Photographers Build DIY Remote Controlled Submarine To Film Hippos Underwater

Drones are probably the hottest gadgets in the photography industry this year. We see them being used for commercial aerial shoots, for news coverage, for wedding photography and, well, just for fun. The guys at 'Earth Touch' recently decided to see if they can create a drone that instead of going up to the sky, will be able to go down under the water. After planning on paper, they executed their idea and built a fully functional underwater 'drone' submarine. Check out the BTS and the final result.

After a many days of planning and building of the camera submarine, the team went out to test it in a local swimming pool to make sure it reacts to the remote control and of course that it is 100% sealed.

The next step was to test the DIY gadget in a real-world situation and not in a controlled environment. The chosen destination was Botswana's Okavango Delta, a place where they can follow hippos and record them underwater. Maybe not the most beautiful underwater location, but it shows the potential of this homemade submarine. Just imagine the video it can shoot at a nice coral reef with clear water.  

[Via ISO1200]

Noam Galai's picture

Noam Galai is a Senior Fstoppers Staff Writer and NYC Celebrity / Entertainment photographer. Noam's work appears on publications such as Time Magazine, New York Times, People Magazine, Vogue and Us Weekly on a daily basis.

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3 Comments

thats pretty neat. I assume the electrical took a bit of time and thinking as well ;) wonder if they have schematics online

For a moment I read "Photographers Build DIY Remote Controlled Submarine To Flip Hippos Underwater". I thought this might be a new trend, like cow tipping...

That looks like a great rig. While B&H has been selling flying drones for quite a while, I saw this a few days ago from B&H:
Aquabotix Underwater: Explore the Sea Depths from the Comfort of Your Boat
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/hands-review/aquabotix-u...