I WISH I HAD MONEY TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS!!!!!




http://finance.yahoo.com/...e-planning


NEW YORK -- Virgin unveiled the latest addition to Richard Branson's luxury fleet on Friday: an underwater plane that will fly riders into the depths of the Caribbean Sea.

Guests on Necker Island, a retreat in the British Virgin Islands, will be able to dive underwater in a submarine dubbed the Necker Nymph for $25,000 a week. But that's only after shelling out around $300,000 for a one-week stay on Necker, the private island owned by billionaire and Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson.

Beginning on Feb. 20, two riders and a pilot and will be able to take the plunge from land, or from a boat. The underwater plane uses the downward pressure on its wings to fly through the water for up to two hours at a time, while an open cockpit will give riders a 360-degree view.


The Necker Nymph's typical speed is 2 to 5 nautical miles per hour and it can dive more than 100 feet, said Karen Hawkes, a spokeswoman for Hawkes Ocean Technologies, the company that designed the Nymph.


A statement released Friday by Virgin Limited Edition, the luxury arm of Virgin Hotels, described the Nymph's launch like a plane's takeoff. "Gliding on the water's surface like an aeroplane on a runway, one of the three pilots will operate the joystick to smoothly dive down."

Vacationers will be able to fly the Necker Nymph while chartering the Necker Belle, Branson's 105-foot yacht, or the submarine can be launched from shore. Necker Belle is rented out to guests for $88,000 a week, bringing the full Necker Island experience to more than $400,000 per week.

Riders must follow SCUBA procedures and be trained or accompanied by a certified pilot before entering the underwater plane. SCUBA tanks are mounted in the submarine and passengers must wear masks while underwater, said Hawkes.

The Necker Nymph claims "near-zero" environmental impact because its "positive buoyancy prevents the sub from landing on a reef, and its low light and noise emissions ensure the fragile ocean ecosystems remain undisturbed," Virgin said.

I'm afraid of depths

cool....hope it's safe from sharks and other large creatures.

i hope they'll have mermaid/man tours.







then there's this.....







y'all have fun!

ZombieKitten said:

Me too.

Though I think I would be ok in that contraption.
I would give it a try.
[Edited 2/2/10 23:34pm]

After that earthquake in Haiti.... Hell NO!!!

The sea is full of life! How many fish and other marine life with this thing hit, crush or displace?
damn humans again.
Anybody see the new version of "The day the Earth stood still"?

WTH? i would never do this, too scary!

This looks soooo awesome!!!!

aren't they called submarines?

ehuffnsd said:

no, you're confusing them with those flying submarines that you see in the sky

joseph8 said:

I know...so many in the sea...this thing will surely crush, hit or kill something.

NDRU said:

Submarine in the sky:

those blimpy things are crazy!


imagine if this had worked, how would the passengers have got off?


climbing down the spire?

ZombieKitten said:

Charlotte!!!! I almost had an anxiety attack looking at that pic.

Didn't YOU get all tingly looking at it?

AND FOR GOD'S SAKES, is that little screw they're screwing in really that necessary.....I'm going to pass out.
[Edited 2/4/10 12:53pm]

MIGUELGOMEZ said:

omg that little screw is holding the whole thing together!!!!