The undersea world as a place for sporting competitions ? Why not! This is the challenge that students from the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) took up when launching the OMER 4 project. And the determination of the ten participating students bore fruit as the human-powered underwater one-person submarine which was the result of their efforts, beat the world speed record during the International Submarine Race held in Bethesda, Maryland in June 2001, reaching a speed of 7.2 knots, that is to say 13.2 km/h. During the competition, the team even won the award for best use of composite materials. What's more, the integration of an on-board computer - a first in itself - and the setting up of a sound security system further added to the overall success of OMER 4. The only vehicle of its kind in Quebec, OMER 4 is the result of a pooling of the vital energies of students in Mechanical, Electrical and Automated Production Engineering programs who made up the team. This versatility enabled the participants to demonstrate their knowledge in hydrodynamics, propulsion and steering.