Curasub in Curaçao

The Curasub is a 6.5 ton, five person mini-submarine based on the venerated Aquarius submersible design and capable of reaching depths of 1000 feet. The craft has room for a pilot and four tourists, who view undersea landscapes unreachable to divers through 40-inch acrilyc viewports. Based in the island nation of Curaçao, the Curasub is operated by Substation Curaçao. It launches from 127 foot-long Chapman, a former NOAA research vessel now owned by the University of Puerto Rico, for four, 1.5 hour-long, $650 forays daily. A 110 ton knuckle boom crane plucks the mini-sub from the ship's rear deck and deposits it in the water.