Latest cruise ship toys: tourist subs

The cruise industry's never ending quest to give passengers new options is opening up a new market for Netherlands-based submersible manufacturer U-Boat Worx. It has just unveiled three new luxury submarine models especially designed for cruise ships and tourism, including the deepest-diving ever built.

The models are the Cruise Sub 5, Cruise Sub 7 and Cruise Sub 9, carrying 5, 7 or 9 persons per dive respectively. The Cruise Sub 5 and 7 are capable of diving to 1,140 m making them the deepest-diving tourist submersibles ever.

"Our operations on cruise ships inspired the development of the Cruise Sub series" says U-Boat Worx Founder and Chairman Bert Houtmant. "Whether the operator focuses on exclusive deep sea exploration in remote destinations or on doing numerous subsea excursions on coral reefs, the Cruise Subs are optimized for maximizing the guest experience."

Traditional tourist submersibles have small windows, and passenger seating much like a bus. The new Cruise Sub series is based on the U-Boat Worx submersibles that are used on exclusive private super yachts and by research institutes. All guests will enjoy the same panoramic experience thanks to two large acrylic spheres that place everyone on the front row.

The interior can revolve inside the sphere, ensuring passengers always have the best view while diving – regardless of the direction the submersible is travelling.

The submersibles are designed to international standards and can be operated non-stop for up to 12 hours. They are battery-powered and therefore have no impact on the marine environment in which they operate.