The appeal of owning a yacht has always been the owner’s ability to enjoy the high life above the waves. However, yacht owners will soon be able to venture into the diverse and mysterious environment beneath the waves, without ever having to leave the comforts of their luxury superyachts. Enter Gresham Yacht Design’s awe-inspiring new concept dubbed the Hydrosphere.
The Hydrosphere is a concept underwater viewing platform conceptualised by the British yacht design studio and is meant to offer owners the ability to immerse themselves in the vast ecosystem hidden beneath the waves. Getting a glimpse into the ocean’s depths has always entranced luxury yacht owners but the only way to do so has been through the use of submersibles. The problem with using submersibles is that they require a bit of technical skill to be able to operate safely. Not to mention the fact that they take a while to get ready for deployment and requires passengers to leave the safety and comfort of the yacht.
To offer a more convenient and accessible way for yacht owners to immerse themselves in the underwater world, Steve Gresham, Founder and Principal Designer at Gresham Yacht Design explains how they came up with the idea for this innovative concept.
“We know all too well from our clients that getting into 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,” Gresham says. “The best thing about the Hydrosphere is that it can be operated very quickly and easily.”
The Hydrosphere was reportedly inspired by the OceanXplorer, OceanX’s cutting edge exploration vessel which Gresham Yacht Designs had a hand in developing. The aforementioned vessel was built to help researchers go where no ship had been able to before, allowing the exploration of some of the Earth’s most inaccessible areas and the enhanced understanding of the world’s oceans.
At this point, the Hydrosphere is still just a concept and few details have been released regarding its specifications. Gresham Yacht Design has however uploaded a wonderfully done concept video on their website.
According to the studio’s website, the Hydrosphere will be able to deploy within minutes at the push of a button and accommodate up to seven guests at a time. This combined with it’s 360-degree field of view and onboard lighting will allow passengers to marvel at the beauty and diversity of life found under the sea at any time. It can even be deployed and operated while the vessel is underway at a maximum speed of two knots, giving yacht owners the ability to follow schools of marine life as they wander ocean’s vast expanse.
With any form of undersea exploration, safety is paramount. Gresham Yacht Design ensures this with a pressure shell which extends through the yacht’s hull and placing the entrance to the Hydrosphere’s stairs above the waterline. This provides guests with safe conditions for entry and exit. When not deployed, the Hydrosphere sits within the hull, above the waterline and protected by an external hatch.
There has already been great interest in the Hydrosphere as an additional feature for luxury yachts. The technical skill and intricacies of such a design mean that the ideal way method of execution would be to add it during construction of new vessels which are at east 90-metres in length. Gresham does not however, discount the idea of retrofitting the Hydrosphere to an existing vessel.
For more information on the Hydrosphere, head over to Gresham Yacht Design’s website.
All images courtesy of Gresham Yacht Design.