Viral video shows parrot riding miniature submarine in the Bahamas

Steven Lawyer turned a plastic food container and a paintball air tank into a tiny submarine for his pet parrot, Bebe, then sent the bird about 3 feet underwater in the Bahamas for a ride that lasted roughly 15 minutes. The homemade vessel, which Lawyer dubbed the Bebosphere, included two air fittings, a one-way valve, lead weights and an oxygen meter to track the air supply.

The video spread fast, pulling in around 4.3 million views on Instagram and igniting a split reaction online. Some viewers saw an elaborate pet stunt; others raised immediate concerns about whether a bird could truly consent to being sealed inside a tube and submerged beneath the surface. Lawyer said Bebe willingly entered the tube and appeared intrigued rather than nervous, and he said the outing took place in a sheltered harbor with no rip currents, where he snorkeled nearby as the bird rode below the surface.

Lawyer said he tested the submarine at home first, using a sink or bathtub before taking Bebe into open water. The underwater route, he said, was meant to be controlled and calm, not a reckless plunge. Reports described Bebe as a white-winged parakeet, while another identified him as a canary-winged parakeet. Lawyer bought Bebe in 2020 at a pet store in Florida, and one report said the bird is six years old.

The submarine ride was only the latest addition to a long list of outings that have made Bebe a recurring internet curiosity. Reports say the parrot has joined Lawyer in skiing, week-long bike rides and skydiving. One account says Bebe has completed 15 skydives since last fall, and another says Lawyer hopes to take him paragliding soon.

The episode sits in the middle of a larger argument about pet content engineered for clicks. Bebe’s underwater trip looked polished enough to win virality, yet strange enough to prompt unease, especially because the bird was physically enclosed, underwater and at the center of a spectacle designed for mass sharing. One report said Bebe may be the first member of his species to go below sea level in a vessel of this kind, a distinction that captures both the novelty and the controversy of the stunt.