Red Bull big wig getting deep
The billionaire founder of Red Bull has again proven that nobody has everything, extending his impressive repertoire of vehicles with a new extreme submarine.
The sub looks somewhere between a fighter jet and a great white shark, it cost $1.86 million and will be available to guests of a luxury resort in Fiji, courtesy of Mr Dietrich Mateschitz.
The watercraft is of a new design invented by US-company Hawkes Ocean Technology, who have recently made similar devices for Richard Branson and James Cameron. Where most submarines have to take on ballast water to reach neutral buoyancy, the DeepFlight Super Falcon uses powerful negative-lift motors to allow it to move freely in three dimensions. Says Hawkes; “Put the nose down, and yee-ha–you’re flying.”
The machine is topped with two domes for passengers’ viewing pleasure, they are reportedly tuned to the ocean’s refractive index – so the domes vanish to near-invisibility underwater. It is powered by lightweight electric motors and designed for near-surface fun interacting with some of the ocean’s bigger inhabitants, its maximum depth is 400 metres.
The sub is the perfect vehicle for the Red Bull billionaire, who also owns the island at which it will be docked. Guests at his Laucala Island resort can go for spin in the submersible for a cool $1,700 from November, an acceptable expense at a $4,200 per night hotel.
A gallery of Hawkes’ incredible underwater vehicles is available at their site. A video of a unit almost identical to Mr Mateschitz’ new acquisition is also available.