Underwater Wheelchair: Sue Austin Creating the Spectacle

Author: Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 28 Jul 2012 - Updated: 27 Aug 2026
Publication Type: News

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content

Synopsis

This report documents how artist Sue Austin, of Devon, designed and built the world's first self-propelled underwater wheelchair with a team of diving experts, then used it to stage a series of live art and film performances titled Creating the Spectacle during the run-up to the London 2012 Festival at the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Austin, who has used a wheelchair since contracting ME in 1996, fitted the chair with swimming floats, fins, and two foot-controlled dive propulsion vehicles, steering with a bespoke fin and foot-operated acrylic strip so she could hover through open water and swim among coral and fish. The account matters to disabled people, artists, engineers, and anyone interested in adaptive design because it shows how mobility equipment usually framed as a limitation can be reimagined as a tool for movement and expression, and it is useful to readers because it details the specific technical problems solved, including the need to source a propulsion model built for divers with disabilities after standard hand-held units proved unworkable, and a reinforced seat able to withstand the pressures of performance.

At a Glance

• 1 - The chair uses a clear fin so the device looks less out of place in the calm ocean setting. This small design choice helped the equipment blend into the underwater scenery.
• 2 - Finding the Flame was the second film in the series and a special commission from LOCOG for the Paralympic Flame Festivals. It followed the first installment, Finding Freedom, in the online series.
• 3 - Standard hand-held propeller units failed because Austin lacked the strength to grip them during dives. She solved the problem by trialing a model designed for divers with disabilities and then mounting two of them on the wheelchair.
• 4 - Beyond open-water dives, Austin also performed swimming pool acrobatics in the underwater wheelchair as part of the Cultural Olympiad celebrations. These pool routines showed the chair could support both gentle exploration and more athletic movement.

Topic Definition

Underwater Wheelchair

An underwater wheelchair is an adapted mobility device designed to move freely beneath the surface of the water, allowing a seated user to descend, hover, and steer while scuba diving. Unlike a standard wheelchair, it replaces ground-contact wheels with buoyancy floats and dive propulsion vehicles, often controlled by foot pedals or fins, and it uses a reinforced seat and custom steering surfaces to cope with water pressure and drag. The concept was pioneered by British artist Sue Austin, whose self-propelled version combined floats, propellers, and a bespoke acrylic steering strip to turn a symbol of limited mobility into a means of three-dimensional movement through open water, making it both an assistive device and a work of performance art.

Overview

Sue Austin, from Devon, has been using a wheelchair since 1996 after contracting ME and has invented and helped create the world's first self-propelled underwater wheelchair with a team of diving experts.

In the lead up to the London 2012 Festival during the Olympic and Paralympic Games Ms Austin has staged a series of stunning underwater scuba performances called "Creating the Spectacle!" to show off her underwater art. "Creating the Spectacle!" is a ground breaking series of live art and film events that record an underwater wheelchair as it flies through the water with its human occupant.

"Through the performative presentation of a diverse embodiment, the main focus for this work is about reconfiguring preconceptions through the use of dramatic and unexpected juxtapositions that act to surprise, open up thinking and then, through that reordering of associations, to create empowered and empowering narratives. This manifests in an artistic practice that makes use of "surreal juxtapositions and quirky re-presentations of disability equipment to facilitate new ways of seeing, being and knowing"

Creating the Spectacle! Part 1: Finding Freedom

The underwater wheelchair enables Sue Austin to go on a gentle, dream like exploration of an exotic underwater world. Through unexpected juxtapositions, this work aims to excite and inspire by creating images that transform preconceptions.

Creating the Spectacle! Part 2: Finding the Flame

This is the second film in the "Creating the Spectacle!" Online series. It was a special commission from LOCOG for the Paralympic Flame Festivals.

Austin has created, with the support of diving experts, an underwater wheelchair outfitted with a propeller and fins that allow her to steer. With it, she gracefully hovers through the deep ocean, mingling with fish and flying past coral reefs.

The underwater wheelchair is equipped with a clear fin, making the artificial device seem slightly less out of place in the serene ocean.

Finding a suitable dive propulsion vehicle to propel the chair was initially difficult because most propeller models were designed to be hand-held and Ms Austin lacked the strength to hold on to them. Eventually she trialled a model that was designed for divers with disabilities - and then added two to the wheelchair.

The wheelchair is equipped with swimming floats, fins, two foot-controlled drive propulsion vehicles, and steered with a bespoke fin and foot-operated acrylic strip. The underwater wheelchair also required a more robust seat to handle the pressure placed upon it during a performance.

The artist also performed swimming pool acrobatics in an underwater wheelchair as part of the Cultural Olympiad celebrations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need to be a certified scuba diver to use an underwater wheelchair

Yes, operating an underwater wheelchair requires scuba certification because the user breathes from compressed air equipment and manages depth, so the same training and safety rules that apply to any diver also apply here.

How does the underwater wheelchair get back to the surface

The chair relies on a mix of buoyancy floats and controlled use of its foot-operated propulsion units, letting the diver ascend gradually in the same measured way a free-swimming diver would rise to the surface.

Is the underwater wheelchair available to buy

No, the version created by Sue Austin was a bespoke prototype built for art performance rather than a commercial product, so it is not sold as a standard consumer or medical item.

What is ME the condition mentioned in connection with Sue Austin

ME stands for myalgic encephalomyelitis, a long-term condition also known as chronic fatigue syndrome that can cause severe tiredness, pain, and reduced mobility, which is why Austin began using a wheelchair.

How deep can the underwater wheelchair travel

The chair operates within recreational scuba depth limits, meaning the diver stays within the depth range their certification and safety planning allow rather than descending to technical or extreme depths.

Who funded and commissioned the Creating the Spectacle films

The series was linked to the London 2012 cultural program, and the second film Finding the Flame was a special commission from LOCOG, the committee that organized the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

What materials keep the underwater wheelchair from rusting in seawater

Devices built for saltwater use typically rely on corrosion-resistant components such as marine-grade metals, acrylic, and sealed plastics, which is consistent with the acrylic steering strip and dive-rated parts described in the project.

Can other disabled divers adapt existing wheelchairs for underwater use

Adapting a standard wheelchair is not straightforward because it needs buoyancy control, dive propulsion, and a pressure-rated seat, so most disabled divers work with dive specialists and adaptive equipment rather than modifying a land chair alone.

Insights, Analysis, and Developments

Editorial Note: What makes this project endure well past the 2012 games is the way it reframes a piece of everyday medical equipment as an instrument of freedom rather than confinement, and the engineering behind that shift is worth noting - the build called for two foot-operated drive units, a reinforced seat rated for performance pressures, and a custom acrylic steering strip, all developed in partnership with diving specialists rather than adapted from off-the-shelf kit. Readers drawn to accessible design, adaptive sport, and disability arts will find a rare worked example of a disabled artist leading the invention herself, and the wider point lands with anyone who has assumed a wheelchair only signals restriction: with the right adaptations, the same chair can carry its occupant flying past reefs and fish in open water.

Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability, a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.