I fully agree with LD Richert's comment
As long as people know the risk, I say do it.

Mr. Marrero reminds me of the Australian government who once mandated foreign vessels to have a huge pile of electronics on board in the interests of "safety". LOL
Since the advent of GPS and EPRIBs, there are more idiots on the sea not less.

As for those concerned with the horse…
While I felt sad about it too, in truth, it's no different than having a steak dinner, eating lobster, wearing a leather jacket or using glue from the local store.

As for the rude comments from Mindy, Peter and Kyle.. let me guess.. you've never been outside the USA and discovered how the "real" world functions ?

Karl, when I get to Roatan on my boat in the next couple years, I'll look you up… do you prefer rum, tequila, coffee or tea ?

A fellow entrepreneur, I remember asking Karl about the cost of his insurance. He responded with (I'm paraphrasing), "What do I need insurance for? If something goes wrong down there, I'm going with you." Point made, he battened down the hatch and down we went.

I'd hate to imagine a world without people like Karl!

Boy Oh Boy have you goy a fire ant stuck in your sphincter of what!!! After reading your posts I came to several conclusions.

Firstly your level of ignorance about Karl’s project. In many respects Karl’s project exceeds many of the standards set by ABS or Lloyds. Regardless of that rules are for the observance of fools and a guide to the wise. With your strict observance of all things regulatory and you’re lack of any ability to think for yourself, it’s easy to see which category you fit in to.

Secondly you’re attack is motivated by envy. Just because your life own did not live up to your expectations don’t attack someone whose life did.

Thirdly, many people who quote ABS and Lloyds and denigrate others are at heart narcissistic control freaks. A certain website regarding small submersibles seems to be heading this way using ABS as a way to stifle imagination and endeavor with the added motivation of financial gain. You also accuse Karl of seeking a low regulation environment for his business. So what if he did! Just about every other US corporation has the same attitude and now manufactures in China for the same reason. Why should Karl be expected to be any different?

Fourthly what a shame it was not your last post as you promised!

I see that there are many ways to learn about this mostly water planet, and HBOI has been adding much to that end. I know many that do there best to follow the rules that surround them, some just to get along and others because they believe it to be the best course of action. Many times to the point that they treat it like it's a religious belief. So when one that follows the rules, which many times takes great effort, for many years, sees someone succeeding with out following all the rules they believe everyone should live by, they are usually greatly offended.

Karl has chosen a path that doesn't require support from any government or charity to operate. To mix fun and learning is not a bad thing, and the more people that see there is much life down really deep, and how wondrous it is, the better. They will be more likely to support efforts to save those life forms, which in turn may very well be what saves humans from going to far. We need many more subs taking all sorts of people deep below the oceans surface. I expect that all the HBOI scientist that have gone down, have been greatly awed, wowed, and entertained, as part of there gathering research.

I have found many times, that the longer one sits and watches animals, the more they learn about them. Just seeing a new creature or plant, taking it's picture and then giving it a name, is only the start of discovery. I've watched Karl add and update his sub equipment for some time now, and having great lights and HD cameras to record many hundreds of hours of what is happening below is very useful research. I wouldn't be surprised if Karl plans to use the footage to make a number of documentaries in the future. One does not require a degree in some thing to add to scientific knowledge. My grandfather never got a chance to go to college, but over the years he gathered a large amount of data about butterflies and moths, that he shared with his numerous, formally educated colleagues in the research field of Lepidoptera.

To say the pioneer days of exploring the oceans is long past, is a point I strongly disagree with you on. I consider that to be very shallow thinking.

Many humans hate the wild untamed world, and work very hard to conquer and subdue it to feel safe. If I had a advanced alien type craft and I went and hovered it in one place for long, many humans would do any thing to control it. If they couldn't control it, they would try to destroy it at any cost. The great powerful beast of this world have been facing that reality for a very very long time. But I for one love the Wild West and would likely always choose to live in it if I could. But as you well know, the Wild West is being paved over, very efficiently I might add.

I like to be safe, but one has to choose how far they will go to try to be safe. Parents struggle with that question all the time. I've seen so many go so over board, that there lives and there children's become so sad and dull, that there dreams of a vibrant life, if they ever had any, are lost.

If some one were to die in a third world submarine operation that didn't go by all the available rules put in place in other parts of the world, I would expect no real change of rules in those countries that have many rules in place. They would just say, see are rules are good, and this is an example why. Perhaps Honduras would add some laws as well. But world wide I don't expect they would get excited enough to change there rules.

I don't expect that the majority of Karl's sub passengers know what is a good or bad submarine design, or how to inspect it. You could say that about many different things. People perhaps think, that since he's been doing this a long time, that there odds of survival are pretty good, so they go for a dive to see what most will only perhaps see on the magic television. Also how many people that are knowledgeable about sub design and safety procedures, could or would be able to properly inspect Idabel completely before any given dive, or any sub for that matter. Many more people know about cars, yet they are not likely to know if a tire has a defect, or that some other odd item is about to fail at any given moment.

I don't have a list of safety procedures, equipment, and submarine safety assemblies, such as a drop weight, etc., that Karl has. But I would be very surprised if he didn't have any, and didn't think about them and practice them on a regular basis.

In regards to your quote below about those who have died exploring the oceans and other waters giving there lives for increased safety of those that followed them underwater, I have to disagree.
Much was learned from the investigations of there deaths, but they didn't willingly die for that cause.
"They have been recognized by history and recorded for future generations as the ones who gave their lives so that those who followed could work in a safer environment under the sea."

But what do I know, I've been running with scissors most of my life, removed the tags from all my mattresses years ago, and don't have a top guard over the blade of my table saw.

Is unfortunate that many consider the efforts of others to improve safety as an illusion or as an unnecessary intervention. When safety is taken in consideration costs will likely increase, but at least one can sleep at night knowing one has done all they can to prevent injury or death.

Thats not to say all my compliments come without concerns however.

I'm wondering what safety precautions you have taken with your craft. I can assume you have a fire extinguisher on board along with other basic equipment, but what about an EPIRB device? Do you regularly inspect your craft for more than superficial damage?

I hope that you enjoy many more visits to the deep.

and for the fact that he lost the horses carcass overboard, before arriving at his destination, says it was not lashed down securely, which is shoddy seamanship at and time!!

I hope to finish refitting my submarine this next summer, and start adding some more underwater adventures to my life and others.

" I'm the one that has to die, when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way I want to. ~ Jimi Hendrix

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, To win glorius triumphs, even though checkered by failure, Than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much Nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight
That knows neither Victory nor Defeat."

"If you don't have a vision, then your reality will always be determined by other's perceptions." ~ Melanëe Addison

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." ~ Albert Einstein

"Amateurs built the Ark.
Professionals built the Titanic."

"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others." ~Groucho Marx

People would ask me, "Why would you ever want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?" What they fail to realize is THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PERFECTLY GOOD AIRPLANE! Every plane, commercial, private, and the thousands of EXPERIMENTAL craft, have flaws that have the potential of bringing the plane down. Yet, people fly millions of miles each year because of the ILLUSION of safety, with FAA certification, frequent inspections, etc. And despite all those efforts, we have about 1 major crash a year, with HUNDREDS dead. And what of the TENS OF THOUSANDS killed on the road each and every year? Do we REQUIRE annual inspections of private cars? I can just imagine the OUTRAGE at "government intrusion in our private lives" if they tried! And still, despite all the dead, people do not stop flying or driving!

I would place Karl's sub in the same category as home-built airplanes – EXPERIMENTAL. By definition, such craft are untested and have the potential for catastrophic failure, yet for most people, such craft are the only way they could EVER hope to experience the thrill of flight or submersion. That's the RESULT of government rules, certification and bureaucracy – pricing the experience out of the means of almost all but the richest! Add to that our corrupt legal system, and any innovation is generally allowed to sit on a shelf, lest some lawyer sue because the OLDER technology wasn't as good as the innovation! How twisted is that? Think I'm exaggerating? Find out how many small aircraft manufacturers there were 50 years ago and how many there are now!

Quite simply: if you don't want to sail with Karl, don't! If you don't want to skydive, don't! But DO NOT presume to speak for all and seek to have the experience banned for those of us COGNIZANT OF and WILLING to take the risk, whatever it may be!

I served on a US Navy nuclear sub and traveled to a depth greater than 1200 ft. Was it safe? As safe as it could be, being a HUMAN endeavor. Kindly keep in mind that we've lost 2 nuclear boats, designed and built to the most stringent standards possible, and still things went wrong that cost hundreds of lives. You will NEVER eliminate ALL risk, no matter the activity.

All those who wish to shut down Karl should take a trip just 50ft down with him to get a brief idea of what the other 70% of our Earth is like. They might just decide to try again, only a little deeper the next time!