For Centuries man has been captivated with the depths of the Oceans and the waters that cover 70% of Earth. Every now and then you hear of some bizarre inventions or feats to not only explore the underwater world but to make it a part of our daily lives and there are those that have made their mark as incredible and even plausible concepts that may become can everyday occurrence in the future. Here’s a look at 5 such underwater inventions and feats-
1. The Underwater Car – Rinspeed’s sQuba
Thirty years after the James Bond thriller ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ hit the silver screen portraying a brand new concept of a car that doubled as a submersible boat, Swiss company Rinspeed has come up with the first real car that can actually ‘fly’ under water called the “sQuba”.
As described by the Company itself: You drive the car into the water and the car floats. That is, until you crack the door to let the water in. Immediately the “sQuba” starts on his way to the underwater world. The occupants’ breathing air comes from an integrated tank of compressed air that divers know from scuba diving. – Rinspeed.com
Submersible and stable to a depth of 10 meters (33ft), the sports car is both a beauty above water and below. Rinspeed replaced the engine of a sports car with 3 electric motors in the back of the vehicle –1 to provide propulsion on land with powerful torque to drive the rear wheels and the other 2 driving the screws for underwater motoring and designed a salt water-resistant interior. Kudos to the company for turning this dream concept car into a reality.
2. The Underwater Plane – Sir Richard Branson’s “Necker Nymph”
Billionaire Entrepreneur, Sir Richard Branson not too long ago showed his extravagant yet innovative side with the unveiling of his new aero submarine christened the “Necker Nymph” which is unlike anything else in the world.
The 3-seater submersible built in the likeness of a fighter plane, uses the same principles of flight through air underwater. The Necker Nymph that runs on battery that’s so quiet it just glides through the water with very low noise emissions and low light to avoid interfering with fragile ecosystems. It has an open cockpit and passengers use scuba gear, stored in the craft which can dive to depths of up to 130ft. Designed by Hawkes Ocean Technologies, the Necker Nymph is the first underwater plane to ever be designed and an entirely new class of vehicle.
3. The Underwater Scooter- Scuba-Doo
Imagine zipping around not on but underwater on a cool scooter…. The Scuba bike from Scuba-Doo allows you to do just that and more!
At a rate of 2.5 knots and a max depth of 10m (32ft.) you can ride amongst the spectacular underwater world or remain stationary while you feed the fish. The best part about this underwater scooter is that it doesn’t require any specialized scuba training nor do you have to be a great swimmer to ride around on it. Released in 2004 for a whopping $17,000, the Scuba-Doo scooter is not exactly a scuba boy-toy for just anyone. It is however, a lucrative investment for resorts and tourist hire companies that buy the innovative high-tech toy to offer rides of about 60 – 90 minutes for prices that range from $50 to $65 on average. Who knows, maybe someday when newer concepts emerge the the underwater market and prices go down, everyone can own a cool underwater bike!
4. The Underwater Resort- Poseidon Resorts
Taking the Ocean View Room to a whole new level Poseidon is a chain of underwater five-star resorts currently under development.
A concept by L Bruce Jones, a submarine inventor who designed and sold private luxury submarines, the first of the Poseidon Resorts will feature twenty-two 550-square-foot (51 m2) guest rooms, each with 270 degree view of the ocean in Fiji. This view made possible with 4-inch (100 mm) thick acrylic windows that make up 70% of each room’s wall space. The resort will be accessed through 1 of 2 elevators. The entire underwater enclosure will be held at 1 atmosphere of pressure, so decompression sickness is not a concern. Each end of the resort will be composed of a 3,000-square-foot (280 m2), frisbee shaped, underwater pod, one of which will include an underwater restaurant and bar while the other will contain a library, conference room, wedding chapel, spa and a 1,200-square-foot (110 m2) luxury suite. The Poseidon Undersea Resort is expected to open in 2010 but at a said price of $30,000 per couple, per week it stays a distant dream for us!
5. The Underwater Post Office- Port Villa Post, Vanuatu
Port Vila in Vanuatu, has claim to the world’s first and only underwater post office, a fiberglass kiosk manned by postal workers in scuba diving gear that sells waterproof postcards.
Situated about 165 feet (50 meters) offshore, The Vanuatu Post Office can receive mail delivered in person if you’re a visiting diver or snorkeler from this unique underwater paradise. It is open 1 -2 hours per day, depending on how busy it gets. Since opening in 2003, the underwater post office has received an estimated 100,000 visitors.