Stolen homemade submarine now on dry land in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Marine scientist Shanee Stopnitzky's homemade submarine, affectionately named "Fang Tooth" is now on dry land. But over the weekend, it disappeared from the Berkeley Marina and ended up in the waters near the Bay Bridge.

Alameda County Fire Tweeted photos as they pulled the sub out. So how did it end up in open water?

"Somebody stole it and took it for a joyride we believe," says Stopnitzky.

The 2-person sub goes 30 feet deep and offers riders up to 30 minutes of air and is used for the volunteer group The Community Submersibles Project.

"It's about giving people access to explore the oceans in a way where they ordinarily would never have access to."

Whatever happened to the submarine, the good news is no one got hurt. Stopnitzky is surprised because operating the vessel can be complicated for nonsubmersible enthusiasts.

"One of my biggest concerns is if someone might kill themselves in it. It's a simple set of systems, but you still need knowledge of how submarines work."

The sub is now currently docked at Berry Brother's Towing in Oakland, which poses a problem for the submarine project.

"We have to come up with $2,000 to get it out of the impound lot."

Funds she and the group currently don't have. Stopnitzky hopes for a happy reunion with her sub and looks forward to its return under water.

To learn more about the Community Submersibles Project, visit their website here. Link to their crowdfunding site: here.