Personal Submarines - from PopMech

Ocean Pearl

company: SEAmagine Hydrospace | passengers: 2 | displacement: 7000 lb
max depth: 500 ft | max speed: 2.5 knots
endurance: Up to 8 hours, with 72 hours of life support

1. Sonar: A forward-looking sonar sensor is mounted near the front of the vessel. A screen in the cabin displays obstacles obscured by murky water or low light.	2. Flotation Bladders: On the surface, inflatable sacs provide the vessel with more than 30 in. of freeboard. When diving, the operator deflates the bladders.
3. Vertical Thruster: Located at the center of gravity of the vessel to maintain stability, this fan produces a jet of water that is used to control the depth of the submarine.	4. External Diver Station: A scuba-equipped operator can pilot the craft from a master control panel located outside the sub. This allows a pair of untrained occupants to ride in the cabin.
5. Buoyant Tail: The rear of the vessel is filled with foam to keep the craft in a horizontal pitch on the surface and underwater.	6. Aft Thrusters: Joystick-controlled thrusters push or pull the craft forward or backward, and can be used to rotate Ocean Pearl in place.

C-Quester 3

company: U-Boat Worx | passengers: 3 | displacement: 9259 lb
max depth: 328 ft | max speed: 3 knots
endurance: Up to 6 hours, with 96 hours of life support

U-Boat Worx makes comparatively cheap subs by reducing the size of pressurized compartments, which leads to compact designs. Instead of sharing a large dry space, the batteries, electronics and an air-conditioning unit each have their own small sealed compartment. The company’s C-Quester 3 prototype is as adept above the waves as it is below: A second outer hull makes the craft a sub-within-a-boat. Executives say they will introduce a three-passenger model this year that will cost about $500,000.

OrcaSub

company: Sub AviatorSystems | passengers: 2 | displacement: 9000 lb
max depth: 2000 ft | max speed: At least 6 knots
endurance: Up to 12 hours, with 96 hours of life support

The OrcaSub is a submersible with wings. Sub Aviator’s craft zips underwater much as an airplane flies—relying on forward motion to generate downward lift on two sets of winglike fins. A pair of thrusters mounted on the stern, each generating about 500 pounds of thrust, propels the sub at 6 knots. For close-in maneuvering, bow and stern thrusters allow the OrcaSub to rotate or move side to side. Sub Aviator plans to start building the first production model of the $2.2 million OrcaSub this year with a construction time of up to 18 months.