Nothing beats getting ready for an adventure, putting on your gear and jumping into the water with your best buddy at your side right? For Gene Alba his dive buddies are his beloved dog Mutley and cat Hawkeye.
Alba had 20 years of scuba diving experience under his belt when he set off on his mission. He wanted to take his beloved dog with him on his dives so he began to design and make custom scuba gear for Mutley. The plexi glass bubble uses the concept of the diving bell and both the bubble and suit was weighed down so that Mutley can stay buoyant underwater. The custom gear cost approximately 40,000$. Test runs were carried out in the backyard pool where Mutley enjoys swimming. He then went on to become the worlds first and only scuba certified dog onboard a Caribbean cruise and even won an Emmy award for a nature show called “Mac and Mutley”.
If you think you’ve been outshined by a dog wait till you hear about Hawkeye the scuba diving cat.
Mutley found Hawkeye almost strangled to death by getting caught in some chicken wire. When Mutley alerted Alba, he quickly freed the cat and performed mouth-to-mouth saving the cat’s life and gaining an additional family member. Hawkeye and Mutley became inseparable and it was probably this bond that enticed Hawkeye to join Mutley as he swam around the pool. Alba decided to help her be a part of their adventures and that’s how Hawkeye became a scuba diver.
Her only issue was getting her face wet. Alba resolved this problem with a vacuum system built into the bubble. It helped to pump air into the bubble while removing the water that leaks in. Hawkeye’s getup cost about 20,000$ and is weighed down just like Mutley’s gear. She has done several dives in their pool but Alba hopes to take her to the Carribean someday where the water would be warm enough to keep her comfortable.
We hope that Mutley and Hawkeye get to keep going on amazing adventures together!