Virgin unveils underwater plane

Virgin unveils new underwater plane, the Necker Nymph
Virgin unveils new underwater plane, the Necker Nymph

Virgin has revealed a new 'underwater plane' called the Necker Nymph, with guests on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands now able to take a dive into the Caribbean for a mere $325,000.

Necker is Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson's own private island and as of 20 February, two guests and a pilot will be able to take a dive down and fly into the great unknown in the new Necker Nymph.

The underwater plane uses downward pressure on its wings to effectively fly through the water for periods of up to two hours at a time, with the passengers getting a full 360-degree view out of the plane's open cockpit.

Underwater flight

Karen Hawkes, a rep from the Nymph's designers Hawkes Ocean Technologies, said: "Gliding on the water's surface like an aeroplane on a runway, one of the three pilots will operate the joystick to smoothly dive down."

Passengers must be fully SCUBA trained, although we doubt that the added cost of that extra training will really bother anybody willing to shell out over $325,000 for a weeks' underwater fun in Branson's new Nymph!

Virgin claims that the Necker Nymph has "near-zero" environmental impact and that its "positive buoyancy prevents the sub from landing on a reef, and its low light and noise emissions ensure the fragile ocean ecosystems remain undisturbed."

Via CNN

Adam Hartley