Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers

What Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers does

Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers (TDSX) is a Tampa, Florida-based developer of compact, person-portable autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), with its flagship Barracuda AUV as the sole commercial product. The Barracuda weighs 16 kg (35 lbs) and is 1.2 meters long, rated to 500 meters standard depth with tested capability to 4,000 meters, and is built around an Nvidia Nano AI platform running Ubuntu Linux and the Robot Operating System (ROS). Its propulsion system places thrusters on dive planes for enhanced maneuverability, the pressure hull uses syntactic foam and was over-tested to 800 psi at the University of South Florida Marine Sciences facility, and the platform supports modular sensors including echo sounder, forward-facing stereo camera, sidescan sonar, Lidar, and RGB camera. The company has a patent application (US-2019-0127034-A1) covering the Barracuda design, and is developing a Compact Underwater Lidar with Beam Sea Associates and SEE Monster Vision Solutions under NOAA Phase 2 SBIR funding.

The company sells the Barracuda at a base price of $20,000 (with a $15,000 pre-order rate and a $3,000 non-refundable deposit), targeting three core verticals: offshore energy (oil & gas plus offshore wind/wave), oceanographic research (with positioning around the GEBCO Seabed 2030 initiative), and military/security undersea applications. Go-to-market is a combination of direct-to-consumer pre-orders through the company website, trade show presence (Ocean Business 23, BlueTech Week, TechConnect World Innovation Expo), innovation competition visibility (Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, Hello Tomorrow, Pepperdine Most Fundable Companies, Impact22), earned media, and a StartEngine equity crowdfunding campaign launched in January 2023 targeting $1 million. The company was founded in 2017 from Tampa Hackerspace, operates as a Florida LLC with a Delaware C-corp parent (incorporated February 2022), and runs a small team (1-10) led by CEO/Founder Ed Larson, Program Manager Dr. Joseph R. Daum, and Mechanical Engineer Dennis Lorence. Capital structure is currently grant- and crowdfunding-driven, with no institutional venture capital or parent company identified.

Name

Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers

Legal name

Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers LLC

Website

https://tampadeepsea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers builds the Barracuda AUV, a compact, person-portable autonomous underwater vehicle for offshore energy, oceanographic research, and military undersea customers, priced at $15,000-$20,000 per unit.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) / Marine Robotics

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) & Autonomous Subsea Platforms (IMABAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine & Underwater Robotics (USVs/UUVs) (HDAAAIAH), Maritime Unmanned Systems (USV/UUV) & Control Stations (IMABAKAJ), Unmanned Naval Vessels (USV/UUV) (IMAJABAH)

Keywords

• Autonomous underwater vehicles
• Underwater exploration robots
• Subsea data collection
• Marine robotics systems
• Ocean mapping technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa, Florida

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Barracuda AUV Hardware Sales: One-time sale of Barracuda AUV autonomous underwater vehicles at $20,000 base price ($18,000 with discount). Includes pre-programmed navigation and standard camera configuration. Additional sensor and payload options available at additional cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers designs, builds, and sells the Barracuda AUV, a small, person-portable Autonomous Underwater Vehicle weighing 16 kg (35 lbs) and 1.2 m long that descends to 500 m (tested to 4,000 m). It runs an NVIDIA Nano AI platform on Ubuntu Linux and ROS, integrates CubePilot autopilot with GPS, and accepts modular payloads (echo sounder, stereo camera, sidescan sonar, Lidar, RGB camera) for subsea data collection. The AUV is sold to offshore energy operators, oceanographic researchers, and military/security customers via direct pre-order at $15,000–$20,000 per unit.

Product overview

Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers offers a single flagship product - the Barracuda AUV™ - a small, person-portable autonomous underwater vehicle designed for deep-sea exploration and data collection. The vehicle is built around an Nvidia Nano AI platform running Ubuntu Linux and Robot Operating System (ROS), featuring unique propulsion with thrusters on dive planes for maneuverability, and supports multiple sensor options including echo sounder, forward-facing stereo camera, sidescan sonar, Lidar, and RGB camera. The company focuses on providing affordable deep sea vehicles for individuals and small institutions, with the motto 'Deeper, Faster, Cheaper' supporting the GEBCO Seabed 2030 Initiative goal of mapping all ocean floors by 2030.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Barracuda AUV: Small person-portable autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) capable of descending to 500-600 meters depth, weighing 16 kg (35 lbs), 1.2 meters long, designed for deep sea exploration and data collection for researchers, explorers, and individuals.

Products and services

• Barracuda AUV A small, person-portable autonomous underwater vehicle weighing 16 kg (35 lbs) and 1.2 meters long, descending to 500 m (tested to 4,000 m). Built on an NVIDIA Nano AI platform running Ubuntu Linux and ROS, with CubePilot autopilot and GPS, modular sensor options (echo sounder, stereo camera, sidescan sonar, Lidar, RGB camera), and a proprietary thrusters-on-dive-planes propulsion system. Sold to offshore energy operators, oceanographic researchers, and military/security customers for rapid sub-sea data collection.

Quantifiable outcome

• Several times more data per day of operation compared to existing commercially available small low-powered AUVs
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• XPRIZEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTDSX was formed to compete in the Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE. Won Runner Up in the NOAA Bonus portion and was one of seventeen semi-finalist teams. Participated in NYSE closing bell ceremony during NYC Climate Week 2023. XPRIZE has $136 million in active prizes.
• Beam Sea AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Compact Underwater Lidar development. Beam Sea Associates CTO Walter Britton assisted with prototype development on Crystal River. Joint Phase 2 SBIR with NOAA.
• NOAAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhase 1 SBIR completed March 2022, Phase 2 SBIR granted and underway. Lidar development funded by NOAA. Participation in Seabed 2030 Project supporting NOAA's goal to synthesize bathymetric data while mapping all world ocean floors by 2030.
• SEE Monster Vision SolutionsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint collaboration on Phase 1 SBIR for NOAA (completed March 2022) and Phase 2 SBIR, along with Beam Sea Associates.
• Marine Arresting TechnologiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Phase 1 SBIR proposal for DHS for non-lethal crowd control barrier. Completed Phase 1 and submitted Phase 2 application.
• Certus GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhase 1 STTR collaboration with Certus Group and University of South Florida for collaborative swarms of AUVs. TDSX providing vehicles and technical assistance.
• University of South FloridaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTTR collaboration for collaborative swarms of AUVs. Pressure tested Barracuda AUV to 800 psi at USF Marine Sciences facility. Onboarded USF intern.
• Braid TheoryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined Blue+ Accelerator Spring Cohort in Los Angeles, 8-week accelerator program completed May 2022. Sponsored Inspire22 event.
• TMA BlueTechminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibited at OceanBusiness 23 in Southampton UK as part of TMA BlueTech Trade Mission. Participated in BlueTechWeek San Diego.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Saildrone: Saildrone manufactures wind- and solar-powered autonomous surface vehicles for ocean data collection, serving oceanographic research, fisheries, and defense. Comparable to TDSX in autonomous ocean-data-collection mission and target customers (NOAA, Navy, research institutions), though operating at the surface rather than submerged.
• Hydromea: Hydromea develops compact autonomous underwater vehicles and through-water wireless optical communication for subsea inspection. Comparable emerging peer in small-form-factor AUVs and underwater data-collection autonomy, with overlapping offshore-energy and research end customers.
• Bedrock Ocean: Bedrock Ocean provides autonomous underwater mapping services for offshore wind, hydrography, and subsea survey using AUV fleets. Comparable to TDSX in AUV-based seabed mapping and offshore-energy customer focus, though operating as a service provider rather than hardware seller.

Broad incumbents

• Ocean Infinity: Ocean Infinity operates large fleets of AUVs for deep-sea data acquisition across offshore energy, government, and science customers globally. Comparable broad-incumbent peer addressing the same ocean-survey and offshore-energy end markets as TDSX, but at much larger scale and capital intensity.
• L3Harris Technologies: L3Harris is a major U.S. defense prime with established UUV programs serving Navy mine-countermeasures, survey, and intelligence missions. Comparable as a defense incumbent in the same undersea autonomous-systems space that TDSX targets, but with vastly larger scale and existing program-of-record contracts.
• Anduril Industries: Anduril is a defense technology company building autonomous systems (including undersea vehicles) for the U.S. military and allies. Comparable as a defense-tech entrant pursuing UUV and autonomous-platform programs that overlap with TDSX's stated military undersea applications (MCM, ASW, ISR).
• Teledyne Marine: Teledyne Marine is a broad supplier of underwater instruments, sonar, AUVs, and imaging systems for oceanographic and defense customers. Comparable to TDSX in underwater sensor and navigation instrumentation, though serving a much larger and more diversified customer portfolio.
• Kongsberg Maritime (Hugin AUV): Kongsberg's Hugin AUV line is an industry-standard deep-water AUV used for commercial survey, defense, and research. Comparable to TDSX as a UUV/AUV manufacturer serving overlapping military and offshore-energy use cases, but at much higher price point and depth rating.
• Saab (Sea Wasp / Sabertooth): Saab produces the Sea Wasp ROV and Sabertooth AUV for mine countermeasures and commercial subsea inspection. Comparable broad-incumbent peer addressing the same MCM, security, and offshore-energy inspection applications TDSX targets, with deeper defense relationships.

Direct peers

• BlueRobotics: BlueRobotics builds affordable, compact underwater vehicles and components (ROVs, pingers, sonars) for researchers, educators, and hobbyists. Direct comparable to TDSX's small, low-cost, person-portable underwater platform philosophy and target customer base of small institutions and individuals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tampadeepsea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tampa Deep Sea Xplorers