This paper considers a sliding mode controller for a depth and course control of a class of submersible Vehicles. Since the vehicle used here shows complex dynamic characteristics sensitive to speed variation and buoyancy, robustness in control of vertical and horizontal plane motions of the vehicle is achieved by using the sliding mode controller of which a structure varies according to a pre-designed principle, so called the variable structure control. To compare this controller with another in robustness, PID controller for the same model of vehicle is designed. From various simulations for two controllers, it is shown that the sliding mode controller is the more robust anainst to modeling errors and disturbances.