Two ‘milestone’ submarines have been unveiled, vessels that according to the maker can be transformed into underwater casinos, wedding and private dining venues and configured for cocktail parties.
Florida-based Marine engineering firm Triton Submarines said it ‘threw out the rule book’ when it came to designing its new first-of-their-kind Triton 660/9 and 660/7 AVA submarines.
The result is a twin set of submarines capable of reaching depths as great as 200m (660ft) that each come with a 3.6-metre- (12ft) wide interior space that ‘feels like a regular room rather than a submersible’ and can be reconfigured for all sorts of entertainment experiences.
Marine engineering firm Triton Submarines said it ‘threw out the rule book’ when it came to designing its new first-of-their-kind Triton 660/9 and 660/7 AVA submarines. They can be transformed into underwater casinos, wedding and private dining venues and configured for cocktail parties. Pictured is a rendering of the 660/7
The 660/9 and 660/7 AVA submarines can reach depths as great as 200m (660ft) and each come with a 3.6-metre- (12ft) wide interior space that ‘feels like a regular room rather than a submersible’
The ultra-large interior can be equipped with generous seating, integrated lighting, a high-fidelity surround audio system and air-conditioning.
What’s more, AVA’s pilot has full visibility and sits in the centre of the passengers, allowing everyone on board to see the same thing.
This allows the pilot to curate the dive and act as a guide as well, narrating the experience for those on board, Triton says, adding: ‘Activities are limited only by the owner’s imagination.’
The secret behind the submarines’ unprecedented space is their ‘world-first free-form acrylic hulls’.
The Triton 660/9 has room for eight passengers and a pilot and the 660/7 can carry up to six passengers plus their pilot. Both submarines give their guests 360-degree views of the sea when they are submerged
Triton’s principal designer John Ramsay said that the viewing experience on the submarines will be ‘absolutely extraordinary’
Triton says: ‘As the shape remains constant across its width, so much more of the space is realised as additional headroom, legroom and usable space.’
Triton’s principal designer, John Ramsay, explained: ‘With the free-form acrylic geometry we were able to finely adjust the submersible’s pressure hull to perfectly suit the interior space and external body shape of the vehicle. By departing from the traditional constraints of a sphere or cylinder we were able to make minute refinements to the profile, optimising the use of every millimetre.
‘The interior space will feel more like a regular room than a submersible, and the viewing experience will be absolutely extraordinary.’
The models are available in a range of colours, from Fast & The Furious orange to ‘Tiffany’ blue. All colours, however, have a refractive index that’s similar to water, which means the colour disappears from passengers’ views once they are submerged.
Triton says this gives guests ‘a completely immersive underwater experience’.
The Triton 660/9 has room for eight passengers and a pilot and the 660/7 can carry up to six passengers plus their pilot – with both offering their guests 360-degree views when they are submerged.
Triton has also designed the submarines so they’re easier than ever to get in and out of – which is good news for guests who intend to board in cocktail dresses and party attire.
With the previous generation of dual-hulled subs, passengers had to crawl through narrow spaces to get into their seats.
Triton has designed the submarines so they’re easier than ever to get in and out of – which is good news for guests who intend to board in cocktail dresses and party attire
The models are available in a range of colours, from Fast & The Furious orange to ‘Tiffany’ blue. All colours, however, have a refractive index that’s similar to water, which means the colour disappears from passengers’ views once they are submerged
Triton Co-Founder and President Patrick Lahey said: ‘The Triton 660/9 and 660/7 AVA is a complete departure from conventional thinking and another great example of a revolutionary design’
With the AVA submersible the hull is positioned above the waterline, ‘with the spacious interior clearly visible to guests’, and there are no narrow spaces to crawl through to reach the seats.
In addition, the fact that the upper portion of the submersible is above the waterline means that breaching the surface becomes a ‘brilliant experience’.
Triton Co-Founder and President Patrick Lahey said: ‘The Triton 660/9 and 660/7 AVA is a complete departure from conventional thinking and another great example of a revolutionary design. Submersibles are displacement craft. The bigger and more spacious they are, the more they displace and weigh and the more challenging they are to manage. The Triton 660/9 and 660/7 AVA optimise the use of volume while ensuring the highest levels of comfort and providing the best-ever viewing experience for guests/passengers/occupants through the use of a free-form and patent-protected acrylic pressure boundary, which has only been made possible because we decided to throw out the rule book and no longer be bound by the constraints of traditional geometries.’
Triton has a track record of innovation and remarkable engineering achievements.
In 2019, the company’s 36000-2 model made a record-breaking dive to the deepest point in the planet’s oceans, the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench, which lies 10,927m (35,853ft) beneath the surface.
It is the only submersible to have been certified to unlimited depth.
In winter 2020, Triton released the $5.5million (£4.1million) 3300-6 (pictured), which features the world’s largest transparent, spherical passenger compartment
In February 2021 Triton released designs for the Triton 13000/2 Titanic Explorer (pictured), which will be capable of diving to an astonishing depth of 4,000m (13,123ft) – the equivalent of nine Empire State Buildings stacked end to end
In winter 2020, the company released the $5.5million (£4.1million) Triton 3300-6, which features the world’s largest transparent, spherical passenger compartment. Triton describe it as a ‘salon under the sea’.
In February 2021, meanwhile, it released designs for the Triton 13000/2 Titanic Explorer, which will be capable of diving to an astonishing depth of 4,000m (13,123ft) – the equivalent of nine Empire State Buildings stacked end to end, making it the deepest-diving acrylic pressure-hulled manned submersible ever built.
Triton co-founder and CEO Bruce Jones said: ‘Triton continues to revolutionize the luxury deep submersible industry with constant innovation in our designs to continuously enhance the dive experience, no matter the depth.’