Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] First submarine dive

Let's extrapolate: 40 passengers per trip, 6 dives per day, $65 US per seat. What, $15K/day on a good day? If the sub cost $3.5M US, figure twice that overall for startup, equipment and seed money for the first two years--$7M, give or take. That's divides out to 67 weeks operating 7 days per at maximum or near maximum capacity to square up the investment. Double the time, even if it's a good site, and triple it if the traffic is slower. Call it four years to make your original investment back. Probably longer. However, ameliorated over a reasonable period, say a decade, I'm betting the return is good. Good enough for Atlantis to build a trainload of submarines and a few others to follow suit. Mind you, after ten years the certifying agency is going to want a tear down and proof testing, plus viewport replacements and the like, so you get your check book out and start all over again. My guess is that whoever owns these things is playing way, way, way over my head (sic).

-----Original Message-----
From: Alan James <alanjames@xtra.co.nz>
To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Sent: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 5:12 pm
Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] First submarine dive

Hi Antoine,

It's a huge sub with heaps of room inside.

This link shows it's vital statistics & inside view.

http://www.submarinesafaris.com/t/uk/sub-fun.htm

must have cost a fortune; they'd need to do a lot of dives

to justify the investment.

Alan

----- Original Message -----

From: Antoine Delafargue

To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org

Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 10:23 PM

Subject: Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] First submarine dive

I think it is its sister sub on the Lanzarote island, operated by the same company.

My 'dive certificate' showed those two subs have logged 20,000 dives together... (since 1997 I think).

that is quite a lot, sending some 800,000 people underwater

regards

Antoine

On Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 8:50 AM, Alan James <alanjames@xtra.co.nz> wrote:

Sounds great fun Antoine.

Is this the sub

http://www.submarinesafaris.com/t/index.html

Alan

----- Original Message -----

From: Antoine Delafargue

To: personal_submersibles@psubs.org

Sent: Thursday, January 21, 2010 9:13 PM

Subject: [PSUBS-MAILIST] First submarine dive

Hello all,

I had a nice experience last week, I took a dive for the first time in a sub, a tourist sub on the coast of one of the Canary Isles.

For a guy that has thought about building a submarine for a few years without touching one,

it is quite exciting (though not to the point to pee in your pants ;-0 )

the sub itself was a big (100ton) 18m long cylinder, moved by 6 15kW orientable thrusters, quite slow, but with very good viewing (two seats for a large 22" window)

the dive lasted for about 45mn, went down to 45m depth. The feeling of a very slow motion free fall when the ballasts are purged felt weird (It did not feel like there was a HBT on the sub).

But the best was to see my 3yr old son's face glued to the window, as a big sting ray with a diver playing with it passed by our window...

cheers

Antoine