and Charles , I really wanted to start with the two of you

2:46

, because you can shed some light into

2:48

some of the safety and

2:50

technical features of

2:52

these subs without obviously getting

2:54

too too technical . But before we

2:57

jump into that first , I thought it would be helpful

2:59

if you each explained

3:01

how long your company has

3:03

been in business and how

3:05

many subs you've delivered to date . So

3:08

, patrick , why don't you answer that first

3:10

, and then , charles , you can jump in .

3:13

Okay , my trip

3:15

was started 2006

3:18

, so about 17 years ago , and

3:21

our 2007 , I beg your pardon

3:23

, and so 16 years

3:25

ago . We have delivered 25

3:27

subs that vary in diving

3:29

depths from 100 meters to 11,000

3:32

meters , and we have five subs

3:35

under construction today .

3:38

Terrific and Charles

3:40

.

3:40

We've been around since 1995

3:42

in January , so it'll be 29 years

3:44

in January . We've

3:48

been building them with , I think

3:50

the next summer it's going to be 17, . 17

3:53

halls that we built , ranging

3:55

from 100 meters to

3:57

over 1,000 meters , and

4:00

then we tend to make them more

4:02

semi-custom subs

4:05

over the years .

4:06

Right Right Now , the subs that

4:08

you each build in some

4:10

ways are quite different , much

4:13

more high tech , I would imagine , even

4:15

boundary pushing in that respect than the ones that you

4:17

built when

4:19

your company's first started . So

4:21

where does that innovation

4:23

come from ? Is it , is

4:26

it primarily from within your own teams

4:28

, or are your companies

4:31

somewhat like the yachting , the

4:33

yacht builders and the yachting designers , in

4:36

that the clients are the ones

4:38

who often say , hey , would it be possible

4:40

for us to do X ? Could

4:42

you do Y with us

4:44

, charles ? Why don't you start

4:47

?

4:48

Yeah , look like I was saying we do

4:50

a lot of semi-custom . I mean

4:52

you have to understand unlike what

4:54

happened from Oceangate

4:57

both what we build and what Triton

4:59

builds . I mean they're fully classed

5:02

, approved , regulated , submersible

5:04

. So there is a formal process

5:06

of approval . So you cannot just go

5:08

and come up with a good idea and

5:10

just do it . You have to actually get it approved

5:14

. What we do here at Simagine is

5:16

that the baseline is an approved

5:19

, fully regulated baseline on which

5:21

we can make modification within

5:23

those guidelines to

5:26

be able to respond to exact demands

5:29

from clients . So

5:31

, as opposed to a one

5:33

formula , we do listen

5:35

to each objective and then modify them

5:37

within the guidelines . So there are

5:39

specific rules that we need to that everybody

5:42

works under .

5:44

Patrick , what about you ? Is your team really

5:46

the one that pushes the boundaries , or do you get

5:48

requests from your clientele ?

5:51

I would say it's very much a case

5:53

where it's driven by the customer

5:55

demand . So we'll get a customer

5:57

that comes in and looks at a sub that we've built

6:00

and say , wow

6:02

, that looks great , could you build us one that will carry

6:04

six people instead of three ? Or

6:07

you got a customer that comes in and says

6:09

can you build us a sub that will go to the deepest

6:11

point in each of the five oceans ? And

6:14

these type of projects are the ones

6:16

that I really live for . The

6:18

opportunity to create something extraordinary

6:21

comes from originates

6:23

from a customer demand , but ultimately

6:26

it's that desire , that

6:28

personal request

6:31

or personal ambition

6:33

, if you will , that a client has that

6:35

creates an opportunity for us to innovate

6:37

and to create extraordinary new

6:40

products . And the

6:42

Triton 36002 was a

6:44

great example of that , where it's

6:46

a sub that hadn't been built before and

6:49

our insistence that we

6:51

not just build a sub that could go to the

6:53

deepest point in each of the five oceans , but that

6:56

we insisted on accreditation and

6:59

Charlie's point the importance of

7:01

that can't be overstated . There

7:04

had been two previous vehicles that went to full

7:06

ocean depth , but creating

7:09

a machine that could allow you

7:11

to make daily dives to those extreme

7:13

depths required a

7:15

higher tier , if you will , and

7:17

that meant a willingness to submit

7:20

this very difficult

7:22

craft or this very unique

7:25

design through the accreditation process

7:27

.

7:29

On the note that the technology

7:32

has changed over the 30 years

7:34

for our industry , that

7:37

it's not just led

7:39

by the client's demand , it's our

7:41

ability to respond to

7:43

client's demand . The technology has changed

7:45

and all of a

7:47

sudden , I would think that the technology

7:50

change in two ways . One on

7:53

the vehicle . For

7:55

example , the battery technology

7:58

that we use today was not available 30 years ago or

8:01

25 years ago , even 15

8:03

years ago . That one aspect , that it

8:06

changes our weight , the weight of our vehicle

8:09

, has been reduced a

8:11

lot from what it was traditionally

8:13

for that kind of diving capability and , without getting too technical

8:16

, there are changes

8:18

that allows us , whether to try to know or , as you imagine

8:23

, to make vehicles that are much more adaptive

8:25

for a ship to be embedded in a ship . And

8:29

the technology has changed two ways One for the vehicle and the other

8:31

one is that the computers

8:35

. The technology has become

8:37

so much higher that what used to be a room of whether HD

8:42

cameras or imaging sonars

8:44

, today your little , your bubble

8:46

that you're in , has much more power of

8:50

the technology on the computer . What's in front

8:52

of you in 2023 , 2024

8:54

, we could not even imagine it 20 years

8:57

ago . So what you have

8:59

is an underwater bubble with

9:01

so much capability at

9:03

your fingertips that did not exist before .

9:08

Yeah , really good point , because technology is

9:10

really the , I

9:13

would say , the most exciting game

9:15

changer , if you will . It's what technology

9:18

allows you to do and your teams

9:20

being able to take advantage of

9:22

the advances and then show the

9:24

consumer world what the

9:26

new possibilities are . Patrick

9:29

, would you add anything to that ?

9:30

Yeah , absolutely . We live in a very

9:33

exciting time indeed where advances

9:35

in materials technology

9:37

, in electronics , in

9:39

software and , you

9:41

know , analytical software , has

9:44

allowed us to create ever more capable

9:46

, deeper diving and more

9:48

extraordinary machines . We've got

9:50

greater endurance . You've got

9:53

systems from lighting

9:55

and imaging systems to virtually

9:57

everything that you incorporate into a sub

9:59

, with capabilities that

10:01

we could only dream of 10 years ago

10:03

or 20 years ago or , you know , 40

10:06

years ago , which is when I started in

10:08

this business . So , to

10:11

look at the capabilities that exist today

10:13

, you know anything from a sonar to

10:16

a camera system or a light or a

10:18

battery really has

10:20

transformed , and these

10:22

transformative technologies have

10:24

allowed us to create ever more capable

10:26

machines , which is , I think

10:28

, part of why they've become so

10:32

ubiquitous . Let's face it you can build

10:34

a sub that's simpler to operate , it's easier

10:36

to maintain , it's more reliable and

10:39

it can do more .

10:40

So it's a very exciting moment and

10:42

we're all living it and just do that

10:45

and do that within code , within

10:47

regulatory . We don't have to go

10:49

and be crazy about it and

10:51

, like what Patrick's saying is , these

10:53

advancements are done within the framework

10:56

of the guidelines we all follow .

10:57

You know , let's talk about the classification

11:00

and the accreditation a little bit more , because

11:03

as much as the

11:05

average person , even people outside

11:07

of yachting , they understand and they respect

11:09

what safety regulations

11:11

are meant to do . The interesting

11:14

thing I find within yachting is

11:16

that as much as owners representatives

11:18

, their maritime lawyers , sometimes

11:21

the management companies , all the

11:23

people who are advising the owners , as

11:25

much as they are telling their

11:27

clients , okay , here's what

11:29

class is going to require , the

11:32

owners still don't really fully

11:34

understand what classification is

11:36

. Generally speaking , they know it's safety , but

11:39

they don't really understand the nuances

11:41

. So if you had the opportunity

11:43

to sit with an owner

11:45

and owner's family , the people

11:48

who are going to be using these subs , and

11:50

they said well , what is classification

11:54

? What does that do ? What does it mean ? How would

11:56

you put that in layman's terms ? Patrick

11:59

, why don't you start ?

12:01

Well , I would say that , first of all , certification

12:03

, classification , the accreditation process

12:05

is a lifelong

12:07

commitment . It stays with the vehicle for

12:09

the entire lifetime of the craft

12:12

. It begins at inception , when

12:14

you conceive of the vehicle and you start

12:16

doing calculations and analysis

12:18

. You procure materials . Those

12:20

materials are approved

12:23

and certified . Then you

12:25

fashion those materials into parts

12:27

. Then those parts are put together

12:29

into assemblies , those assemblies are tested

12:31

. So it's kind of a soup to

12:34

nuts process , goes right

12:36

from the very beginning all the way through to the

12:38

completion and delivery of the vehicle , the

12:40

successful testing of that sub

12:42

once it's finished , and even carries

12:44

through to the approval of the individuals

12:47

who will be tasked with the responsibility to operate

12:49

and maintain it . So it's

12:52

an all-encompassing thing and it's an

12:54

essential part to not only

12:56

the design and engineering that goes into

12:58

a craft but the continued operation

13:00

and maintenance of it for the remainder of its

13:02

life . It has to be renewed annually

13:05

. So it's not something that you get and

13:07

it's over with . It's a commitment that

13:09

you make as a manufacturer and

13:12

the certification agencies make as

13:15

an agency that's overseeing it , as

13:17

well as to a client , to ensure

13:19

that that craft maintains or

13:21

is maintained within in accordance with

13:24

the rules of the certification agency

13:26

, and as well those of the manufacturers

13:29

that create these machines .

13:32

And it's , I think Patrick points out

13:34

, a very important point . It's over the life cycle

13:36

management of the vessel what I'd

13:38

normally tell owners is because they're more

13:40

familiar with airplanes . It's

13:42

like the aerospace where you

13:45

can have experimental airplanes

13:47

and you have FAA approved

13:49

airplanes and the

13:52

difference is really in it's

13:54

not making a vehicle and having an FAA

13:57

approved airplane and the airbus or the Boeing

13:59

that's going to be used by British Airways

14:01

or American Airlines is very

14:03

different from an experimental one . So

14:06

the process , the rigor , the professionalism

14:09

in having a formally classed

14:11

underwater vessel is

14:13

in that same caliber of

14:16

the airplanes you board when you fly

14:18

from airport to airport and

14:21

there's a lot of code , there's a lot of discipline

14:23

, there's a lot of rules behind it which

14:25

us , as manufacturers , we abide

14:28

to and , as Patrick says , over

14:30

the life cycle management of

14:32

that vessel . The same way an airplane

14:34

is .

14:35

Those are some really good analogies . I appreciate that

14:37

thanks Offer . You've

14:39

taken a number of owners and their families

14:42

and charter guests on some pretty

14:44

interesting and pretty spectacular

14:46

dives over the years . Maybe

14:49

those of us in the media could

14:51

possibly be partially at fault for

14:53

referring to subs as water toys

14:56

. I think we might mistakenly give

14:58

the impression that it's a sub

15:00

is almost like a

15:02

jet ski or a sea dew right that it's something

15:05

you hop on board and within a

15:07

one minute poof you're off and

15:09

running . I know there's some training that

15:12

you've gone through to

15:14

operate safely . So again

15:16

, if you were sitting down with an owner and their family

15:18

, what would you say to them to put

15:20

them at ease in terms of what

15:23

you know and how you know it ?

15:28

Okay , so absolutely actually sitting here with

15:30

Charles in the

15:32

room , my first ever sub

15:35

dive was with him in Cocoa

15:37

Silent in 2004

15:40

, after I had already

15:43

been a scuba diver and an underwater photographer

15:45

and an underwater explorer for

15:48

at least a decade or more . Prior

15:50

to that , and adding

15:52

on to what Patrick and

15:55

Charles were saying , the operators

15:57

, the pilots , the crew

16:00

, are another link

16:02

in that chain of safety and

16:06

in that chain of protocol , and in that chain we

16:10

rely on the

16:12

engineering , we rely on the

16:14

capacities of the

16:16

vehicles , but then we

16:19

learn with the engineers what

16:23

this machine can do , what is its strong points and

16:25

where are its limitations . We

16:28

learn about the safety systems

16:31

, we learn about redundancy , we

16:34

learn about procedures , what

16:36

to do if and so . All

16:39

that sort of completes

16:41

the process of the purchase , of starting

16:43

way before the purchase . But

16:47

for the owner it completes the process of the purchase when

16:52

there is a trained

16:55

, capable crew that can now take this machine

16:57

that looks amazing on deck or

17:02

in the tender garage but actually take

17:04

you to another planet literally and take you

17:06

to see things that

17:10

you couldn't see on a jet ski or on a tender

17:13

. So

17:15

that's a little bit about

17:17

of that point of view regarding

17:20

that question .

17:23

Now , when you are going

17:25

to embark on a dive with them . Do

17:28

you go through any safety

17:30

protocols with them in advance

17:32

or point out anything that they need to know

17:34

?

17:36

Absolutely . The passengers have

17:39

to go first and again

17:41

, building on everything that's been said before , but by

17:44

class and by

17:47

regulations . There is a

17:49

very detailed briefing

17:51

. Just like you sit in

17:54

an aircraft and listen to the flight

17:56

attendant , go through all the

17:58

emergency procedures and what to do if

18:00

same thing happens in

18:03

a sub , and it's

18:05

very clear and it's very

18:07

straightforward as

18:10

to this is what we're going

18:12

to experience when everything goes

18:14

right , because that's also a very important part

18:16

is to set expectations as

18:19

to how you're going to feel in the sub . The

18:21

briefing is not just about the

18:24

emergency situations . It's , first

18:26

and foremost , about what to

18:28

expect , what you're going to feel , what

18:31

you might see , etc . Etc

18:33

. It's a different environment . And

18:37

then you also go over the

18:40

what ifs , and the what ifs are

18:43

, on the one hand , in a , designed

18:45

in a way that not to

18:47

install any unnecessary

18:50

fear but , on the contrary

18:52

, to say listen , everything

18:54

has been thought of . Okay , here are

18:56

the main scenarios

18:59

which are extremely unlikely

19:01

to happen . But

19:03

if they do , here is one , two , three , four

19:05

, five , the steps that

19:08

you can assist

19:10

with if required . Basically

19:13

, so , yes , it's a very , very clear

19:15

process and it's part of the

19:18

briefing .

19:20

Right right .

19:21

I mean I think you're Diane on your question of

19:23

the what

19:26

. It's not a toy on the ship . In the yachting

19:28

industry , some versables are not

19:30

just an additional toy that

19:33

you can simply put on board and

19:36

use , whether you just throw it overboard and

19:38

use it it's . It's not like that , it's

19:41

. It's more closer to

19:43

having a helicopter on board and it happens

19:45

to be on the water helicopter and

19:48

but it at the beginning

19:50

, when they were starting to put helicopters on

19:52

on the yachts in the 80s , the first one

19:54

everybody was saying you're crazy , a

19:56

helicopter on a private yacht

19:58

, that is unheard of , you

20:01

know . And then and now it's the busiest tenderer

20:03

on the boat and with the subs

20:05

. Back in the early in the late 90s

20:07

, early 2000s , the idea of putting a

20:09

sub on it on the private yacht was crazy

20:12

. It's , it's a crazy idea and

20:15

that has evolved . That

20:17

has evolved a lot in

20:19

finding a proper way to

20:21

do it properly , professionally

20:23

, safely . The same

20:25

way helicopters are now operated properly

20:28

and safely from a yacht . It

20:30

, the sub on board , does not have the

20:32

complexity of a helicopter

20:35

. It's not . It's not in that caliber , but

20:37

it's not just a tender , it's in between

20:40

both right right it's , it's

20:42

, it's not . It's not in the same complexity , but it

20:44

does have a

20:46

system that we put on place on the yachts

20:48

of protocol of operation

20:50

. The training is not just the pilot

20:52

, the training is for the crew on

20:55

how you operate safely . And a

20:57

submersible from a ship and

21:00

it's in between that tender

21:02

and the helicopter . It has its own niche where

21:05

it is . It can be set up properly

21:07

without . It's not this crazy

21:10

engineering . It's not a space shuttle launch

21:12

every time you use the sub , but

21:14

it does require more attention than just

21:17

a tender right , right

21:19

.

21:19

And then there's also the aspect of some

21:22

of the owners wanting , and

21:24

the crews wanting , to support ocean

21:26

conservation organizations , and so

21:28

they will allow the sub to be

21:30

used by scientists and researchers

21:33

who , perhaps in the Bahamas or

21:35

perhaps some other part of the world , want

21:37

and need data on

21:40

the marine life that's in the area . So

21:42

that's also a

21:44

serious use , and a proper

21:46

use , of a very complex

21:49

piece of machinery and

21:52

that opens all sorts of opportunities to

21:54

the scientific world that

21:56

these yacht owners happen to be able to provide

21:58

for them . So , yeah , that sort

22:00

of underscores it too , and you know

22:02

, on that line offer

22:05

, I want to bring you back in here for a second . What

22:08

are some of the really cool

22:10

discoveries and experiences that

22:12

owners and guests have had

22:15

when you've been with them in some of the subs

22:17

?

22:19

We'll need a separate podcast for

22:22

all of the stories , but just

22:25

to name a few . Definitely

22:27

, and adding to

22:29

what you mentioned just previously

22:32

in your comment about conservation , we did that

22:34

. We did quite a few owner trips

22:36

to the Galapagos . The Galapagos

22:38

, you know , one of the most interesting

22:42

and unique ecosystems on

22:44

our planet , one that is very

22:47

protected and very regulated . And

22:49

so working with owners that own

22:52

submersibles allows

22:54

the government

22:56

of the Galapagos and the National

22:59

Park and the scientific

23:01

research stations to have access

23:03

to a submersible

23:06

, which they don't have , you

23:08

know , is part of their toolbox

23:11

, and so that allowed us

23:13

to explore places that have never been

23:15

explored by

23:17

humans . And one of those dives I

23:20

remember was into

23:22

an

23:24

island . I think

23:26

it was Genoa

23:28

or a , I don't remember the

23:30

name , but it was a extinct

23:34

volcano crater that

23:36

is flooded , and so

23:39

the ships actually anchor inside

23:42

that that flooded crater and then people

23:44

go on land and visit . But no

23:46

one has ever taken a submersible

23:48

down to the bottom of that

23:50

crater . And I

23:52

had the opportunity , because

23:54

we had a permit from the Galapagos

23:57

, to take

23:59

the owner . It was two man subs , it

24:01

was me and the owner . We were the only

24:03

people in the submersible and we started

24:05

going down and

24:07

when I started to get a bottom reading I

24:10

think it started getting

24:12

a reading at about for a bottom of about

24:14

250 meters is

24:17

about 850

24:19

feet and

24:21

and as I'm going down

24:23

, there's I have an external temperature

24:26

gauge which shows me the water

24:28

temperature and I have , obviously , the

24:30

internal temperature , which is which is our AC

24:32

system . But and then , as I'm

24:34

going down and the water is getting really , really

24:36

dark , not just because

24:39

we're going deep , but there was something actually

24:41

almost like

24:43

making the lights look like your iPhone

24:45

flashlight and

24:47

this is weird and then I look out at the temperature

24:50

gauge and it's actually starting to rise

24:52

and it's becoming very warm

24:55

and as , as we're

24:57

reaching the bottom , we actually realized

24:59

that a be , the

25:01

, the , the volcano , is active

25:04

. This , this was unknown to

25:06

anybody . We actually

25:08

came back up with with sulfur , active

25:12

sulfur , and

25:15

we registered the temperature reading

25:17

. So you know , that's an example that that

25:19

that's the first of discovery

25:21

that would not have been a , would not have happened

25:23

without a sub in a man

25:26

sub going down and actually witnessing

25:28

it with our eyes , and the owner was , you could

25:30

imagine , extremely excited

25:33

by that . We've had , we've

25:36

had discoveries of , you know

25:38

, obviously deep , deep water species

25:40

that have never been seen before in different

25:42

remote locations . We've

25:44

even we even discovered a

25:47

2000 year old Roman ship

25:50

sunk just outside Capri . So

25:52

you would be there , you know , with all the

25:54

all , the , all the mega yachts in summer in

25:56

Capri , but nobody sticks their head underwater

25:59

, definitely nobody goes down to the bottom , and not with

26:01

an archaeologist from , you know , the

26:03

Italian ministry of

26:06

antiquities , and we documented

26:08

the first find of a 2000

26:10

year old shipwreck . And

26:12

I think just just to end

26:14

this , because , like I said , we need a separate

26:16

podcast just for stories , but

26:18

there's one that sticks out which

26:21

actually happened

26:24

in the Sea of Cortez , in in

26:27

in Mexico , where we

26:29

were on a relatively long submersible

26:32

project and before it started

26:34

, we do we , we normally do , and this

26:36

is this is true to all of

26:38

our expeditions we do a reiki

26:40

, we do some sort of a preparation

26:42

before clients arrive , and

26:45

so we did some dives . In this case , the

26:47

owner had actually funded universities

26:50

from Mexico to come on board and join

26:52

him for the submersible dives

26:55

in the Sea of Cortez , and during that

26:57

week that we were pre diving , we

27:00

had our camera recording because

27:02

, you know , we didn't know what we were going to see and we assumed

27:05

that the scientists would be interested

27:07

in any type of information . And

27:10

so when we got back to the ship the

27:12

night before we were to depart with

27:14

with the guests , we gave

27:16

those it was still DV tapes

27:19

. Back then we gave , we gave the tapes to

27:21

the to the scientists and said here you

27:24

know , go , you have , you

27:26

have many hours of looking at the

27:29

deep , the deep ocean floor . And

27:31

they woke

27:33

us up in the middle of the night , so

27:35

excited , and they said you have to come and see

27:37

this video frame . And

27:39

so we , we went to join them in the video

27:42

room and on the monitor was

27:44

a grouper . And we're like , okay

27:47

, why are you waking

27:49

us up in the middle of night to see a grouper which is obviously

27:51

a very common fish ? And and

27:53

they said , no , actually , that

27:55

grouper , that species , we

27:57

had already reported

28:00

it as an extinct species

28:02

due to overfishing . Therefore

28:05

, what you just found is

28:08

probably the only living grouper of that kind

28:10

. And not only that , we have to

28:12

go back and find it because , because

28:16

, if it's the only one , we need to see it and which we did

28:18

because we had we talking about technology

28:20

, we had enough technology

28:22

even back then , to trace

28:25

our track and , with the timecode

28:27

of the video , find

28:29

the actual reef where

28:31

we had filmed that grouper . And we found the

28:33

grouper . And so you know that

28:36

there's a lot . There's a lot that

28:39

goes on . Once you put your head under water and you go

28:41

deep , the truth

28:43

is you don't know what you're gonna

28:45

find that's what it's all about .

28:47

That's awesome , that's awesome .

28:51

I think , if I can

28:53

, there are a lot of locations

28:56

that yacht owners and

28:58

people are used to dive , locations

29:00

that they've been to before , but they become a very different

29:02

place by the time you have

29:06

a sub and you go further and you can rediscount the

29:08

location you think , patrick

29:10

, have your clients ever shared some pretty

29:13

cool discoveries with you , or have you been with them ?

29:16

Yeah , we've . I mean

29:18

just to mention a few highlights , as

29:20

Offer just did

29:22

. We filmed the giant squid , for

29:25

example . The first time in human history

29:27

that anybody had seen the

29:29

giant squid in its natural environment , and

29:31

we didn't just capture a glimpse of it , we filmed

29:33

it for 22 minutes in high

29:35

definition from about 680

29:37

meters , over 2000 feet , to

29:40

930 meters , over 3000

29:42

feet . So you know , just to name a

29:44

few , we filmed documentaries about

29:47

deep sea sharks and filmed some of the

29:49

most incredible footage of deep sea sharks

29:51

. That culminated in a documentary

29:54

that was seen and

29:56

frequently shown on Shark Week . You

29:59

know we've been incredibly fortunate

30:01

. We filmed the deepest ever fish , I

30:03

think we actually I actually physically saw

30:05

it through the window at 8,000 meters

30:08

. I'm sitting there looking at this little tiny fish , not that

30:10

big , called a Swire snail fish , but knowing

30:12

that that's like as deep as a fish can ever

30:14

go and knowing that

30:16

I'm putting my eyes on it pretty

30:18

exciting , that's awesome . Yes , we've

30:21

really been fortunate , and I think

30:23

one of the things that encourages

30:26

people to keep coming back for more dive

30:28

experiences is this idea

30:30

that every time you get in one of these brilliant

30:33

machines , you are

30:35

an explorer . You're likely to see something

30:37

that nobody's ever seen before , and

30:40

there's something you

30:42

know fantastic about that

30:44

idea , and I believe that's one of the reasons

30:46

human-occupied vehicles submersibles

30:48

are becoming so popular on

30:51

vessels .

30:52

Yeah , absolutely Charles

30:54

. We had lost you for a second there and you were going

30:56

to relate something that a client had told you , I

30:58

believe .

30:59

I'm sorry , you know it's

31:02

, I think , what you touched on on the citizen

31:04

science part . We've

31:07

found new species I'm

31:09

sure Patrick's groups have also

31:12

where all of a sudden you go to a location

31:14

and you discover the location

31:16

. We found this shark species in

31:18

French Polynesia by

31:20

from a yacht while we were just

31:23

doing excursion dive and

31:25

we found a species that nobody knew lived

31:27

in the South Pacific and they wrote a whole scientific

31:30

paper about it and it was a prickly

31:32

shark , which is a very deep shark

31:34

and the scientific

31:36

community did not know it lived in the South

31:38

Pacific at all . And we were cruising

31:41

at 700 meters with

31:43

the submarine and all of a sudden this massive

31:45

shark showed up and it

31:48

was like is this normal ? Because I wasn't sure

31:50

, is this a normal sighting ? And

31:52

shared it . The yacht shared it with

31:54

the Marine Research Center in French Polynesia

31:56

and everybody got really excited

31:59

and they wrote a whole scientific paper and that

32:01

you did not know that

32:03

the species lived . And it's an example

32:05

of the citizen science that happens

32:08

from simply going deeper

32:10

than 100 meters . The moment you go deeper than

32:12

100 meters , you , you , you're

32:15

in a completely new world and

32:17

it's astounding how

32:19

little we know it is absolutely

32:22

astounding that we

32:24

don't know that much . We have a fairly

32:26

good sense of the macro topology

32:28

, of the general , the

32:31

generalities of it , but the specifics

32:33

, the moment you go deeper , you

32:36

have the propensity of , without even

32:38

trying , I'm sure Patrick's group and

32:41

ours groups and our clients and everybody has

32:43

made a number of discoveries without

32:45

even really trying to do . It is just by going

32:47

, and there's only so

32:49

much you're going to do with cameras , putting cameras

32:51

on the water , putting sensors . You

32:53

know , at one point we still need the astronauts

32:56

to be on the water , they still have a role to

32:58

play and I think it's an exciting

33:01

open theater

33:03

that the private

33:05

we , what we bring to the table

33:07

is not just the scientific

33:09

community but the yachting industry also to participate

33:12

in understanding

33:14

and discovering that world .

33:16

Yeah , ray Dalio . For anybody who follows Ray

33:18

Dalio of Ocean X

33:21

his , his statement over

33:23

and over again about how we know far more about

33:26

space than we do beneath the surface

33:28

of the water is is just so true

33:30

, and it really is astounding to

33:32

think , and not to take

33:34

anything away from the astronauts . Of course I think it's

33:36

important to explore space and

33:38

I'm a longtime science geek myself

33:40

. It was my favorite subject when I was in about

33:43

second or third grade in school

33:45

. It's still a big treasure to me , but

33:47

the fact that we know so little about

33:49

what's beneath the surface is just not

33:51

excusable . So the more we

33:54

explore , the more

33:56

we discover and and the better off we

33:58

become as humans . I really think there's

34:00

so much to learn .

34:01

Yes , to add on that point of the humans

34:04

, conservation

34:07

, I've noticed over the years , has

34:10

taken a

34:13

very important role in in

34:15

the yacht dives

34:18

that we do . And , and when

34:20

I mean conservation , it's first of all

34:23

knowing the environment

34:26

that needs conservation . Because

34:28

because if you , if you don't put your head

34:30

deep underwater , you'll

34:33

never know that there's a algae

34:35

growing and killing reefs because

34:38

the temperature's higher than it ever was

34:40

, or that there's ghost nets

34:42

and fishing lines laying over the reefs

34:44

, or that there's plastic

34:46

bottles in the deepest locations

34:49

on the planet . Unless

34:51

you actually see it with your own eyes , you

34:54

don't , you don't understand that and then you don't understand

34:56

why it needs conservation

34:59

. And so we've seen a lot of that , especially

35:01

with the

35:04

, the younger generation of

35:06

of passengers , which

35:08

normally tend to be , you know , the

35:10

children of the owners , which

35:13

are much more connected today because

35:15

of , you know , social media and

35:17

and and and everything that goes on . So they

35:19

, they do hear about

35:21

it , but to actually see

35:24

them in the submersible , looking

35:27

outside and saying , and I remember

35:30

this . This

35:32

kid asked me why is there

35:34

a mini bar Coca-Cola

35:38

can sitting on the bottom here ? I didn't

35:40

know that it was . It was actually a full size Coca-Cola

35:42

can , but his eyes saw it as

35:44

a mini bar . A Coca-Cola can because

35:46

because of distortion , but

35:49

you know , but it's like I said , yes , that's

35:51

where it , that's where it ends up . You

35:54

know , you have to see it sitting there on the

35:56

reef at hundreds of meters

35:58

, or diving

36:00

in the med and realizing that the temperature

36:03

of the med has never been even

36:05

near what it is today

36:07

, and then seeing everything covered

36:10

in the seagrass or a , and

36:12

actually there are no reefs because they've all

36:14

been , you know , warmed up . But then suddenly

36:16

going to places like Solomon Islands , to

36:18

the most remote parts of the ocean

36:21

, and seeing reefs that

36:23

look like , you know , in a Disney movie , and they're

36:25

all . They're all screaming

36:27

with color and life . So it

36:30

the conservation aspect

36:32

. Even if , even if someone is not

36:34

necessarily interested

36:37

in in the science of it

36:39

, just the fact that you witness

36:41

what it looks like underwater creates

36:45

change in humans , I

36:47

believe .

36:48

Definitely . Well , we've got about a minute

36:50

left . I do have one last question

36:52

for all of you . If

36:54

you were to sit with an owner

36:56

or a guest charter guests

36:58

and owners family member , it doesn't matter who

37:01

might still be on the fence saying oh you know

37:03

, I always thought about it , but oh you know

37:05

, I'm kind of hesitating . What

37:07

would you say to them to

37:09

help change their mind to actually

37:12

climb in the sub and take the dive ? Patrick

37:15

, why don't you start ?

37:17

I would start by saying that submersibles

37:19

are the most magical machines on the planet

37:21

, because they transport you to

37:23

a place in our world that you

37:26

simply couldn't visit any other way , and

37:28

you just don't know what kind

37:30

of extraordinary adventures lie

37:33

in wait . So , if

37:36

you are curious , if

37:38

you're inquisitive which I think most

37:40

human beings are the

37:43

opportunity to get in a sub is something

37:45

that you just simply can't pass up , because

37:47

it will leave an

37:49

indelible impression , because you get

37:51

to see it with your own eyes , and

37:54

I can almost guarantee you it

37:56

will change your perception of the deep

37:58

sea forever .

38:00

Charles , what would you say ?

38:02

I 100% agree with Patrick just said , because

38:05

it is being in situ

38:07

, to be there , is very , very

38:09

different from watching it on television

38:12

or on your computer and being

38:14

immersed on the water , especially

38:18

once you cross the 100 meter barrier

38:20

, you're in a completely new world

38:23

and actually participating

38:25

in being there is the

38:29

most . It can transform

38:31

your understanding and

38:33

you look at the planet differently .

38:36

All , for what would you add ?

38:38

Yeah , perfectly said . So it's

38:40

hard to add , but I would say that really

38:43

there's not many

38:46

more opportunities today

38:48

to become a real

38:50

explorer , a true explorer

38:52

, and find something that

38:55

has never been witnessed before . And

38:57

the submersibles are the

38:59

best and probably the only way

39:02

today to do

39:04

something like that , to have that

39:06

experience , to feel what it's like

39:08

to see a place or see an

39:11

animal , or see a view and a scene

39:13

for the first time ever

39:16

witnessed .

39:18

Well said Well . Thank you all three of you

39:20

for being here today and sharing

39:22

not just the technical insight and

39:24

the safety insight , but also the magical

39:27

insight into the world

39:29

of submersibles . I am positive

39:32

that the listeners have learned a lot

39:34

. I certainly have . I've been joining a

39:36

lot of notes

39:39

while you all were talking and I

39:41

just want to leave right now and go jump on a sub . I

39:45

want to go see a really cool fish that nobody knows

39:47

exists . Well

39:50

, everybody . If you'd like to learn more about each of their

39:52

companies , you can visit their websites . C-magine

39:55

is C-Maginecom , that's

39:57

S-E-A-M-A-G-I-N-Ecom

40:00

. Triton Submarines is TritonSubscom

40:04

, that's all one word . And Submerge

40:06

is Submergecom , that's

40:08

Sub-Mergecom

40:10

. Until next time , everyone

40:12

, I'm Diane Byrne .