The Underwater Pod For Yachts

 

British studio Gresham Yacht Design has recently introduced the next best thing in yacht design with their Hydrosphere, an underwater viewing platform that fits up to seven people and lowers from underneath the bottom of the vessel in minutes in order to observe passing sea life. 

The Hydrosphere can be deployed while the yacht is in motion (in speeds up to two knots), and exterior lighting illuminates the surrounding water, which allows for both day and night use. Also, unlike personal submarines or other submersibles that require a specialist or pilots to drive and deploy, the Hydrosphere operates simply and quickly at the push of a button.

For Founder and Principal Designer at Gresham Yacht Design, Steve Gresham, ease and accessibility were the initial drivers behind the concept: “We know all too well from our clients that getting in to the ocean in a submersible takes an hour or two, by which time the reason to go and explore has passed you by. The Hydrosphere is the solution to this problem and prevents important moments from being missed,” he says. “The best thing about the Hydrosphere is that it can be operated very quickly and easily.”

The studio recently worked on OceanX’s OceanXplorer, an 87-meter explorer vessel packed with the latest technology. “It was working on this, and seeing the ever-growing desire and need to see and understand more about the ocean, that inspired this idea,” says Gresham.

There’s already serious interest for this kind of design feature from private yacht owners, and the technology and knowledge already exist in order to bring it to fruition. The preferred route of execution would be for the Hydrosphere to be added to new builds (ideally in vessels of 90-meters or more, which take around four to five years to build); however, Gresham says that the Hydrosphere could even be retrofitted to an existing vessel during a refit.

“Anyone who loves the sea and wants to immerse themselves in their environment will be attracted to this idea, from the science buffs through to the tech savvy entrepreneurs,” says Gresham. “More often than not, ideas that push the boundary are brought into reality by visionary clients who aren’t scared of new and bold ideas.”

Deploying underwater through the hull of a yacht, the Hydrosphere by Gresham Yacht Design provides 360-degrees views of life under the sea.