Safety and the Submersibles

What kind of safety and/or rescue features do the submersibles have?

• A drop-weight, which when utilized (released from the submersible to assist with buoyancy), enables the submersible to return to the surface in an emergency situation;
• Two totally redundant life support systems; Separate emergency air breathing systems (BIBS)
• Rescue vehicle. A line-attached ROV (remote operated vehicle) is on continuous standby as secondary backup
• Submersible is pressure-tested with a generous safety margin prior to expedition
• All under-ice operations will be tethered to the surface
• Operations on programs are conducted at depths far less than sub-tested depths

Is it dangerous? Have there ever been any accidents with the submersibles?

• All underwater activities are dangerous, but because the operator is at ambient (surface) pressure, ADS (atmospheric diving systems) like the Dual Deepworker do not see the pressure-related accidents that can affect scuba divers.
• Statistically, submersible diving is the safest form of deep diving, with very few fatalities in the last 50 years, and none since the 1970's.

Have these trips ever been done before?

• This specific submersible expedition has not been operated before. Although submersibles are in widespread use all over the world this Canadian Arctic expedition is an exciting first.
• Adventurers over the last decade have dived in 2-3 person submersibles to depths of up to 16,000 feet! The Breadalbane expedition will take you to a maximum of 350 feet.

ALL SAFETY PROCEDURES WILL BE REVIEWED WITH PARTICIPANTS DURING THE PRE-DIVE LECTURE.

Breadalbane PDF (371Kb)