Take a Submarine Ride into the Deep

Today I’m pleased to introduce you to Jon Rochetti, a fellow travel blogger and friend, and who, over the years, has shared with me his wonderful city of Washington DC.  Today he writes a guest post about a trip to Cozumel, Mexico.

—

The image of the submarine varies. Let it be Jules Verne’s submarine, the Nautilus from the book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the claustrophobic World War II U-boat searching the Atlantic for it’s next target, a nuclear-era stealth “boomer” playing blind man’s bluff with the Soviets, or a deep sea exploration sub diving to uncharted regions of the ocean for an underwater documentary film.

Yet most people probably don’t know that you can take a ride in an actual submarine.  Not in a simulator, not at a museum or in a pool, but in the open ocean.

Atlantic Submarines operates submarine tours in 8 destinations in Hawaii, the Caribbean and Guam.

All of the submarine tours visit local reefs, marine parks or, in some cases, shipwrecks. The Aruba submarine tour, for example, passes over two WW-II wrecks, while the Maui tour in Hawaii visits the Carthaginian, a replica of a 19th century vessel that was sunk off Lahaina to create an artificial reef.   My recent tour was in Cozumel, Mexico, diving on the one of the world’s most extensive natural reefs. 

Most of the Atlantic submarines dive to depths of 100-120 feet, and carry up to 48 passengers in their standard 65-foot (19.8m) submarine .  In Waikiki, they operate their 100-foot, 64-passenger Atlantis XIV, the world’s largest passenger submarine.

After a short boat ride, usually about 20-30 minutes, you arrive at the transfer point.  Once on site, the sub surfaces from the previous tour and the transfer boat ties up to the sub.  Passengers are efficiently transferred from the submarine to the boat and visa-versa. 

Anticipation rises as you climb aboard the submarine and are directed toward one of the two hatches.  To descend into the submarine, you need to turn around and climb down a short ladder into the sub’s hull.

Two rows of molded back-to-back seats facing outward line both sides of the submarine, and passengers are directed where to sit.  All the seats offer the same view, but seats up front allow you to also watch the sub operators in action.

My 40-minute submarine dive started with some brief safety instructions, information about our submarine and recommendations as to what to watch out for during the tour.

Within seconds, we heard “Dive, Dive” over the PA system, followed by a klaxon sounding and we were gently descending into the ocean’s depths.  Rows of windows offer great outward viewing for an unforgettable experience as you watch marine life pass by.  On some tours you may experience sea turtles and sharks swimming past your window, in others, colorful fish, anemones and other reef life, such as long sea fans and soft corrals swaying with the currnet.

Many people assume that viewing the ocean will be similar to an aquarium with its artificial lights. But in the ocean, at depths over 40 feet or so, the water filters much of the sunlight so everything has a bluish-green tint. 

As the sub descended deeper, there was no sense of claustrophobia as most people were mesmerized by the views out of their window. The electronic depth gauge clicked off our depth in feet, eventually reaching our maximum depth – 103 feet (31m).

The ride is comfortable and seems virtually motionless. The operators were able to hover the sub even in the strong Cozumel currents, giving people a chance to see large sea fans or spectacular orange corrals. 

And even as a scuba diver, I thought the Atlantis submarine tour was an enjoyable and very memorable experience. 

After the tour, each passenger was given a certificate to document their trip to 100 feet below the ocean’s surface. 

If you take the tour, remember, a submarine is referred to as a “boat, not a “ship”. And don’t let the music playing from the movie Jaws as you descend into the sub unnerve you. Just sit back, relax and enjoy your “dry” dive.

Atlantic Submarines

• Aruba
• Barbados
• Cozumel
• Grand Cayman
• Guam
• Hawaii (Oahu, Maui, Kona)

Prices – Vary by destination – about $100.00 for adults, some destinations offer discounts for teens, $65.00 for children 4-14. Children must be at least 4 years old and a minimum of 3 feet (0.91m) tall. You can pre-book your tickets on the Atlantis Adventures website as most tours offer a discount or around 15%.

Jon Rochetti is the writer of the Washington DC-based travel blog, The DC Traveler, for PlanetEye.

Images – ©2009, Jon Rochetti