Seabreacher X – flying into the limelight at Sanctuary Cove

by Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show on 28 Jan 2012 An inventive Kiwi, Rob Innes is at the helm of US-based company, Innespace Productions. He is responsible for the design and engineering of an innovative personal craft that resembles a great white shark, dolphin or killer whale, that can roll from side to side and jump 12-18 feet into the air.

The Seabreacher X model is a two-seat submersible watercraft that looks like a great white shark, it can even be painted up with menacing black eyes, gaping jaws and rows of dagger-sharp teeth.

At 16.5 feet in length, it is even the same size as the marine mammal, and can reach up to speeds of 80kph on the water surface, or 40kph diving below the surface.

Among the high-tech features on the luxury boat are a snorkel mounted video camera that can transmit live video to LCD screens for the pilot and passengers during dives, GPS navigation and on board stereo with iPod docking.

'The Seabreacher X is typically purchased by people with a disposable income looking to experience the ocean in a totally new way. They are pretty popular in the Middle East, but we've also sold them to clients in Russia, China and the Caribbean,' says Rob Innes. Its creators hope the 'flying boat' will strike a chord with the lucrative water sports market.

'This isn’t a conventional submarine – you’re not going to visit the Titanic in it. It’s more of a cross between a plane and a boat. We’ve been improving the models constantly so they can do more and more tricks,' Innes adds.

The company sells Seabreacher 'X' models as well as the dolphin inspired ’J’ model and Orca inspired ‘Y’ model. Several have already been pre-sold and a distributor appointed for Australia.

Dave Bell, the Managing Director of Seabreacher Australia, based in Perth W.A, has worked closely with Innespace for some time. While working with Innespace in fabrication as well as research and development, he is officially the first Aussie to also pilot a Seabreacher watercraft. He is now the exclusive Australian distributor, looking forward to launching Seabreacher Australia at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show, 24-27 May.

'This will be the first vessel that introduces recreational underwater flight to the consumer as a personal watercraft,' says Dave.

The Seabreacher X can sustain high speed dives and then breach the surface, launching the entire vessel clear out of the water. The new fully vectored thrust system mimics the tail articulation of real aquatic animals like sharks and dolphins. The custom built watercraft still meet new stringent Californian noise and emission regulations and are approved for public sale as a regular inboard power boat.

'There is nothing quite like it in the world – nothing can launch itself out of the water under its own steam like this can. However, the Seabreacher really comes into its own when it is submerged.'

Without the need of any out-dated buoyancy tanks, the vessel can pull itself under the water surface at high velocity, and achieve underwater flight for brief periods of time once the pilot trims out the vessel, just like a pilot levelling out an aircraft in flight.

'It’s the most fun you can have above and below the water surface,' Bell adds.

More at www.seabreacher.com.au