Built as a submersible by Hawkes Ocean Technologies for Virgin Limited Edition.
Weight 750 Kg, dim. 4.6 x 3.0m.
Speed 5 knots.
Capacity for three men including 1 crew.
Delivered as the NECKER NYMPH
Building cost US$ 670,000.
The NECKER NYMPH is a submersible vehicle operated by Virgin Aquatic[1] from the 32-metre yacht NECKER BELLE , which is based at the Virgin Limited Edition resort Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.
The NECKER NYMPH is the initial example of the DeepFlight Merlin class of positively-buoyant open-cockpit wet subs manufactured by Hawkes Ocean Technologies. It relies on hydrodynamic forces for anti-lift force. It is 4.5 metres long, capable of 360-degree "hydrobatic" maneuvers, can dive up to 40 metres underwater, and seats one pilot and two passengers in an open cockpit (necessitating wearing scuba gear). Occupants have a "windscreen" to protect them from the water's slipstream.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necker_Nymph
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Aero submarine ”is what Sir Richard Branson calls his latest technical coup, the" NECKER NYMPH ", with which one can explore the underwater world of the Caribbean. If you have the corresponding change.
His last coup was the "SpaceShipTwo", a spaceship for private short trips through space. Now the British billionaire Richard Branson is introducing an "aero submarine", the "NECKER NYMPH", which opens up the possibility of exploring the underwater world of the Caribbean. The mini-submarine with its open cockpit can dive up to 40 meters deep and reaches a top speed of 6 knots (about 11 km / h).
Protected against the flow pressure by windshields, three people including the pilot can be seated in comfortable bucket seats. You have an all-round view of the fauna and flora as well as the wrecks of sunken ships. A dive lasts up to two hours; a maximum of four can be completed within one day.
PADI qualification not necessary
In order to participate in a dive, the passengers who board the "NECKER NYMPH" do not need a PADI qualification. Those who are not yet familiar with the usual diving equipment will be trained accordingly.
To follow the nymph's call, you have to charter the luxury catamaran for 7 days - or be a guest on Sir Richard Branson's private island paradise Necker Island, where the "NECKER NYMPH" occasionally docks. The proud price for the exquisite underwater pleasure: $ 25,000 a week.
Source: ntv.de, abe