The luxury mega yacht charter market has discovered the world of small, leisure personal submarines in a big way.
Just a few short years ago, the big boys who owned the hottest Caribbean yacht charter megayachts competed for affluent luxury travelers by adding ondeck Jacuzzi tubs and high performance waverunners to their list of onboard amenities and water toys. Egos and deep pockets allowed big boy millionaire luxury superyacht owners to push the envelope further. Small 5-meter tenders were replaced with large, fast, 30 to 40 foot sportfish boats, fully rigged with tournament fishing gear and diving equipment. These large tenders were often too big to be stored on deck of the mega yacht charter vessels, so they were towed behind, like boys and their red wagon toys.
Next came the helipads – landing areas onboard megayachts allowing charter guests an opportunity to chopper their way from sea to shore. Mediterranean yacht charter aficionados clamored to rent megayachts with room for small helicopters that could transport them from the rooftops of Monaco’s premier hotels – far away from the intrusive eye of the paparazzi.
And then it happened… Somewhere along the line, the superyacht luxury yacht charter market collectively dipped their heads underwater and discovered a new opportunity for an over-the-top big-boy toy to top all others – the personal submarine.
Personal submarine (purchase price of $1.69 MILLION dollars) onboard mega charter yacht, MINE GAMES
It all makes sense, this new voyage of discovery. Nearly 75% of our planet’s surface is covered by water, and under this water lays a largely undiscovered and fascinating ecosystem that can only be seen by scuba divers and subs. Little wonder, then, that the underwater world has caught the attention of the luxury yacht charter industry, and opened up a completely new market in small leisure submarines.
Now, some of the world’s most significant charter superyachts carry subs, and if naval architects get their way, an increasing number will follow in the near future.
These manned submersibles have an excellent safety record, and are statistically the safest form of transportation. This is due in large part to the rigorous safety requirements of the worldwide classification societies and the fact that each year, the subs must be thoroughly inspected by a surveyor in order to maintain their safe-vessel status.
While the present number of subs on megayachts is still small (not surprising, as the purchase price for these subs can be as much as $1.69 million dollars), the demand is steadily growing. Motor yacht LADY LOLA carries a four-passenger submarine aboard her shadow – an 180-foot support vessel. Motoryacht ULYSSES caries a 5-man submersible, with a diving depth capability of 600 feet, and until recently sold to a private owner, the charter vessel WHITE RABBIT carried a 3-person sub.
Motor yacht ECLIPSE, the largest yacht in the world, and currently under construction in Germany, has a special feature. If the yacht were to come under attack by terrorists or Somali pirate, 12 guests can escape through secret corridors to a submarine that is launchable underwater and can dive away to 160ft in depth. Move over, James Bond!
One of the newest yachts to enter charter, the 164’ Trinity motor yacht MINE GAMES, carries a 2-passenger sub on her extended stern swim platform. The submarine is the ideal watertoy for exploring the shallow waters and blue grottos during a Bahama yacht charter.
Submarines on superyachts are the passports to a new and exciting world. Charter guests can now journey to the silent depths of the sea and explore uncharted territory, or simply slip beneath the ocean’s surface to see the abundance and diversity of life on a tropical coral reef or sunken ship. Indeed, the wonders of the underwater world are waiting to be experienced.
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Tags: big boys and their toys, Caribbean yacht charter, charter market, helipad, James Bond, Luxury yacht, luxury yacht charter, Mega yacht charter, megayacht, Monaco, paparazzi, personal submarines, Somali pirates, superyacht industry, superyachts
