Parakeet Owner Builds Submarine for Underwater Adventure

When Steven Lawyer went snorkeling in the Bahamas, his parakeet Bebe wanted to come along for the ride.

So Lawyer did what any creative pet owner would do: he built a tiny submarine. Using a paintball air cylinder, oxygen meter, and lead weights, he crafted the "Bebosphere" to safely carry his six-year-old green parakeet three feet below the surface.

The viral video shows Bebe calmly floating inside his custom vessel, watching colorful fish and coral reefs pass by. It's likely the first time any parakeet has seen the underwater world firsthand.

"We like to snorkel and he likes doing whatever we are doing with us," Lawyer told CBS affiliate WBNS. "So I thought 'let's figure out a way to let him snorkel with us.'"

Lawyer insists Bebe wasn't stressed during the adventure. "I know my bird, I know what he looks like when he's nervous," he explained. "He's intrigued in that video. He voluntarily went into the tube."

This isn't Bebe's first adventure with his owner. The parakeet has also joined Lawyer on 15 different skydives, safely sealed in a transparent bubble attached to his chest during jumps.

Not everyone celebrated the underwater stunt. Late Show host Stephen Colbert joked that the headline could also read "confused bird trapped in Nalgene bottle would like this to be over." Some question whether Bebe truly has the agency Lawyer claims.

Sunny's Take

What makes this story remarkable isn't just the engineering. It's watching someone find creative ways to share experiences with a beloved companion.

Parakeets are intelligent, social birds that can live up to 12 years in captivity. They form strong bonds with their owners and often want to participate in family activities.

Whether you see this as an inspiring example of human-animal bonding or a questionable pet parenting choice, one thing is clear: Bebe lives a life unlike any other parakeet on the planet.

The Bebosphere proves that with enough creativity and determination, we can find ways to share our world with the creatures we love.