Explore the Ocean in Necker Nymph for $113,000/week
By timbaysinger • Feb 1st, 2010 • Category: News & Noteworthy, Travel
For those who want to experience life under the sea without being a submarine pilot, Richard Branson’s Necker Nymph can be at your disposal.
The Billionaire mogul – who also owns an airline, record label, phone company, several restaurants, and an island to boot – has commissioned a $663,000 underwater plane. The submersible will be used to take guests who are aboard his luxury catamaran, Necker Belle, to his private island in the Caribbean.
Nymph, which can sink to a depth of 130 ft (Branson hopes to get it to 35,000 ft one day), is only $25,000 for the week, but is available only if you shell out $88,000 for a week aboard Branson’s Belle (which can be booked through Jameslist).
Unlike most submarines, Nymph uses downward lift on the wings to glide like an airplane through the water; most subs use ballasts to propel them under the water. It is able to carry a pilot and two guests on the two hour trip.
If you’re feeling adventurous, after undergoing some scuba training you can get outside the submersible and unearth an ancient shipwreck or swim with the dolphins.
Designed specifically for diving in tropical waters, Nymph has individual wind shields that remove the pressure of the slipstream. This means the sub is able to have an open cockpit for panoramic views of the ocean.
Designed and built by Graham Hawkes, Nymph is the first of its kind and is expected to be delivered to Branson by February 20.
