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WISHLIST: GO DEEP
Story by TOM GIERASIMCZUK
If yachting is growing a bit repetitive these days, a North Vancouver company has a million-dollar suggestion: the world’s first recreational sub called the Orca Sub, easily loaded onboard for anytime sightseeing below the surface
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FOR YEARS, the thought of spending an afternoon exploring the depths of the ocean below your yacht was relegated, for most owners anyway, to the most ambitious of James Bond daydreams. Fortunately, a North Vancouver manufacturer of underwater equipment called Nuytco Research has partnered with U.S.-based Subaviator Systems in manufacturing a two-person craft called the OrcaSub in its East Esplanade factory.
”We call it a ‘flying sub,’” says John Lewis, managing director at Subaviator. “It is truly unprecedented in its mobility. You can keep up with sea creatures—even maneuver like them.” The Orca Sub breaks the rules of traditional underwater craft, which have an open, bubble cavity for crew that relies on propulsion and dive plane to keep the naturally buoyant craft submerged.
Since Nuytco designers have reduced the open space to two cockpits with a much smaller area to pressurize, the Orca Sub boasts neutral buoyancy—the ability to fly at six knots one minute and hover over a shipwreck the next. The cost of each sub, which takes Nuytco approximately five months to build, starts at US$1.6 million and includes a five-day training course for up to five people, which is not as intimidating as it sounds, says Lewis.
“The joke is that we can teach you to fly badly in about an hour,” he says referring to the intuitive joystick control of the craft. “The bulk of the classes are about life support systems, using VHF radios and emergency self-rescue systems.” Not in the market? Enjoy this cheat sheet until you are.
HULL Made from either steel for craft diving down to 2,000 feet, or titanium for the top-of-the-liners that descend to 6,000 feet. “At 300 or 400 feet, you’re flying around in the dark anyway,” says Lewis, noting that for most people, the 2,000-foot limit is plenty.
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COCKPITS Pilots occupy pressurized spaces topped with Perspex domes allowing a 360-degree view. The fixed seats provide what Lewis calls “a business-class seated position,” and, given the sub’s ability to roll upside down, a race car driver-like five-point harness
AIR TANKS The life support system includes two separate (yes, including a back-up) oxygen supply systems in each cockpit. The tanks provide 80+ hours of life support even if the sub runs out of battery power, a strict requirement for insurance purposes and the Orca Sub’s compliance to Lloyds Register standards.
RESCUE SYSTEM The craft does come standard with the ability to drop weight and float to the surface. But the real “whiz bang” feature, Lewis says, is the buoy that can float to the surface attached to a super-strong 2,000-ft. cable that can pull the sub out of deepest of troubles.
POWER TRAIN Batteries are housed in two cylindrical pressure hulls, separate from the pilots’ hulls. The standard lead-acid batteries provide 12 kWh of available power and up to eight hours of run time. An upgrade to more expensive lithium-ion doubles the run time and lets the sub travel distances of 40 km at speeds of three to four knots.
THRUSTERS Two main forward-power thrusters on the wings deliver five horsepower each. Lewis says an afterburner option doubles the horses, allowing for aquabatics that would make a grey whale feel inadequate.
RESCUE SYSTEM The craft does come standard with the ability to drop weight and float to the surface. But the real “whiz bang” feature, Lewis says, is the buoy that can float to the surface attached to a super-strong 2,000-ft. cable that can pull the sub out of deepest of troubles.
FOLDABLE WINGS The wings that allow the OrcaSub’s mobility also fold for transport in a standard 20-ft. shipping container. The craft can also be stored on board a yacht more easily
