What's Goin' Down
with Underwater Video?
Rich McBride, President-CEO
SeaView Video Technology, Inc.
Allow me to rattle on a bit about finding fish...
For years, we've used bottom finders and Loran beacons to find our way to and from, back and forth. Of course, this equipment was originally designed for navigation and the fisherman's advantage was a secondary benefit. Global Positioning (GPS) gives us a more precise return to the fishing spot. And major improvements in bottom finders give us more power, greater detail...even color screens.
I compare Underwater Cameras to the GPS revolution...the "next wave" of fishing technology. With a camera on board, you can actually see the bottom and fish, in real time and in great detail..."look them in the eye," so to speak. The methodology we use makes it possible day or night, and even in very poor water conditions!
Although the idea of underwater cameras had been around for nearly 10 years, we modified existing technologies to make the idea better...that is, to make it really work. My inspiration was to build "white" Infra-Red Transmission right inside the camera...its own light source. This, combined with other circuit modifications, proved amazingly successful.
And of course, a little luck is involved with most inventions. During a recent TV interview, I accidentally dropped the demo camera--it plunged 10 feet, from the flybridge to the hard fiberglass ****pit deck. My first thought was, I had killed it--but when I checked, the camera was still working. In fact, when I put it in the water, it seemed to be working better than before! Turned out to be a huge "break" through--a component literally broke off the circuit board, and the camera’s sensitivity in low light actually doubled! That happy accident resulted in the re-engineered SuperSeaView®.
I see underwater cameras following the path of GPS. You may remember, GPS was about $2500 when first introduced...and consumers were uneducated about its uses and capabilities. Today, GPS enjoys a 48% penetration of the boating market, and prices start under $100. I have three receivers on my boat!
When I brought out the original SeaView® in the Fall of 1997, a typical underwater camera would easily top $2500! For the money, you could expect poor picture quality, terrible low-light performance, and unfriendly aquadynamics. SeaView® could actually see, handled well in the water, and sold around $800. The rest of the story happened quite naturally...I threw in about a half-million in advertising money, and today we've sold over 10,000 cameras. The Coast Guard uses our system for search & rescue; US Customs checks under boats for drugs and contraband; Police departments search for weapons day or night. In fact, under the Infra-Red beam, metal and shiny objects tend to glow, particularly in darkness. Compared to sending a diver down, the savings pay for the unit after just a few uses.
Speaking of diving, our camera solves several major problems for scuba divers: finding the dive site, making sure the visibility is adequate, and actually getting on top of the site...not to mention it's a backup lifeline to the surface, and an easy way to monitor your group from topside. Add a VCR and record your dive, take a copy home with you!
The camera has another major advantage--easing maintenance for boaters. We need to check our props, rudders, and hull just as often as we open the hood to check our oil. We need to know that everything is "still there" and functioning flawlessly. A standard attachment to the camera makes it easy, and dirty marina water is no problem.
My personal fishing experience leads me to say "don't leave the dock without your camera." When I go to my regular fishing hole and drop the lines, more than likely there's no bite. We'll try different baits, wild and crazy lures, and a lot of (hilarious) pulling and jerking retrieves. But with an underwater camera, all of that is past history.
Now, before we even drop the first line, I've looked below in real time. I know whether the fish are there...what species they are...even what size. When we start fishing, I can watch what bait is attracting them most. Once you become familiar with all this, it's even possible to pick and choose which fish you "allow" to bite!
Truth is...when they're not biting, they're probably not there at all. Fish move around! This is easy to deal with, though. Just troll the camera around for awhile. To your surprise, you're likely to find another spot within a thousand yards, that's loaded with fish! Try spending a day just trolling the camera--the suspense and fascination is unbelievable.
I know charter boat captains who can’t get their group to fish, because they’re inside, fascinated by the TV image. Wives who never liked going out on the boat ("all that messy stinky stuff!") now drag their husbands out nearly every weekend, and even invite their girlfriends! Why? --just to watch the world below.
All the years man has been on top of the water, it only makes sense that our real desire is to see the world under the water. It's fascinating, to be able to explore for yourself--not just watch somebody else's pictures at home. We sell to more than just boaters and divers. Every week, we sell cameras to people who don't own a boat...in fact, we sell them to people who don't even own a fishing pole! Many of them live at the water's edge; they drop our camera in, and watch on their home TVs. I call it "the maintenance-free electronic aquarium."
Personally, I discovered a new world down there. It is the most amazing experience. Now you can see it too!
AI
