The Necker Nymph: Richard Branson unveils new plaything

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The Necker Nymph: Richard Branson unveils new plaything

The Virgin Necker Nymph ... an underwater 'plane' that will take tourists to the bottom of the ocean.

The Virgin Necker Nymph ... an underwater 'plane' that will take tourists to the bottom of the ocean.

Billionaire Sir Richard Branson has added an underwater sea plane to his pile of luxury playthings in the latest pitch to lure the super rich to his Caribbean island.

The entrepreneur plans to charge guests at his Necker Island resort $26,800 for a two-hour glide through the ocean, 40 metres below the surface, but only after they fork out $98,000 for seven nights aboard the resort's catamaran, the Necker Belle.

The Necker Nymph seats two guests and a pilot, who operates the luxury sub with a joystick, Britain's Daily Mail newspaper reports.

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Unlike other submarine vessels, which use ballast to propel themselves under water, the Nymph uses downward 'lift' on the wings to make its descent.

Passengers will have to take scuba diving training before being able to use the Nymph.

But once properly prepared guests will be able to explore ship wrecks and reefs or follow pods of dolphins, the sub's designers and builders, Hawkes Ocean Technologies, say.

"The Nymph is an entirely new class of vehicle for us - think of a sleek convertible under water," Hawkes Ocean Technologies spokeswoman Karen Hawkes told the Daily Mail.

"It is different from our other submersibles because it was specifically designed to dive to scuba depths in tropical waters."

It joins Branson's considerable arsenal of an airline, record label, mobile phone company and a string of restaurants.


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