I want one of these !!!!

The C-Quester, as it is officially known, costs around £40,000. Small change, no doubt, for the diver who has everything and still wants more. It provides all the excitement of scuba diving without leaving the comfort of an air-conditioned cabin.

Those who have taken the controls liken the experience to 'flying through water'. The first mass-produced commercially available submarine, the C-Quester, comes from a company calling itself UBoat Worx. It is designed and produced in Holland.

The sub, which weighs up to 1.8-tons, can be launched from a yacht or slipped into the sea from a harbour-side ramp. The pilot climbs in through a hatch in the top, rather like a racing driver levering himself into his car, and steers using a joystick.

Inside the cabin, the pressure remains the same as that on land, meaning pilots and passengers (in the two-seater model £61,000) do not have to worry about the bends. Air quality is also assured, with a filtration system removing spent air and pumping in oxygen.

When the pilot wishes to descend, he opens flaps on the back of the board which lets water into the hollow hold beneath him. This allows the sub to reach depths of 164ft.

The motors power the submarine back to the top, with the water being expelled from the hull just before it reaches the surface. A spokesman from the manufacturer said: "Passengers can experience the wonder of diving and the beauty of the oceans without having to obtain a scuba diving qualification. "We have sold them to people who love to dive or have a big boat and also to people who see them as a toy."

Obviously some people have far too much money but if you want to buy me an xmas present this year look no further,

Tad
Source Daily Mail 9th February 2007