SubC’s Start in Ocean Tech
SubC Imaging Founder & CEO, Chad Collet, reflects on the early influences and work experiences that shaped and inspired him.
Just over 14 years ago when SubC Imaging was founded, we sold just one product: The 1Cam Mk2, a subsea imaging camera. We’ve since expanded our portfolio to include DVR’s, several subsea cameras, underwater lights and lasers, and more.
How did the first SubC product come to be? What inspired Chad to start SubC Imaging? What influences and experience provided the foundation for him to be at the forefront of subsea imaging technology?
Family Influence
Growing up, Chad spent plenty of time on the water. His father is a fisherman and his mother was a Quality Control Technician at a fish processing plant in rural Newfoundland. They also owned and operated a small convenience store for a time. Growing up he witnessed the trials and tribulations of running a business, something that would help prepare him for the future in founding SubC.
Photo of Chance Cove where we spent most of our time around the water and outdoors.
Navy Days & Formal Schooling
At the age of 16, Chad joined the Canadian Naval Reserves. He completed boot camp in Ontario for 10 weeks during the summer of 2001. He was one of the youngest individuals in the Canadian Navy at the time.
Chad became a diver with the Royal Canadian Navy and completed the rigorous 8-week QL-1 training at the age of 17. Throughout his time as a diver, Chad completed training exercises at many of Canada's ports in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. Diving with the Canadian Armed Forces instilled a work ethic and appreciation for mental and physical fitness.
NRC’s Ice and Wave tank facilities.
While he was in the reserves, Chad was also studying Electrical Engineering Technology at the College of the North Atlantic (CNA). For both of his co-op work terms, he was lucky to get placements with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) as an Electronics Lab Technician. “My term projects were to improve a wave height gauge and to classify performance data on motor controllers that run scale models of ocean-going ships. The equipment we worked on in the electronics lab went into the towing tank research facility and ice tank – 90 m research facility”, Chad explained.
In the Field Offshore
By the time he completed his Electrical Engineering Technology diploma in 2005, he had completed his QL2-leadership course and obtained the rank of LS (Corporal) in the Naval Reserves. Around this time he was hired by Oceaneering Canada as an ROV Pilot Technician. He then began shift work offshore for the next three years in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia repairing and flying ROVs on energy projects.
During one of these projects, a friend who worked with Welaptega was on board a ship completing chain measurements with their CMS (Chain Measurement System). Chad was tasked with helping them get their equipment running. “I guess I was helpful enough that I was offered a chance to interview for an opening they had when I returned from the project”, said Chad.
Chad secured a position with Welaptega (now Ashtead Technology) in 2008 as a Project Manager. He managed offshore projects for them in Canada, the Gulf of Mexico, Norway, Scotland, Spain, France, Australia, and Africa. “The projects were challenging as I had to quality check and organize all of the equipment, travel to the project, mobilize the equipment on the ship, go offshore, operate the equipment to collect images and data, complete the reports and get the data back to Canada safely for processing. However, it provided the opportunity to travel the world and was a truly unique company to work for.”
Oceaneering’s Millennium 29 ROV - The major workhorse system of offshore Newfoundland. Most of the projects were completed with this ROV.
An Opportunity to Innovate
The equipment Chad was using on these offshore projects was primarily camera systems. At the time the camera technology available in the subsea market was underwhelming. It was then that Chad decided to start developing his own camera in his downtime at home. “I knew there was more potential and had ideas about how we could move the technology forward.”
Once he had a prototype, he approached individuals at Suncor and Husky who he had met while working at Oceaneering. “Both companies agreed to test the prototype offshore, to which I am eternally grateful,” said Chad. During the offshore trials, some footage was collected and he was able to use it for marketing and advertising purposes.
A photo that was taken using the prototype 1Cam during it's first test trip offshore.
Prototype to Product
The first SubC Imaging “office” was in Chad’s basement.
In 2010, Chad started to turn the prototype into a product. He learned how to design more robust embedded control circuits and simple control software written in Java. Because he was designing remote subsea control systems, and the name 'subsea' was overused he incorporated his company as SubC Control, now commonly referred to as SubC Imaging.
The next step was getting the product out there. Using the HTML skills he learned at CNA, Chad created a simple website and posted the videos, images, and a datasheet. His efforts soon paid off and he picked up his first customer in Australia.
“I reached out to my friend Adam Rowe, also from Chance Cove, now Vice President and Software Manager at SubC, and told him I was starting something. Around the same time, SubC was accepted into the Genesis Center, known for the flagship incubator program at Memorial University, and the journey continued,” said Chad.
SubC’s graduation ceremony from the Genesis Centre - the core team is still going strong.
First-in-class Subsea Imaging Experts
What started as a two-person operation in Chad’s basement, is now a thriving ocean tech business with nearly 30 employees in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. Chad and Adam’s teams continue to innovate and prove why SubC is at the forefront of subsea imaging. “It’s in my nature to want to improve and innovate. We’re developing some new tech that we expect to launch this year. I’m excited for what’s to come.”
