Dolphin-inspired jetski makes big splash
215bhp dolphin-shaped jetski can dive underwater and has a top speed of 45mph
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CALIFORNIAN COMPANY Innespace has developed a dolphin-inspired cross between a jetski and a submarine.
The Seabreacher can glide on top or below water at high speed - and it has enough power to soar out of the water and fly through the air and perform stunts.
The two-man £30,000 craft has been designed around the shape of a dolphin and has a top speed of 45mph over the surface of the water and half that when submerged. A self-levelling device rights the Seabreacher if it becomes capsized.
The 15ft fibre-glass machine can stay under for long periods as it has a snorkel that supplies air to its 1,500cc, 215hp marine engine. Its see-through polycarbonate canopy is half-an-inch thick and is the same used on F-16 fighter jets.
Rob Innes, of design company Innespace, said: "You can drive it just like a boat with the canopy open at full speed of 45mph on the surface. It can do 20mph below the water. If you go below snorkel depth you run out of air for the engine and you stay under for 20 seconds before the craft will automatically surface. But with the snorkel system in use you can stay under for longer."
