The Triton represents the only deep submersible design in the world today that was developed specifically to meet the requirements of yacht based use. Every competitive submersible offered has at least one fatal flaw when it comes to yacht based operations. The Triton series is far superior for several reasons:

1. MINIMUM WEIGHT, VOLUME & FOOTPRINT
Deck space is at a premium aboard a yacht and the Triton is a compact design which at 10 feet in LOA is half of the length of most competitors' submersibles. This means is stows easily and is significantly easier to launch and recover.

A sphere is the minimum volume configuration that is structurally superior when resisting hydrostatic load. The Tritons have comfortable upright seating in the passenger compartment while minimizing volume and thus, crane weight.

2. TRANSPARENT PASSENGER COMPARTMENT
The main reason for owning a submersible is to experience the incredible diversity of the ocean world and to do that effectively, you have to be able to see out of the vehicle. The Triton's totally transparent spherical passenger compartment provides unsurpassed viewing for the occupants.

3. SUPERIOR SURFACE STABILITY & FREEBOARD
The catamaran configuration of the Triton results in unsurpassed surface stability. Many deep submersibles have poor surface stability which translates into a major safety issue, particularly with higher sea states. The Triton was designed so the occupants can easily get in and out of the sub while its in the water, even when the seas are quite high. Pitching and rolling is kept to a minimum.

There are two submersibles available that are aircraft style designs and one converted small commercial sub that share a common problem. If an entrance hatch is opened while the sub is on the surface it will fill with water and sink, likely taking the occupants down as well. In each case, the passenger has his or her own pressure resistant compartment and if they were to panic and open the hatch while surfaced, the consequences would be grave. The pilot is powerless to prevent such an occurrence as he is isolated in his own compartment.

The Triton, with its top-mounted entrance hatch, has more freeboard (e.g. distance from waterline to entrance hatch) than any other small submersible. The combination of surface stability and freeboard represent the single most important safety factors in submersible operations.

4. SIMPLE LAUNCH & RECOVERY REQUIREMENTS
With the Triton's unsurpassed safety from high stability and excellent freeboard the sub is entered and exited when it is in the water, with access either from a tender (typically a RIB) or from the yacht itself. This means that the launch and recovery system requirement can be minimized.

In the three models of submersibles currently available where it is not possible or safe to open the hatches while the sub is in the water the occupants must enter and exit the vehicle while it is on the deck of the yacht. This requires an ABS-classed, man-rated launch and recovery system. In all likelihood, the massive, overbuilt A-frame will dominate the outline of the yacht and cost as much as the submersible does to fabricate and install. Not many yacht owners are willing to go to the expense and trouble of installing such a system which is an absolute insurance and certification requirement. In addition, if the submersible is separated from the yacht the subs occupants will be stuck inside, unable to open the hatch until the yacht can find them and retrieve them. This can be a major problem.

The Triton is much safer and can be launched using a myriad different systems from davits, to overhead gantries to in-water garages that can be pumped dry when the access doors are closed.

4. UNSURPASSED FORWARD/DOWN VISIBILITY
When you are cruising in a submersible underwater the best view is forward and down. At slow speeds you can get a great view of the area ahead and below and the Triton gets you closer to the sea floor than any other civil submersible. Some subs have the passenger compartment several feet above the the bottom of the sub which compromises the experience. One even puts a very large metal mating flange at eye level around the passenger compartment. Others have a nose or wings that block the view. If you can't look down between your feet and if you are more than a foot off the sea floor, you're missing the view. Only the Triton gives you those advantages.

5. THREE AXIS JOYSTICK CONTROLS
Pinpoint three axis control is imperative when maneuvering close in to a coral reef or wreck. The Triton is equipped with thrusters such that the sub can maneuver fore and aft, sideways and up and down and can turn in its own length. The maneuvering is effortlessly accomplished with an intuitive F-16 style joystick control.

6. DIGITAL TOUCH SCREEN CONTROL & NAVIGATION
Sophisticated navigation and communication functions in electronic display screens such as those produces by Garmin and Avidyne are now standard in civilian aircraft. At Triton Submarines we are making the transition as well.
A sophisticated proprietary touch screen control and navigation system makes Triton simple to operate with several screens available for such things like pre-dive checklists, touch screen electrical system control, alarm panel, sonar viewing, electronic charting, etc. Of course, full mechanical back-ups are provided in the unlikely event of a system failure.

The digital display and control system eases pilot workload, improves safety and makes for a more enjoyable experience.

7. INDUSTRY'S MOST ADVANCED TRAINING & SUPPORT SYSTEM
Every Triton owner or their pilot/representative is contractually obligated to complete our comprehensive in-house pilot and maintenance training program. We also provide 24/7 free customer phone-based technical support for the life of the vehicle.

8. DEEP SUBMERSIBLE PILOT SIMULATOR
Only Triton Submarines has invested substantially in an advanced deep submersible pilot simulator available for the use of prospective buyers and for pilot training. The simulator is at our Vero Beach, Florida facility.

9. DEEP SUBMERSIBLE OPERATIONS EXPERIENCE MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Deep submersibles have been around for more than half a century and the diversity of approaches to operations has been quite remarkable. The only effective way to design a successful deep submersible is to draw upon decades of experience in operating a number of diverse submersibles from a myriad of manufacturers or research programs. U.S. Submarines and Triton Submarines are unique in the level of diverse operations experience of senior staff members. Most manufacturers only have experience with their models of submersible, making them unable to make optimum design choices and severely limiting their problem solving ability because they are not experienced with a wide array of equipment or diverse techniques that are proven effective in real life operations.

Next time you see one of our competitors, ask them how many deep submersibles they've operated that they don't sell. In most cases the answers will surprise you.

10. IN-WATER ACCESS
At the risk of being repetitive, the Triton, with its extraordinary surface stability and ample freeboard can be accessed by passengers while the sub is in the water on the surface. This is the most critical safety factor in submersible operations. A massive, expensive million dollar launch and recovery system is also not, then, required.

11. ADDED DEPTH CAPABILITY
The Triton is available in 2- and 3-passenger versions with either 1000 foot or 3300 foot depth capability. The ability to dive to 1000 feet in the standard version opens up a wide variety of extraordinary dive locations. A common fallacy is that "there is nothing to see below 300 feet." People who make that statement have obviously never been that deep, for there is a fabulous and strange assortment of creatures to see, and the deeper you go the more interesting the viewing becomes. The 3300 foot version of the Triton allows even more versatility in diving depth and is popular among marine archeologists or wreck-hunters.

Added depth capability is an additional safety factor as well.

The pressure hull (e.g. passenger compartment) of the Triton is comprised of transparent polymethyl methacrylate, better know as acrylic plastic. Acrylic is remarkably strong under the compressional hydrostatic load that comes from deep immersion. When the first acrylic tourist submarine was developed the hull components were rated to 80 meters and ABS required that one full scale section be immersed to increasing depth until structural problems became obvious. The hull section was immersed to 800 meters (2625 feet) in depth before deformation commenced.

12. LEVELS OF SAFETY CONSISTENT WITH ABS CLASS
The American Bureau of Shipping is the preeminent classification society for civil submarines and submersibles. ABS classed submersibles have a perfect safety record and there has never been a serious injury or fatality to any passenger aboard an ABS classed sub making ABS-classed civil submarines and submersibles the safest form of transportation in the world today. Period.

Other classification societies of other countries also class submersibles but none have the rigorous requirements of ABS and some are simply chosen for their regulatory loopholes. For instance, ABS would never award class to a submersible where opening the hatch in the water would sink the vehicle.

In most countries, including the United States, it is illegal to commercially operate a sub not built to classification standards and operated without a valid class certificate. In the U.S. it is at the discretion of the U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port as to whether to allow private home-built or non-classed subs to operate without paying passengers in U.S. waters.

Submersibles that are not classed by any classification society cannot be insured and they cannot legally carry passengers for hire. Small, inexpensive submersibles like those sold by U-Boat Worx fall into this category.

How valuable is your life and the lives of your loved ones? At Triton Submarines we spare no expense to build the safest civil submarines in the world to the most rigorous ABS standards.