Bored of just driving your supercar around on land? Then hit the water with the Undersea Aquahover. With this personal submarine, diving has become a thing of yesterday when you can ditch the wetsuits and oxygen tanks, while riding around underwater in relative comfort.
American retailer Hammacher Schlemmer, which is selling the submersible, claims that operating the Aquahover requires “no more skill than driving a car”, thanks to its fly-by-wire controls. There’s also no need to adjust its ballast (the mechanism that causes a submarine to sink or float) thanks to its’ fixed positive buoyancy and six’ 400-rpm, 1.2-kilowatt ducted propellers distributed both on the front and rear of the vehicle.
While you won’t be able to explore every inch of the oceans in your Aquahover, the battery-powered machine does dive down to a depth of 400ft (a bit over 120m) – which is over three times as much as the limit allowed for recreational diving. A composite pressure hull, custom carbon fibre seats, and acrylic domes ensure safety while allowing for maximum visibility.
Two independent, digitally-monitored oxygen systems, a closed-circuit internal communications system, and Very High Frequency connections to the surface give additional peace of mind.
Just as you probably shouldn’t drive a car without learning how, your USD$1.5 million (SGD$2.05 million) purchase of the almost-2 tonne sub comes with “comprehensive training”.
