Farallon Mark 7 and 8 

Farallon USA Inc., based in Ottawa, Canada, sells the Farallon Mark 8 and 7-E,
 variable-speed control diver propulsion vehicles. The MK 8 has a range of 3.2 miles, 
while the shorter MK 7-E has a range of 2.25 miles.

Currently Farallon has two of the five devices listed on the ANU for diver propulsion devices.
 Although none have been sold to the U.S. Navy, foreign militaries and diving specialists use the 
ANU list to validate equipment, said Tom Deardorff, an international, military and governmental 
ales representative for Farallon USA.

Military divers can use the Farallon diver propulsion vehicles for reconnaissance operations, 
sweep operations for ordnance or just as a means to get to the job.

The divers may be dropped several hundred meters offshore and navigate underwater
 to their on-shore mission,
 Deardorff said. In addition to that, they are used in salvage operations. Particularly, t
he Farallon is used 
by various military groups around the world because of the depth rating of our unit.

All Farallon diver propulsion vehicles have been rated to a depth of 400 fsw, according 
to the company. 

To my knowledge, there is no one else out there making anything that is commercially 
available that is rated
to a depth of 400 feet in sea water, Deardorff said. “In addition to that, there’s 
just the robustness of it. It is certainly
 robust in terms of if you smash it into something or if you are transporting it and it drops 
off the side of a truck or something, it is not going to break.

Deardorff also underscored the speed of the Farallon vehicles. The MK 8 cruises at 2.8 knots while
 the MK 7-E cruises at 2.4 knots. The MK 8 is 62 inches long and weighs 125 pounds with its battery, 
while the 7-E is 42 inches and weighs 85 pounds with its battery.

With our advanced battery technology—which is not standard, but an optional battery technology 
it has probably the longest burn time of any diver propulsion vehicle in the world, Deardorff said.

Both models have applications for military use, Deardorff noted. Because the MK 7-E 
is lighter and smaller, military divers sometimes prefer to use it. If they need more
 power, the MK 8 may be the preferred vehicle. 
The company also offers a MK 8 Twin system, which consists of two MK 8 
vehicles attached to a central platform or sled.
 The Twin is best for carrying a payload of some kind, Deardorff said, 
like a camera for underwater filming.

Farallon also manufactures a second dual system without a platform attached. 
It has connector arms that tie two diver propulsion vehicles together. 

This is very useful when teams are out with limited visibility and a team of divers 
don’t want to lose track of each other,
Deardorff said. 
They can ride these and navigate them while they are actually connected 
to each other, but in the case 
of some catastrophic failure, they can disconnect in 15 seconds and one machine
 is capable of towing both divers back to their origination point.

Deardorff emphasized that a key advantage to all Farallon vehicles 
is their variable speed control, which lets a diver set the speed of the vehicle. 
Divers may want to travel slowly or quickly, depending on their mission. 

Cold, Dark World

FRANCAIS :
Puissance et solidité !
Le Farallon Mark 7 et 8  équipe diverses armées et la plupart des expéditions spéléo.
Prix relativement élevé
Instruments : indicateur de consommation, alarmes lumineuses, 
réglage de vitesse électronique.
On peut  également coupler  deux Farallon afin de transporter quatre plongeurs.

Caractéristiques :
 Vitesse : entre 4,4 et 5,3 km/h,
 Profondeur maxi : 120 mètres
 Poids : 23 Kg et 29 kg