Under the surface of superyacht subs

Photo: Tom van Oossanen

Under the surface of superyacht subs

Photo: Tom van Oossanen

Purpose

Under the surface of superyacht subs

The idea of private submersibles on superyachts is relatively new, but their popularity is growing – and they are also proving invaluable in giving scientists and researchers more access to the mysterious ocean depths.

By Julia Zaltzman | 18 January 2022

In the words of aquanaut Fabien Cousteau, “People protect what they love, they love what they understand, and they understand what they’re taught.” He spoke these thoughts at the 2021 Explorers Club’s Global Exploration Summit in a bid to raise ocean awareness. Awareness about the fragility of the ecosystem. Awareness about our need to better understand. Awareness about evolution in ocean exploration.

Fabien’s fabled grandfather Jacques, one of the first true oceanographers, conducted scientific research during the 1960s from his cutting-edge laboratory Aquarius. More significantly, he co-created the SP-350 Denise, a small two-person submarine known as the ‘diving saucer’ capable of reaching depths of up to 400 metres. Launched from his boat Calypso, it facilitated the first forays into seafloor surveys. It was a revolution in design and the key to unlocking what Fabien refers to as “Pandora’s Box of life”.

That said, outside of military use, submarines remained objects of intrigue for the next 40 years. It wasn’t until 2003 when Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, built Octopus, one of the first yachts to hold a recreational sub on board. In 2005, Bert Houtman founded Dutch submersible manufacturer U-Boat Worx, and in 2007, Triton moved its focus from working with the U.S. Navy on rescue submersibles to yachting. But it’s only in the past five years that submersibles have proliferated at high speed in the yachting sphere, the core driver of that being expedition travel.

Under the surface of superyacht subs

Photo: U-Boat Worx

Under the surface of superyacht subs

Photo: U-Boat Worx

“Central to the unique experience of cruising on board a superyacht are the strong and lasting bonds that are forged between family and friends,” says Mark Cavendish, Executive Commercial Officer at Heesen, whose Winch-designed XVenture concept can carry a submarine. “Add to that mix the thrill of sharing adventures in remote corners of the world, and it’s easy to understand the current appetite for explorer yachts.”

The increase in adventure-led itineraries has seen yacht owners and charter guests travelling further for longer, from the wilds of Patagonia to Costa Rica’s pristine Cocos Island. Cookson Adventures was among the first to pilot a private submersible in Antarctica in 2012 during a private yacht expedition.

“Requests from owners to go to Antarctica were rare then, but now, with the proliferation of explorer boats, it’s becoming more common,” says founder Henry Cookson, who cites a client with a seven-person sub that is shared between the generations, both young and old. “For those who can’t scuba dive or wish to explore harsh climates, a submarine is a great way to experience it in comfort and style.”

The convenience factor helps, too. Unlike scuba diving, no preparation is required to take a ride in a submersible’s pressurised acrylic hull, and moreover modern recreational subs come with all mod cons – air conditioning, top quality sound systems and comfortable seating, to name but three. 

Under the surface of superyacht subs

Photo: U-Boat Worx

Under the surface of superyacht subs

Photo: U-Boat Worx

Epitomising the bespoke, purpose-built, sub-orientated design of superyachts today, in October 2021 Feadship delivered Shinkai – meaning ‘Deep Sea’ in Japanese – the world’s first superyacht designed around a submersible. When the owner of the 54.9-metre explorer placed his order with the Dutch yard, he already had a new U-Boat Worx C-Researcher 3 waiting to be accommodated.

The convenience factor helps, too. Unlike scuba diving, no preparation is required to take a ride in a submersible’s pressurised acrylic hull, and moreover modern recreational subs come with all mod cons – air conditioning, top quality sound systems and comfortable seating, to name but three. 

Epitomising the bespoke, purpose-built, sub-orientated design of superyachts today, in October 2021 Feadship delivered Shinkai – meaning ‘Deep Sea’ in Japanese – the world’s first superyacht designed around a submersible. When the owner of the 54.9-metre explorer placed his order with the Dutch yard, he already had a new U-Boat Worx C-Researcher 3 waiting to be accommodated.

“As a long-time fan of U-Boat Worx, the owner knew exactly what he wanted; to be able to walk out of his master suite and step straight into his private two-seater sub,” says Roy Heijdra, marketing manager at U-Boat Worx. “To facilitate this, Shinkai’s aft deck sits flush with the submarine hatch for a neat and flawless finish. For further convenience, his C-Researcher 3 is the world’s first submersible fitted with an elevator to lower passengers into their seats.”

Under the surface of superyacht subs

Photo: U-Boat Worx

Under the surface of superyacht subs

Photo: U-Boat Worx

It’s not hard to understand the allure. Who wouldn’t want to drift along with deep sea cucumbers, feel enthralled at stunning bioluminescent light displays, or catch a rare glimpse of squid, krill, jellies and coral? Shinkai’s sub is capable of remaining submerged for up to 16 hours, diving to depths of 480 metres to the heart of the Twilight Zone, a largely undiscovered area where around 90% of the world’s fish call home.

And the subs keep on getting better. New models include a sub so compact it occupies the same footprint as two jet skis – thus potentially opening up the depths to a far larger number of yachts. 

Private submersibles may have become the latest and greatest superyacht toy, but in parallel to that is a realisation of real opportunities that lie ahead, from yacht owner Victor Vescovo’s successful location of the USS Johnston last year – which sank during World War II to a depth of 6,455 metres – to Ray Dalio, founder of ocean exploration initiative OceanX’s pursuit to make radical scientific breakthroughs. His boat OceanXplorer, a former oil rig turned research vessel, holds two three-person Triton submersibles – Nadir and Neptune – and has been developed by a team of submariners, scuba divers, filmmakers and scientists to maximise scientists’ ability to explore the world and “bring it back to society”. The subs were used, for example, to make the second series of Blue Planet.

Under the surface of superyacht subs

Photo: U-Boat Worx

Under the surface of superyacht subs

Photo: U-Boat Worx

“Every time I go to work – and not many people on the planet can say this – I walk into the sub hangar, do a double-take and think ‘wow, this is my office!’,” says Buck Taylor, OceanX’s submersible team leader.

Both depth-rated to 1000 metres, outfitted with custom lighting rigs, camera housings, VR camera rigs and manipulators for high-dexterity sampling, Neptune is configured to maximise science with a retractable tray for mounting scientific devices, while Nadir doubles as a mobile marine studio.

“We can take a sample from 6,000 metres underneath the surface of the ocean, bring that sample on board, sequence its full genome and discover whether or not it’s a new species,” says Mattie Rodrigue, science programme lead on OceanX. With a 6,000 metre range, OceanXplorer and its subs can cover 98% of the ocean.

Just like Paul Allen, who frequently pursued scientific endeavours with Octopus and even lent it to research teams, more and more owners are realising that their toy chests can serve a greater purpose than merely entertaining themselves and their guests. Submersibles create the ability to go from exploration all the way to discovery. When twinned with superyachts, the possibilities are endless.

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