It has come to my attention that RVs, motorcycles, private jets and off-road vehicles aren’t the only things to have started selling like hotcakes since the start of pandemic. Apparently, rich people also can’t get enough personal submarines. Before you finish grappling with that factoid let me introduce you to one of the latest luxury subs dropping into the water. The Triton 660/9 AVA is basically a living room/lounge that you can take 201.17 m underwater.
Triton launched in Florida in 2007 and it has some pretty sweet machinery. Its DSV Limiting Factor, holds the record for the deepest manned descent, reaching 10,924.95 m down in the Challenger Deep. That sub, normally called the 36000/2 Full Ocean Depth, can be yours for the low price of $US48 (A$67) million and is certified to dive anywhere, no matter how deep. But if you want your submersible to be a party vessel, there’s the 660/9 AVA.
As Triton’s naming scheme suggests, this sub doesn’t go down to 36,000 feet, but a mere 660. But in exchange for depth you get a sizable living room for you and eight of your best buds. The pilot of the sub sits in the middle like a McLaren F1 and the rest of the floor space in the acrylic bubble is configurable. Triton sees owners using these for frankly pretty silly uses.
Want to have a poker game with more steps? Hop into your 600/9 AVA, dive down somewhere, then set up a card table.
Want to have lunch at 182.88 m? Sure, but the food will probably be cold by the time you get there.
That said, I actually really love the idea of having a wedding in one of these.
Interior width comes in at 3.66 m, which is large enough for some fun. The whole vessel measures in at a 2.75 m length, 4.51 m width and 2.29 m height.
It also weighs in at 11,000 kg. Don’t expect to tow this thing out to the lake with your crossover.
When you do launch it and hop in through the top hatch, it has a top speed of about 6 km/h and can operate for 12 hours; plenty for a good day under the water. You get air-conditioning, heat, a sound system and a bunch of inside and outside lights. Those exterior lights put out 20,000-lumens each.
Triton makes the pressure hull out of what it calls Advanced Versatile Acrylics, which allows the company to create a strong pressure hull in a variety of shapes. And if that nine seater is too big, the company also offers a smaller 660/7 and even a 660/2 that looks like a little underwater sports car.
If you’re wondering if this is just a concept, Triton told Robb Report that three of them have already been sold. Sadly, it didn’t say how much those customers paid. Still, I love that this ridiculous sub is actually a thing.
This article has been updated since publication.