Florida man who searches for river treasure restores 1998 submarine and risks it all to see if it still works
Published on Jun 28, 2026 at 8:10 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Jun 28, 2026 at 8:10 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
This man has been using a 1998 submarine to explore the depths of a Florida river with surprising results.
He took two huge risks with it.
First, he bought it almost sight unseen, and second, he tested it underwater without any prior experience.
Fortunately, it went better than expected.
This submersible is actually kind of ‘cute’
Florida-based YouTuber Jiggin’ With Jordan bought a 1998 submarine to explore the underwater world.
And when we say ‘underwater world’, we mean rivers in Florida.
The first thing that stands out when you look at it is the size, which makes it look like the Smart car of submarines.
“It’s a cartoonish-looking sub,” as Jordan correctly pointed out.
There were several issues when he bought it because he had no idea how to operate it, how to get it into the water, or whether it was even functional, which was not exactly a great start.
But after taking a huge risk with the submarine, he decided to take another even bigger risk and test it underwater.
It went better than expected and, understandably, Jordan was over the moon.
“This was a really, really big moment. I gambled at this thing. I threw my wallet at this. It’s a really big deal, and it was either sink or swim,” he admitted.
“I bought this, and we had no clue if it worked. Driving that submarine… we’re doing things different; we’re doing things bigger. They’ve changed the trajectory of the YouTube channel that you guys know and love,” he said.
How the test went a lot better than predicted
Jordan and his team began by removing heavy lead weights and adjusting the air tanks to fix buoyancy issues.
After setting the craft into the water, the team successfully submerged for the first time, reaching depths of 10-18 feet
One of the biggest problems with submarines is that, unlike most vehicles, the civilian use versus military use ratio is heavily skewed.
Historically, submarines have almost always been used for military purposes and, on the rare occasions they are not, there are two caveats.
These caveats are either A, they’re not actually submarines – more like smaller submersible watercraft – and B, well, things go wrong.
Still, fortunately for Jordan, this ‘submarine’ was clearly designed as a mom-and-pop Sunday vehicle.
And it worked just as advertised.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
