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Explore the Unknown. Go Deeper.

Welcome to Stanley submarines

About Roatan Institute of Deepsea Exploration

Captain Karl Stanley’s deep diving submarine Idabel , based on the Caribbean island of Roatan, Honduras, is the #1 spot in the world for the last two decades for the public to enter the deepsea.

Idabel will take you deeper into the unexplored Cayman Trench than most people have ever ventured— illuminating depths down to 2,000 feet (610 meters) below the surface. Through the submarine’s large plexiglass viewing bubble you will see a wide variety of deepsea animal life rarely encountered by humans.
 
Idabel docks at Half Moon Bay in West End, Roatan, in the Bay Islands of Honduras.

Submarine

Deepsea Submarine Idabel

The vehicle is a one-of-a-kind deep diving submersible designed and custom-built for her exact location on Roatan, Honduras. The sub, which is the first in history constructed of three different sized spheres, is designed to safely transport three people to 3,000 feet (915 meters) below sea level.

The submersible is named “Idabel” in honor of the town in Oklahoma where it was born, and whose inhabitants were more than helpful in the process.

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You have the rare opportunity to travel in a one-of-a-kind machine to another world and come face-to-face with life forms beyond imagination.

Over

2500

Dives

Your Pilot

Submarine Pilots

Karl Stanley

Karl Stanley has spent over three-quarters of his life pursuing his desire to explore the planet’s “final frontier”. He has designed and built two deep-diving submersibles which he has piloted in three different countries. At the age of 24, he began his career taking expeditions down to 700 feet off Roatan, Honduras.

You may recognize us from our work with

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Latest Press

At the beginning of June, Karl and I took the time to plan our dives for the rest of the summer based on my work 

The process of building the sub is featured in a documentary