Captain Nemos’s Private Sub – and 4 more aquatic gadgets

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Sea poem

Twenty years ago, Dutch entrepreneur Bertman decided he wanted to kit a yacht on a submarine. Realizing this wish seems relatively easy for those with ample funding, but he discovered that submarines are no longer able to purchase. At this point, most people abandon Cousteau-inspired dreams, but Houtmann chose a more ambitious route. He founded the company U-Boat Worx and began designing, building and selling Submersibles.

The first model was built for the cruise industry and superyachts over 80m long, but the Nemo was designed as a more compact craft for small yachts (over 30m) with the ability to dive to 100m (i.e., depth similar to technical divers). It is noteworthy in many ways, but the two stand out. This is the world’s only production line built sub (built as everything else orders), and at 2,500kg it is the lightest two-seater dive type ever built for this depth.

This is the lightest two-seater dive type ever built for this depth

The downside of starting a potential business in the Netherlands is that it has shallow oceans, poor visibility and strong currents. Therefore, U-Boat Worx has opened a sub-center at Curaçao. This is partly to be craft certified and partly to train new owners. Your Nemo purchase comes with a 14-day course at Willemstad, or another location of your choice. “Nemo is very intuitive,” says Roy Heijdra of U-Boat Worx. “We’ve now become as simple as possible. After about 20 dives, we’re ready to go. The majority of our training is about safety.”

Unfortunately, I was unable to explore the reefs of Curacao with Nemo, but footage taken from its controls makes it clear that sitting comfortably and listening to music is a magical experience. “Our mission has always been to make the underwater world more accessible. Mass production means submarines are in a much lower price range than before,” says Hydra. “It’s still not close to the car, but you have to start somewhere!”

Electric switch

Range uncertainty and lack of charging infrastructure have slowed the adoption of electricity in the boat world. French company Bluenav uses these add-on electric motors to encourage soft transitions, creating hybridized boats that can switch between combustion engines and electricity. They become unique in combination with software installed on the boat’s multifunction display, using lateral docking, cruise control and virtual anchors. Port maneuvering, fishing, cruising, and even whale monitoring are suitable for power, and the combustion options always offer speed and range. The 15kW version is for boats around 15m, with 8kW up to 12m.

Is everything clear?

Swimmers or surfers seeking a water quality assessment in British Beach generally rely on information provided by the Environment Agency, which can take 24-48 hours. An industrial alternative called Bacterisk is used by water companies and regulators, and Bactiquick is the consumer version, offering fast, comprehensive handheld testing for health-critical bacteria. The test itself is a simple two-step process. Dilute this into one test tube and then transfer to another reagent containing the reagent that pops into the device. After 15 minutes, we will provide a color-coded rating (green, orange, red) using the information available in the app.

Look at me

A highly capable dive computer that doubles as a multi-sport watch and a health tracker, the G2 is surprisingly trim and extremely wearable, with a diameter of 45.5mm and weighs just 65g. Some of the health indicators it measures (including stress levels, HRV, and sleep quality) will be fed into your dive preparation rating. Along the way, you can view diving data in seven modes, including single or multi-GA, apnea, but does not include air integration. However, there is a great 3-axis compass, a GPS that will help you track your Entry and Exit location and Garmin LiveTrack (so that your friends can track you). The range of features is overwhelming at first, but soon becomes an invaluable companion.

Perfect foil

With a much smaller wet surface area than traditional boat hulls, hydrofoils are a perfect candidate for power, as long as they are light enough. Foilone accomplished this using carbon fiber composites, creating a thin singletrack boat with two batteries. If fully foiled, it can take a day or even hours on a daily charge. Its split handlebar steering system is not only figically, but also literally the same physics that perfectly balances the very same physics that stabilize the bike. At about 10 knots (11.5 mph), it automatically rises from the water and flies suddenly. The production motorboat of the year was crowned at the Foiling Awards held in Genoa.

@Rhodri

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