A submarine on a sailing yacht? Is that possible? What's the point? We spoke to the CEO of U-Boat Worx, Bart van Nunen, and Marketing Manager Roy Hejdra.
How is Nemo doing?
Bart van Nunen: Pretty good. Especially after the COVID period, everything is picking up again for us, the order situation is good. We are now trying to produce Nemo in series so that we can make the prices a little more favourable. The submarine is our compact model, but I'm a little hesitant to use the term "small". It is a vehicle for two people, for a pilot plus passenger.
How many of the Nemos go to superyachts?
Bart van Nunen: I think around 75 per cent. We developed Nemo especially for superyachts, the weight is 2,500 kilos, so that fits very well.
What type of owner asks for Nemo?
Roy Heijdra: They come from a wide variety of areas. We have Nemos on 120 metre superyachts and on smaller explorers. We have the "explorer" type owners who use the submarine every day and go exploring, as well as customers who might put it in the water once a month.
So just normal superyacht owners?
Roy Heijdra: I would say that you have to have a bit of an explorer's spirit in your veins to own a submarine. It's the thrill of the unknown that drives you. We have also just delivered a model for a 42 metre sailing yacht.
Where is it stored on board?
Roy Heijdra: A special system was developed for this at the stern, which places Nemo on guide rails and then moves it to the centre section of the yacht - for stability reasons. It is therefore launched from the stern, but stored in the centre below deck.
Is this the first Nemo to go to a sailing yacht?
Bart van Nunen: No, already the second.
Roy Heijdra: When we developed Nemo, we also had sailing yachts in mind, yes. But thanks to its low weight, you don't actually need a yacht. You can put the submarine on a trailer and hang it behind your car. We want to make diving more accessible to the whole world. This is not possible with our other submarines because they are simply too heavy. But they have other uses because they can go deeper and carry more passengers.
Do I need a special licence to dive?
Bart van Nunen: Yes, of course. It's not that easy to handle, but if you complete basic pilot training with us, it takes about two weeks. And then you're a professional diver.
How can you imagine such a dive?
Bart van Nunen: It's a different world down there, it's a different experience. It's like being in an aquarium full of fish, like scuba diving.
Roy Heijdra: But there's no decompression, you just feel good. It's relaxed, you sit in a beautiful leather armchair with a champagne cooler and enjoy the underwater world.
Bart van Nunen: And with music!
How long does it take to reach a depth of 100 metres?
Roy Heijdra: I would say that passengers reach 100 metres in five to ten minutes. So it's easy to descend and ascend, but that's not the real fun of it.
And how long can you stay down?
Roy Heijdra: Nemo can be under water for eight hours at a time. Our other models can go for twelve hours or more.
