The book, DEEP, DARK, AND DANGEROUS: The Story of British Columbia’s World-Class Undersea Tech Industry, is now available for purchase online, in a store near you, or on BC Ferries. It’s the result of four years of interviews conducted by author Vickie Jensen to document the little-known stories of this province’s underwater trailblazers. They’ve built, operated, outfitted, and sold the submersibles, tourist submarines, underwater robotic systems like ROVs and AUVs, and inventions that have shaped and continue to shape British Columbia’s remarkable subsea reputation. Beginning in the mid-1960s, British Columbia gained a reputation as the north’s subsea NASA. That legacy is still recognised around the world, but strangely, very few Canadians are aware of this fascinating chapter in our country’s history. Today, the subsea industry in British Columbia and Canada is expanding. Jensen includes stories of young AUV, ROV, and submersible pilots.
At one point, each of these pioneers came to the same conclusion:
“There has to be a better way!”
As a result, they set about designing a variety of manned and unmanned vehicles as well as inventions that enable us to “see” at greater depths and work there safely.
The book also chronicles a largely unknown chapter of BC’s work history. As one reader added, “This book gives us Canada’s unknown heroes”.
