Private Submarine is Strange

Barely two weeks ago, M.E. mentioned this:

The myth of submarine safety has spread in the current craze, totally devoid of meaningfiul comparisons, for personal submarines. As every submariner well knows, however, it is just a matter of time before certain tragedy and wreckless folly end this shallow craze.

Now we know the insurance industry at least agrees:

Hazardous May be an Understatement

Oklahoman Karl Stanley constructed his 13-foot (based on a lucky number, we guess) homemade submarine he claims dives to 2100 feet. Safety systems are sub-par according to some marine experts: Roatan's Only Homemade Submarine in Limbo

Captain Stanley has been careful to advise passengers, who pay $1,500 each for five hours in the craft, that [their] only insurance is that I am going with you.

On one dive a window cracked 600 feet down, spraying seawater on a passenger. That scared the crap out of me, he admits. (He has broken three more windows since.) Stanley conducts about 100 dives a year and posts annual revenues of slightly more than $100,000.

Stanley, who is unlicensed to do business, attracts sharks to his tourist dives by shooting a live horse he leaves as bait in the dive area.

It will get even stranger when the first tourist dies or Stanley's little sub fails to surface. We certainly wish him well.