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HIGH SEAS INTO THE DEEP

MEET NEMO, THE NEW MINI SUB YOU CAN DRIVE YOURSELF

BY HOWARD WALKER

Picture this: You’re Captain Nemo at the controls of your very own submarine, exploring the briny deep, communing with sea monsters, unearthing sunken treasure—and all for the price of a Ferrari.

This fantasy is possible when you get behind the controls of the remarkable new Nemo submersible from Holland’s U-Boat Worx. Offered as either a one- or two-seater, with a dive rating of 330 feet, it’s currently the only private, production-built sub in the world.

Launched, literally, in 2021, the first Nemos sold for more than a million bucks. But with production ramping up, the company has slashed the price of the one-person Nemo to $545,000, and the two-person to $590,000— roughly the cost of a new Ferrari SF90 Stradale with a few options.

“The beauty of the Nemo is that with a little training, anyone can drive one,” says Erik Hasselman, U-Boat Worx’s commercial director. “If you can handle a joystick, you can control it. It’s like scuba diving without getting wet.”

So, who’s buying a Nemo, or at least considering it? According to Hasselman, that would be superyacht owners, who can crane one into the water as they do a tender. But the Nemo also appeals to boatless mortals. In fact, U-Boat Worx has developed a heavy-duty trailer so you can tow your Nemo behind a Range Rover and launch it at any marina boat ramp.

Size wise, the sub is no Red October. It’s just 9 feet long, 7 and a half feet wide, and 5 feet tall. It takes up less space than a couple of Jet Skis. At around 4,600 pounds for the single-seat Nemo 1, U-Boat Worx claims it is the lightest manned submersible ever conceived.

The design is by the company’s in-house team in Breda, Holland, and was inspired by sports cars. Yes, there’s a little bit of new Corvette in there, especially in the side openings. That curvy bodywork (available in 10 col-

ors) wraps around a 4-inch-thick acrylic sphere, with access through a top-mounted hatch. Inside, you sit in hip-hugging, diamond-quilted bucket seats that could have been pulled out of a Bentley.

Power comes from a bunch of joystick-controlled electric thrusters juiced by a bank of lithium-ion batteries. At full charge, they can power the Nemo for up to 8 hours at breakneck speeds of around 3 knots. Hey, you’re there for the view, not to water ski.

And for the water-wary, there’s no shortage of fail-safes. Go deeper than 330 feet and the sub will automatically rise to a safer level. Experience a sudden panic attack and there’s a panic button that rushes you back up to the surface.

Of course, there’s no way the builder will let anyone take the controls without some serious instruction. You’ll need to complete an intensive two-week course at the company’s Sub Center on the reef-ringed tropical island of Curaçao, just north of Venezuela. After 20 training dives and lots of lessons on safety, oxygen levels, and not getting wrapped up in seaweed or anchor chains, you’ll walk away with full certifi cation.

Even though that $545,000 sticker represents a major price cut, it’s still a lot of green. One arguably more appealing alternative is to buy a Nemo joint membership. A one-eighth share of a Nemo 2 (based out of Curaçao) will set you back around $80,000 for 41 days of use per year, with annual running costs of about $16,500; that covers all maintenance, insurance, an annual survey, launch and recovery, post-dive cleaning, and storage.

U-Boat Worx started back in 2005 and has so far built more than 60 submersibles of all sizes, with most of the earlier ones going to deepsea exploration organizations, cruise ship operators, and underwater fi lm production companies. Its aim is to have 1,000 subs in operation by 2030.

“There’s nothing more liberating or fun than diving into the underwater world in the safety and comfort of your own Nemo,” adds Hasselman.

And unlike with a Ferrari, you probably won’t get a speeding ticket. «

POWER FILE

PRICE: FROM $545,000 LENGTH: 110 INCHES BEAM: 92 INCHES HEIGHT: 61 INCHES WEIGHT: 4,600 POUNDS POWER: ELECTRIC THRUSTERS TOP SPEED: 3 KNOTS WHY WE LOVE IT: BECAUSE IT’S THE COOLEST NEW WATER TOY MONEY CAN BUY.

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