Triton Submarines, a Florida-based manufacturer founded in 2007, has been known for its deep-diving subs capable of deploying from yachts and traveling more than 3,000 feet below water. Now, the company has unveiled its latest design: a personal submarine that will take two passengers to depths of up to 6,600 feet, further than any personal watercraft ever created.
To reach these new depths, Triton constructed an advanced acrylic hull for its passengers to sit inside while maneuvering below the water. Traditionally, acrylic spheres in submersibles are made by casting two separate halves together. Instead, the hull of the Triton 6600/2 is built from single slabs of acrylic that are heated to a pliable forming temperature, then molded into the frame. “The acrylic has always been the problem in the past. There was no one who could make the material thick enough, with the quality you needed, to have a sub go to such depths as with the new 6600/2,” says principal designer John Ramsay. “The innovative construction is the big piece, and the properties of this acrylic are absolutely fantastic—they’re substantially better than what would typically be required for an acrylic pressure vessel.” At eight inches thick, the Triton 6600/2 features the “thickest acrylic sphere in a submersible to date,” according to Michael Haley, Triton’s U.S. director of sales and marketing.
Triton’s new submarine is 6.9 feet tall and carries up to 550 pounds. Four thrusters powered by 24-volt batteries allow for speeds of up to 3 knots (roughly 3.5 m.p.h.) and enable one pilot and one passenger to spend up to 12 hours admiring marine life. Since sunlight can travel only 700 feet or so below water, the engineers working on the 6600/2 mounted six powerful lights to the craft to ensure that its passengers could see their underwater surroundings. The safety features include an additional four full days of reserve oxygen, emergency food and water, and emergency breathing equipment.
The new Triton 6600/2, which will cost roughly $5.5 million, is expected to be on the market within the next two years.
