Stephen Dunning is the owner of Sea To Sea Diving Enterprises, a commercial diving contractor in Williamson, New York. He built his own sub, called the Stinger, after serious health problems caused him to re-evaluate his life's work.

In 1993, Dunning was having trouble with his sight. He went to the doctor, figuring he had perhaps scratched one of his eyes. The problem was infinitely worse than he thought.

Dunning was diagnosed with a rare virus called vasculitis, which caused his blood pressure to get so high that it burst his blood vessels, damaging his eyes. Within a few months he lost his sight completely, but was able to regain sight in his right eye during the summer of 1994.

"I'm blind in the left eye," he says. "I can see light but can't focus or see objects to their fullest. I had a cataract in my right eye that was removed last January. I wear glasses now that help and I have regained some of the vision in my right eye due to the replacement of the lens."

The vasculitis also severely damaged Dunning's kidneys. "It completely shut down my kidney functions," he says. "I started out on hemo dialysis, tied to a machine four hours a night, three times a week. The machine cleansed my blood and took the place of my kidney.

After about 18 months, I went to a new type called peritenial dialysis. The doctors implanted tubes in my peritenial cavity and I now do exchanges. What this means is that I fill the cavity with fluid, keep it there for four hours, then drain it off. The fluid has a magnetic-like substance in it which draws out the impurities in my body."

Doctors performed a kidney transplant in April 1999, but the procedure was unsuccessful. The vasculitis destroyed the kidney and what was left of it was removed in August.

"Failures? I had them all," he says. "I got an allergic reaction to cyclosporine and got sick from that. It started to destroy my good red blood cells and I had to have a treatment called plasma pherisis, where my plasma is removed and new donor plasma is put back into me. This went on for over a year. I had to go each day to the hospital for a long time, then every other day until I could finally stop the treatment."

Dunning refers to himself as a walking pharmacy. "I'm holding my own now, still doing periteneal dialysis every four hours. My doctor checks my blood chemistry once a month and we go from there. I also have a special diet I have to follow very strictly. I have a decision to make soon for another transplant, but I'm nervous and have lots of concern about this. I don't want another failed attempt. So I go on one day at a time right now."

The Stinger
A product of years of designing and dreaming, the Stinger sub is a marvel of one man's determination. Soundly designed and engineered, it is 14-and-a-half-feet long and weighs 5,000 pounds. The steel hull is one-inch thick and is rated to 1,000 feet (300m). It is equipped with a custom lighting system from Carrillo Underwater Systems. "Ever since I was a little boy I've wanted to own a submarine," says Dunning. "My dream came true in 1994. It took me four different blueprints before I ended up with the plans that I used to build it. There were many trials and errors in equipping the sub, but I learned so many things while building it."

The Stinger has two half-horsepower thrusters that rotate 360 degrees on each side of the sub. Internally, three-horsepower motor shafts run from the rear of the sub. It also has a rear rudder tailfin. The sub is powered by 36-volt Interstate gelcel batteries. Speed can be adjusted by a variable speed control. Normal running speed is just over four miles per hour.

"The actual hull of the sub was fabricated, welded, and pressure tested in Buffalo, New York," says Dunning. "The electrical and safety equipment, scrubber, motor switches, and controls were built by me and painted with the help of a neighbor, John Henner, who customizes boats and cars. I designed and built the sub's trailer, as well. The cost of the sub was over $100,000, ballpark. The hull itself was $30,000. The top and front windows were almost $20,000. It took almost eight years to finish."

Dunning uses the sub primarily as a commercial vessel, helping Sea To Sea perform search and rescue missions for authorities in upstate New York. Launched it in 2000, the Stinger's first job was working for the Rochester Museum and Science Center, obtaining video footage for a film used as a teaching tool for school children.

"I've gone over 600 feet (182m) deep in the bottom of one of the Finger Lakes, Seneca Lake, on a search and recovery mission," he says. "We dove several times in unbearable conditions with no luck in retreiving the body of a young man who was presumed drowned by the authorities."

Charity Begins at Home
Dunning also hopes to use the Stinger to raise money to build a dialysis treatment center in Wayne County, New York. Dunning and others in his area needing dialysis treatment currently must travel to the nearest facility in Rochester, New York, 30 miles away. He plans on hiring out the sub to anyone interested in finding out what it's like to ride in a real submarine.

"Due to my medical problems, I haven't had the time to put a lot into giving fund-raising rides at this point," he says. "I have up and down days, so it is difficult to make long-range plans. Eventually I would like to market the ride aspect more fully. We do show the sub at area boat shows and fund raisers like the Lion's Club, and we had it on display for several business grand openings in the area." Dunning says the Stinger is a tight fit, but offers a fantastic view of the majestic underwater world.

"Many people get claustrophobic when they get inside of it! My wife has had a ride in it. She has been so supportive of me and my projects since day one. Even one of my buddies who is over 6 feet, 9-inches tall fits in it - it's a tight squeeze though."

Dunning is doing everything he can to make the new dialysis center a reality. "The only thing we have at this time is the site location, donated by a local doctor. We are in the process of organizing to get funding to build the center," he says.

A Life Underwater
As you might expect from the owner of a commercial diving company, Dunning has been a diver since he was seven years old. He was hooked when a neighbor let him try out a scuba rig in a backyard pool. His condition now severely hampers his ability to dive.

Dunning services Superlites, commercial rigs, and scuba equipment for local divers. "I started Sea To Sea Diving in 1990 as a commercial diver and scuba instructor," he says. "I had a partner for the first year, but have since run the business on my own. I got into zebra mussel control on Lake Ontario, working on intake systems for the towns that surround the lake. I also did the same for the nuclear power plant in Ontario, New York."

He has not lost his sense of humor.

"I still dive under my doctor's disapproval. I learned and adapted, with special equipment, to be able to continue diving even with the catheter in my stomach."

Dunning is currently moving his shop from to a new building he put up on his home property. "I'm in the process of building special designed water intake screens to fight off seaweed problems in the surrounding lakes. This takes up much of my time right now. And, when the weather is good, I dive and videotape for the area towns. One of my goals is to build up my business and work with others in the commercial diving field. My dream is to meet Robert Ballard in person!"

There may be another Stinger in his future, as well. "I would like to build another one, or work with a company that designs and builds subs. My pockets are very thin right now due to the onset of medical bills that have plagued me since I got sick."

Stephen Dunning has overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and hardship to make it in the underwater contracting business. His story can serve as an inspiration to others.

"I want to spread the word that people with medical disabilities and conditions shouldn't hold themselves back in the field of commercial diving," he says. "There may be some restrictions you have to adhere to, but if you love doing this kind of work, you can always find a way to make your dreams come true, even if it isn't easy to do so. If you have determination and a strong will, and family and friends that love and support you, you can do anything in spite of your illness." UW