Welcome to the world of human-powered submarine racing!
The biennial European International Submarine Races (eISR) challenges teams of university students to design, build and race human-powered submarines against the clock on an out-and-back grand slalom course. The concept combines engineering design challenge with technical skill development and sets them in a unique and exciting sporting competition!

The Race

The races are held at 6m depth at QinetiQ's Ocean Basin facility at Haslar - Europe's largest freshwater tank. The 200m eISR racecourse begins with an initial sprint through two timing gates, followed by 180° turn and a slalom, wh9ich gets progressively more difficult as the competition progresses.

The Submarines

The vessels are submarines in every sense of the word, except for the waterproof part. Each submarine is fully flooded and the pilots breathe air through a scuba system. Teams are provided with a set of specifications for safety and logistics at the venue, but are otherwise free to design the shape and layout of their submarine however they want, provided that their craft can be proven to be safe.

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