Cool Underwater Toys

Flying deep: Necker Nymph represents a new class of high-performance, positively buoyant vehicles which safely extend the overall capabilities of scuba, while offering the unique experience of underwater flight 
High-tech subs for the .. well .. super-rich
USA — For years, Graham Hawkes dreamed of flying underwater. As an engineer and explorer, one of his first challenges was to design and build cost-effective submarines that were lighter and easier to maneuver. That mission quickly turned into a desire to pioneer a new wave of winged submarines that could reach record depths and revolutionize deep-sea exploration.
Hawkes says it took him and his team about 15 years to master underwater flying. The Deep Flight Super Falcon unveiled by Ocean Hawkes Technologies last year, became the first production submarine of this caliber. This machine could take passengers over a 1,000 feet below sea level allowing them to explore marine life rarely seen by the world. As this type of technology evolved, Hawkes noticed an increased interest from billonaires and wealthy clients.
"These machines give their owners capabilities that no one else has on the planet," says Hawkes. "To be able to move with big animals to be the first human being to have that freedom, what's that worth? If you're a billionaire it's certainly worth that chunk of change."
Venture capitalist Tom Perkins was the first to get his hands on the $1.3 million Super Falcon. Earlier this year, Richard Branson unveiled his new submarine, the Necker Nymph, also designed and built by Hawkes. The Nymph is lightweight and with an open cockpit, represents a breakthrough in scuba diving technology. Branson branded the submarine under the Virgin Limited Edition collection and it's available for rent for $25,000 a week when staying as a guest on Necker Island.
Billionaires have been adding submarines to their yacht collections for some time. Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's monumental yacht, the Octopus holds two luxury submarines in addition to a helicopter. And Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich boasts two multi-million dollar models designed by U.S. Submarines. Although the wealthy have spent millions on specially-designed machines, Hawkes says the future of this technology is looking a lot more affordable.

"This is the birth of underwater aviation. The price of these things really should come down to what light aircraft are. Right now they're reflecting scarcity, but in the future the price should come down to a third of where it is now."