International VentureCraft Corp.
Tel: 604 436 5653
SportSub FAQ
What does the SportSub package
include?
All SportSub models come with a
complete set of equipment necessary for their operation,
including:
- SCUBA
air tanks for main air supply as well as reserve
- Regulators
to control pressure for all the SportSub’s
internal systems
- Industrial
Submarine battery
- Marine
grade battery charger
- Training
manual
- Operator’s
manual
- Complete
instrumentation:
- Battery
energy monitor
- Air
pressure gauges
- Compass
- Air-flow
meter
- Multi-level
dive computer
- Electrical
systems fault monitor
- Safety
and backup systems:
- ReservAir
System – Complete redundant air supply,
engaged instantly
- Buoyancy
control manual override
- Fore
and Aft ballast tanks
- Manual
drop-weights
Most models also come with a
Digital Sonar system to assist in navigation. Many
other options are available for all models. See
also: SportSub
Information
What models are available?
Six different models are available
for different applications:
- SportSub
II,
Two-seat, recreational
-
SportSub
III,
Three-seat, recreational
-
ResortSub, Three-seat, includes Depth Control System with Auto-Hover system
- SurveillanceSub,
Three-seat, commercial/industrial, includes Automatic Depth Control System with Auto-Hover system
-
ResortSub Dry Ambient, Three-seat, All dry, Top entry, includes Automatic Depth Control System with Auto-Hover system
-
TourSub Dry Ambient, Six-seat, All dry, Top entry, includes Automatic Depth Control System with Auto-Hover system
How fast is the SportSub?
The three-seat models go about 4
mph, surfaced or submerged. The SportSub II goes up
to 5 mph. The TourSub will run about 1 to 1.5 mph
How deep will the SportSub go?
The practical depth limit is 130 ft.
Detail: The depth limit is not as a result of water pressure on the hull since the
SportSub is an Ambient
Pressure Submersible. Depth
is limited by the physiology of the occupants who
experience the same effects as if they were SCUBA diving.
The limit for recreational diving is generally considered
to be 130 ft. Going any deeper requires knowledge
of decompression or possibly of breathing mixed gasses.
These techniques are not practical in a SportSub.
How long can the SportSub stay
submerged?
Maximum submerged time is about two
hours.
Detail: Dive time is limited
by two things; air supply, and dive tables. The
SportSub’s standard air supply system will provide
enough breathing air for over two hours but air is
consumed much more quickly for buoyancy control. The
more up and down movement is performed during a dive the
quicker the air supply will be consumed. An
experienced pilot can make a dive last considerably
longer than a novice can, and the Depth Control System can make the air last even longer.
Dive time is restricted by the no-decompression
limits of the dive tables if diving below 30 feet. The
SportSub’s dive computer will keep the pilot
informed of the required limitations.
Are the SportSubs wet or dry subs?
We now have two different types of ambient subs. SportSub II, SportSub III, ResortSub, and SurveillanceSub are semi-dry, ambient
pressure submersibles
Detail: Occupants are dry
from the waist up in the cockpit. This allows them
to breathe and talk normally without using SCUBA
apparatus. No masks or regulators are worn during a
SportSub dive.
ResortSub DA and TourSub are all-dry, top-entry ambient
pressure submersibles.
Detail: Occupants enter and exit the subs through a hatch in the top of the sub. They stay completely dry during the dive. This allows them
to breathe and talk normally without using SCUBA apparatus. No masks or regulators are worn during a SportSub dive.
What keeps water out of the
cockpit?
The internal cockpit air pressure.
Detail: The cockpit traps a
pocket of air much like a diving bell. For more
details read SportSub
Technologies.
What is the Electronic Buoyancy
Control system (EBC) and what will it do for me?
The EBC system maintains neutral
buoyancy so that no matter how deep the sub goes, its
buoyancy stays the same. For more details read SportSub
Technologies.
What supplies air for the
SportSub’s systems?
The SportSub’s air supply is
standard SCUBA tanks. The TourSub uses 'T' size cylinders.
Detail: Two-seat models use
two 80 cubic foot air tanks for main air supply and one
for reserve. Three-seat models use four 80 cubic
foot tanks for main air supply and one 80 cubic foot tank
for reserve. The six-seat TourSub uses seven 440 cubic foot tanks for main air supply, and one 440 cubic foot tank for reserve. Additional tanks can be added as
options to increase air supply capacity. Each of
the tanks connects through pressure regulators into all
of the SportSub’s built-in systems. These
include breathing air, which is controlled by a flow
meter, automatic buoyancy control, controlled by the EBC
system, and ballast tank control, operated by valves in
the cockpit.
What prevents carbon dioxide
buildup?
Fresh air is continuously flowing
through the cockpit at a controlled rate sufficient to
keep breathing gasses within optimum range.
Detail: The breathing
atmosphere has been extensively tested by Kineseology
researchers to verify the required airflow rates. This
testing was done using a SportSub cockpit in the wet tank
of a large hyperbaric chamber. Breathing air
quality was measured while subjects were at rest as well
as under various conditions of exertion. Large and
small, male and female subjects were used and from the
data collected, minimum airflow rates were established.
In practical use, a SportSub causes much more air to flow
through its cockpit for buoyancy control than is required
to keep carbon dioxide from building up but the flow
meter ensures that the air flow rate can never be too
little.
What powers the SportSub?
Battery powered electric thrusters
Detail: Non-Depth Control System SportSub models
are propelled by two electric thruster motors producing
75 pounds of thrust each. Subs with the Automatic Depth Control System use four 75 pound thrust motors. The TourSub uses ten 105 pound thrust motors. Power for the thrusters
comes form a large, custom built, 24 volt, deep cycle,
industrial grade battery that is housed in a submersible
battery compartment. The battery compartment is
pressure balanced and vented to the outside of the sub’s
hull. The most recent design provides an automated
means of maintaining battery electrolyte levels.
Can I take non-divers for a
SportSub ride?
Yes, under certain circumstances.
Detail: Every pilot of a
SportSub must be a certified SCUBA diver. If
passengers are not certified divers, the pilot should be
a SCUBA instructor.
How maneuverable is the SportSub?
It maneuvers somewhat like a
helicopter.
Detail: The SportSub can be
controlled in three dimensions; forward and backward,
left and right, up and down. The attitude (angle of
tilt) of the SportSub is very stable. It does not
roll or pitch like and airplane. It can hover in
one spot or turn in its own length. The Electronic
Buoyancy Control system makes it very easy to move in any
dimension using thrust. Complete control of thrust
is accomplished using two joysticks, one for motor speed
and direction, and the other for dive plane angle. More
detail is available in SportSub
Technologies.
Why are there no overhead or rear
facing windows?
Any light that is allowed to enter
the cockpit will cause reflections and actually reduce
visibility.
Detail: Most underwater
environments are dimly lit because light filters down
from the surface. This surface light must be kept
out of the cockpit or it will cause reflections. It
would be somewhat like driving a car at night with the
interior light on. Anything bright in the cockpit
would be reflected by the front windows, causing a ghost
image to appear in the pilot’s field of view.
How are SportSubs launched and
recovered from the water?
Trailers, davits, cranes, inflatable tow vessels,
custom-built boats, powered swim grids, carts on rails,
etc.
See: Launch
and Recovery Systems.
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