Its in the water!

Since the last post in November Tahoe Deep has been tested two times. The first test was a partial test and the a Camera and light housing were sent to 550feet, it was successful and the equipment preformed flawlessly. Recently we went back to Lake Tahoe and on the second test run we hit the bottom at around 1650 feet. We believe these are some of the first images of the bottom of lake Tahoe!

On the right you can see a transparent shrimp that decided to come up to the camera and check it out.

Ready to go!

     All the parts have came in from Airpoint and we have a fully built submersible ready to go to the bottom of Lake Tahoe. Airpoint did an amazing job and I could go on and on about it but here are some pictures, their work speaks for it's self.

     Tonight we will be modifying a down rigger to be more compatible with our project.  Fully configured "Tahoe Deep" only weighs 42.5 lbs ( less then a third of the maximum weight our down rigger can hold ) but with all the time and money invested in "Tahoe Deep" a 1/3 safety factor in the unknown and extreme conditions of the bottom of Lake Tahoe wont cut it.

     Our goal is to do the first test of "Tahoe Deep" this upcoming week as long as we can procure a boat and a driver.  So stay posted I will update this blog every day till you are watching footage from the bottom of Lake Tahoe!!

Tuf-Line

A big thanks to Tuf-Line for donating the 150lbs test braided line we will need to get Tahoe Deep to the deepest parts of Lake Tahoe! Tuf-Line was not the only braided line manufacturer to offer to be our newest sponsor but after some research we determined Tuf-Line makes the best product and it is made in the USA to boot! We look forward to show the world that Tuf-Line products can real in more then a fish.

This is one of the last pieces we needed to send  "Tahoe Deep"  down to the Lake's floor. Expect more posts, I'll keep updating our progress and if all goes as planned look forward to seeing the footage from Tahoe Deep shortly!

Old friends helping to get the word out!

Yosemite Bear Vasquez, one of the biggest names when it comes to Youtube has shared interest in "Tahoe Deep". You might remember Bear as "The Double Rainbow Guy". He has done everything from being a viral Youtube superstar, to starring in a Windows TV add. I met Bear a while ago, went to his Mountain Farm just outside Yosemite National Park to get to know him and help him out around his property with some trees (I used to be an arborist and that is me behind him in the photo). Tonight Bear and I talked about "Tahoe Deep", and he decided to post a link to this page on his Twitter! He seems to be as interested in the secrets of Tahoe as we are! So a big thanks to Bear for helping spread the word about "Tahoe Deep"

 

Bear's twitter is @Yosemitebear62, so follow him on Twitter and re-tweet the post to help us get Tahoe Deep seen by as many eyes as we can! We talked about the lakes Mono and Tenaya as well, two lakes located near the Yosemite National park. After we have shown the world the bottom of Tahoe, a trip up to visit Bear and explore the two very interesting lakes is in order! If you’re wondering, Tahoe Deep's job is not over at Lake Tahoe! Expect footage from unexplored Lakes near and far!

Tonight we will be sending out sponsorship proposals to a list of braided monofilament line manufacturers. We are asking for 1000 meters of 100lbs+ test BML. to be donated to Tahoe deep to be used on it's maiden voyage so stay tuned as we expect to name our newest sponsor later this week.

There are many reasons we picket a braided monofilament line over aviation cable and single strand monofilament line here are a few:

Our mission is to send a 50lbs submersible exoskeleton at least 1645 feet deep, its going to have to withstand not only the weight of the submersible but the extra stress of possible snags and drag. Braided monofilament line can be purchased in bulk lengths where aviation cable and monofilament seems hard to procure a length of material that will withstand the standards we need to meet.

Our new sponsor will be added to our sponsors at the bottom of this page and included on our official "Tahoe Deep" T-shirts.

Where we are

      Now that Tahoe Deep has moved in the the production phase I'd like to share some of what the culmination of hundreds of hours of work has accomplished.

      The most amazing details of Tahoe Deep can not be expressed VIA a photo and I would love to share those details with you. Unfortunately Tahoe Deep has competition and some aspects of the submersible exoskeleton are a guarded secret.  If you have any inquiries or questions about Tahoe Deep feel free to contact me.

As of today ( September 30th 2013 ) the blog goes "current" I will be updating the blog more often to share with our sponsors and friends our progress.  I would like to thank Derek and Larry of Omni Cubed, Inc. for everything they have contributed, their greatest contribution being their friendship.

Parts are being made, the weather is getting cold, lets see what's down there! Don't forget the visit the blog and spread the word. Splash day is coming up soon.

Not Alone in Perseverance

On the weekdays I am a plumber, and the most valuable benefits of the service industry are the people you meet. I was blessed to meet a man named Derek, I knew he was some sort of an engineer, I knew he owned a company that made tools, so I went to my father and procured his number and set up an appointment at his office. I dressed up, rehearsed my facts and brought the unsightly MDF model of Tahoe Deep along for the ride. Derek was very interested in the idea and thankfully so was his business partner Larry. After some talking and drawing on the white board spaced over a few more meetings Tahoe Deep V1.3 emerged from Larry's computer screen and gave me another boost of perseverance.

The Ascent

On July 4th I went camping with my girlfriends family at Sly Park Lake, when I found out we would be going out on their boat I leaped at the opportunity to get A camera to the bottom of the lake so with some duct tape, a lead weight, a mason jar and a GoPro camera I made a rig to test my idea in the most primitive form and got my first taste of deep water photography.

     I went out on a limb and sent a email to GoPro to ask for a sponsorship, to my surprise they not only replied but agreed to sponsor me. With a new Hero3 in the mail and every accessory I wanted I was in a hurry to make progress on the project.

     My father reminded me of a man we worked for several months back (Daric) who was a owner of an engineering company (Omnicubed) and recommended that I ask him to help me build it. So I invited a buddy over, printed out the plans and built a scale model using MDF, Plexiglass and screws.
         I doubt the MDF model of Tahoe Deep impressed Daric but I have a feeling it did.  Daric said he will talk with the other owners and get back to me.                                                                          

Tahoe Deep V1.2 Goes From a 3D Model to a 3D Item

The broad skill sets that many people my age were learning while attending college are far different than the specified skill sets that I learned in the military; so basically I had to teach myself everything I needed to know about cameras, submersibles, engineering, and Lake Tahoe. The studying paid off and I found myself consulting engineers less and less and started feeling more confident in my design. I decided to build a prototype out of cardboard and tape.

I set my heart on making my dream a reality

     On July 2013 I retired from the Marine Corps infantry, subsequently I had all the time in the world to think about my idea to send a camera to the bottom of Lake Tahoe. I took the time to teach myself everything I could related to submersible vehicles, as well as studying engineering and 3D modelling. "Tahoe Deep V1.2 was born on the computer.

How it started

Fall of 2012 my friend Stephanie and I took a trip to Lake Tahoe and we started talking about the lake and wondering how deep it is, what's at the bottom, and could not find a picture. Later that night after trying to find a picture of the bottom of the lake and coming up short handed I started drawing this, Tahoe Deep V1.0.