A trailer firm is playing a supporting role in the launch of world’s first totally portable mini-submarine that was inspired by a close encounter with a shark.
Inventor Chris Garner spent more than £1.5 million developing the mini-sub – dubbed MSV Explorer Big Foot.
According to Chris, he has designed the Big Foot for the public to use and he says it is easier to drive than a car and will easily withstand the full-on attention of a Great White Shark.
The entrepreneur turned to Ifor Williams Trailers for help to create the perfect vehicle on which to transport his brainchild, which moves on land via tracks like a mini-digger and drives straight from a trailer down a slipway or across a beach into the water.
“I just wanted something that people can put on a trailer, hitch up to their 4 x 4, pick-up or RV so they can enjoy seeing – and hearing – life underwater, close-up and safely,” said Chris.
“When I saw the trailers at my local Ifor Williams Trailers distributor in Launceston, in Cornwall, I realised they would be ideal.
“I called and spoke to the company and that was it. I like getting things done simply, and this distributor was very convenient, right under my nose,” added the inventor, who personally tests his creations.
His 20-year journey in developing the battery and hydraulically powered Big Foot from the drawing board to full production is being highlighted in a Channel 4 show about British inventions, to be broadcast in November.
He’s already landed 24 orders for the twin-seated mini-subs, which cost £25,000 to £65,000, from across the globe. Customers include tourist companies offering sea safaris in New Zealand, Australia, America, Turkey, the Seychelles and the Middle East, plus a German search and rescue organisation, military and coastal authorities – and even documentary and film makers.
Andrew Reece-Jones, the Design Engineering Manager at Ifor Williams Trailers, wished Chris every success with his ingenious underwater enterprise.
He said: “We were delighted to be able to help Chris with this exciting project and we hope that Big Foot has a big future.
“It is the most unusual request we’ve had for a trailer – usually people buy them to transport sheep or horse, or other equipment.”
Chris created the craft after a close encounter with a shark when he was swimming off the coast of Portugal, while on holiday with friends 25 years ago.
He explained: “I was around half a mile from shore in deep water doing the backstroke when I got the feeling that I wasn’t alone. I turned over to see what it was when I was suddenly hit and I thought: ‘I’m dead’. I couldn’t see what it was because of the salt water in my eyes, but it was like being run over by a huge beach ball rolling over me three times.
“Extremely alarmed, I swam for shore as fast as I could, like an Olympian. It was an extremely unnerving hour of my life.
“That was my motivation for the submarine, so you could enjoy the marine environment, which I find fascinating, without being nibbled by a shark or anything else high in the food chain such as Humboldt Squid Crocodile and the like.
“It’s taken me all that time to get the vision into reality, because we have had to invent the technology as we go along.
“I am a bit of an adrenaline junkie but I have mitigated all the risks in my design for safe public use and enjoyment.
“The sub offers 360 degree vision from the cockpit, about 1.5m underwater, and is totally safe, with a massively strong 40mm thick acrylic hemisphere. It is bristling with state-of-the-art technology, including underwater lighting and cameras, a hydrophonic system and much more.
The Big Foot can also be launched from the back of a boat and comes with air-conditioning and sonar depth equipment. Other versions include a mini ROV that can be controlled by a small joystick, complete with cameras to further explore life on the ocean floor or wrecks.
The battery power gives 100-plus hours in-water use before a recharge is required. The craft is fast enough to keep up with large marine animals such as a whale or basking shark and Chris is now working on a solar powered version with a gyro generator which will make it self-sufficient.
He hopes to turn out 100 Big Foots a year and is still developing a host of new inventions, including a huge motorised floating island under a solar dome which has attracted huge commercial and private interest for use as a floating hotel or private island.
“I don’t know if I am crazy or not, but I have worked seven days a week for more than 20 years, work is a total commitment to me,” added Chris.
Ruth Jasper of PRJ Trailers in Launceston has worked closely with Chris over his order for Ifor Williams Trailers.
“I knew that he was an inventor, and he had come in here before, to get trailers to move the prototype subs” said Ruth, who set up the business with her husband Philip 23 years ago. “He knows exactly what he wants and we have built up a good relationship with him.”
