If you want to find out what lies beneath there can be few better ways of doing it than jumping inside this amazing new $5.5million (£4.1million) submersible.
It has just been delivered by marine engineering firm Triton Submarines, which it describes as ‘a salon under the sea’. It features the world’s largest transparent, spherical passenger compartment, giving those inside a spectacularly immersive underwater view.
The sub, called the Triton 3300-6, seats six people in comfort while the ‘Tiffany blue exterior’, selected by its owner, ‘appears to disappear’ once placed in the water.
The $5.5million (£4.1million) Triton 3300-6 submersible, which has been delivered to a private owner by Florida-based Triton Submarines
The submersible features the world’s largest transparent, spherical passenger compartment, giving those inside a spectacularly immersive underwater view
Triton says the sub is the world’s largest capacity acrylic-hulled submersible with a certified depth rating of 1,000 metres (3,280ft)
Florida-based Triton boasts that ‘the delivery incorporates numerous significant milestone firsts’.
It says the sub, which took two years to complete and has a 360-degree window, is the ‘world’s largest capacity acrylic-hulled submersible with a certified depth rating of 1,000 metres (3,280ft)’.
The interior space is five cubic metres (175 cubic ft), which is ‘commensurate with the cabin of a six-passenger Cessna Citation CJ2 private jet’. So its passengers are able to experience ‘luxurious comfort’ and relax in its ‘club class seating’.
Triton says the custom leather interior complements the ‘striking’ exterior livery.
It explains: ‘The scale of the panoramic passenger compartment provides a social space from which guests can enjoy a shared dive experience.
‘This unique feature of the Triton 3300-6 simply cannot be rivalled in multi-hull vessels or smaller craft.’
According to Triton, the sub’s Tiffany blue exterior, selected by its owner, ‘appears to disappear’ once placed in the water
The interior space on the sub is five cubic metres (175 cubic ft), which is ‘commensurate with the cabin of a six-passenger Cessna Citation CJ2 private jet’, says Triton
Triton is not able to reveal the identity of the owner but said the sub would be deployed in waters around the world
Triton worked closely alongside marine surveyors SEMarine, at the request of the owner, in order to make sure there would be a successful integration of the submersible and its support systems on its 142m (465ft) Lurssen host vessel. It is not able to reveal the identity of the owner but said the sub would be deployed in waters around the world.
The 3300-6 is one of a string of underwater vehicles created by Triton. The marine engineering company was behind the manufacture of the Limiting Factor submersible, a Triton 36000-2 model, that last year made a record-breaking dive to the deepest point in the planet’s oceans, Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench – 10,927m (35,853ft) beneath the surface. It is the only submersible ever certified to unlimited depth.
It has also recently developed the Triton DeepView 24, which can take 24 passengers to depths of up to 100m (328ft) and afford them magnificent views thanks to vast panoramic windows.
Triton’s principal designer, John Ramsay, said: ‘Following the development and groundbreaking success of the Triton 36000-2 (LF) – which, notably, achieved the world record for the deepest ever submersible dive – it was a welcome return to designing another milestone submersible.
The 3300-6 is one of a string of underwater vehicles created by Triton. It was also behind the manufacture of the Limiting Factor submersible, a Triton 36000-2 model, that last year made a record-breaking dive to the deepest point in the planet’s oceans
‘This time, the focus was very much more on luxury and the guest experience rather than extreme depth. I’m particularly proud of the level of comfort and space we have achieved in a submersible that is less than 50 per cent heavier than our three-person equivalent.’
While Patrick Lahey, president of Triton, added: ‘We are extremely grateful to the owner for providing us with the opportunity to build this first Triton 3300-6 and share his pride in the astonishing final result achieved by the team here at Triton.
‘While we delivered a 24-passenger submersible earlier this year to be employed in the commercial tourism sector, the delivery of the Triton 3300-6 represents the first of several six, seven and nine-person Triton models you’ll see delivered in the near future.
‘Among the next deliveries is, in fact, a 500m (1,640ft) version of the 3300-6 that is currently under construction – the Triton 1650/7 Configurable – which features even more interior volume and can accommodate up to seven persons.’