13 Lesser-Known Seabreachers Facts for Marine Enthusiasts

Dolphins are one of the most beloved adorable creatures on earth. No one can’t resist the urge to pet and play with them! However, have you ever thought about swimming and moving around like one? That’s where Seabreachers come to play! A Seabreachers is a lesser-known submersible that will, in fact, allow you to see the world from the perspective of a dolphin!

For those unfamiliar with this super awesome craft, it’s practically a personal submarine that can fit up to two people at once. It is basically a robotic dolphin that you can control and drive anywhere!

Although Seabreachers are very adorable and awesome, they are not as popular as other forms of watercraft. In fact, there aren’t many widely known facts about this fantastic submarine. Fortunately, we’re here to provide you with some lesser-known facts about Seabreachers that will make you want to ride one. You might be astonished to learn about some of these cool facts!

1. VASH: the Predecessor to Seabreachers

Seabreachers are the ultimate submersible vehicle capable of doing wonderful things underwater. But the wider audience doesn’t really know that they owe the technology and innovation to the Variable Attitude Submersible Hydrofoil or VASH in shorts.

It was the genius minds of Tom “Doc” Rowe and Dennis “Dusty” Kaiser who came up with the design. Neither one of them are certified engineer, yet they were able to create this beautiful machine in the backyards of their homes. 

After some testing in the water, VASH was officially dubbed Noland 1 in tribute to Doc’s son, who has passed away. The item can do limited flight movement due to the mixture of high subsurface velocities and the natural positive buoyancy of the craft itself.  

2. VASH Inspired Two (other) Geniuses to Develop Seabreachers

Here is the next lesser-known fact about the Seabreachers! The development of this craft was continued by other guys. This time, it was Rob Innes and Dan Piazza. They founded Innespace Productions in 1997. Rob Innes is a New Zealander who worked as a boat builder with an engineering diploma from Unitech University. At the same time, Dan Piazza is a certified machinist with various milestone experiences. 

After working on designing and manufacturing boats, they shifted their attention towards producing the Seabreachers. Currently, Innespace still sells all of its original Seabreacher models to the public (available for leasing). They are also finding ways to keep their audience entertained, such as developing racing and demonstration events (more to follow, so stay tuned!). 

3. Seabreachers are Extremely Buoyant

Seabreachers are made to be beginner-friendly too. No matter how hard you try to go deep, Seabreachers will, in fact, try to reach the air for the machines to “breathe”. They are extremely buoyant, which means that the engine will power off when it goes too deep and pops back to the surface.

Besides that, the hull is also constructed with enough flotation that makes it buoyant, even if the cockpit and engine bay are flooded. 

4. How Much Will Seabreachers Cost You?

It is a fact that Seabreachers is still quite lesser-known. Yet, it’ll cost you a lot to acquire and operate one!

As fun as playing with Seabreachers can be, you must first be prepared to burn out some serious money from your savings. Innespace sells Seabreachers to private customers and companies from all around the world. Their models are custom-made for each customer’s satisfaction, and therefore prices will vary. However, the base price for normal models starts from $85,000. The more customizable option you pick, the pricier it will get!

A Seabreacher will be shipped globally via a standard 20-foot shipping container. Typically, it will cost you around $3,000 to $6,000 for shipment. Not a cheap deal, right? But if you are passionate about marine activities, who are we to get in your way?

5. Is It Safe to Have One?

Riding a Seabreacher feels like a ride from a theme park from Universal Studios or Disneyland. It’s understandable if you feel afraid of the risk it poses. But fear not, because Seabreachers is, in fact, very safe!

After all, they have been in development for a very long time to avoid any unwanted risks and accidents. You don’t even need to have a license to operate one. When you purchase a Seabreacher, Innespace will offer comprehensive training for the would-be driver. Besides that, all models are approved for recreational use and sale. Therefore, it can be registered as a conventional powerboat in most countries.

6. A Look Into a Seacbreacher’s Design and Machine

By this point, you must have known about the unique design that Seabreachers have. But let’s have a better understanding regarding their overall looks and machinery. They are equipped with an acrylic canopy and underwater viewports for a nearly 360-degree view. It’s truly a wonderful experience for anybody who likes marine activities. 

What about the machines? They use a Rotax three-cylinder and four-stroke engine with 1500cc. The engine also contains an ECU to manage power and fuel consumption. Besides that, Seabreachers also operate differently from typical watercraft that only operate in two-dimensional planes. It has full control over the three axes: pitch, roll, and yaw. Therefore, it can jump, move left and right, or cut through the waves. 

7. Whales and Sharks? Count Them In!

Seabreachers uses a design that resembles and mimics a real-life dolphin’s movements. However, it’s interesting that Innespace has made other models that resemble other marine creatures. Model X uses sharks as its design inspiration, while Model Y uses the Killer Whales’ design. Lastly, Model Z was the OG hero that resembled dolphins. Although they have different designs, the Model X and Y can also maneuver like dolphins and fly!

The Seabreacher Y was made to resemble a real-life killer whale, even in its size. It also offers a panoramic view with its full acrylic canopy. On the other hand, the Model X is the latest and most advanced watercraft made by Innespace. Its smaller control surface makes the Model X more agile and responsive. 

8. Contrary to Popular Believe, Seabreachers Can’t Dive Too Deep

Naturally, people considered Seabreachers as a new type of submarine. Although it is true, you must not be fooled by its literal meaning. After all, Seabreachers cannot dive as deep as normal submarines do. They can go a few feet below the sea surface. This limitation is intentional to keep the snorkel above the water.

You do not want to try diving too deep because it can cause some mechanical failure due to lack of air. Therefore, if you try to dive deeper, the boat will just pop back to the surface automatically! 

There are some other reasons for Seabreacher’s limitation. They were only made to last underwater for five to ten seconds. After some time, they need to grab some air by popping out from the water, just like a real dolphin that needs to breathe the air. 

9. How Fast Can a Seabreacher Go?

Seabreachers is, in fact, not a high-speed underwater craft. However, it is normal to wonder about its normal speed limit. To answer this question, we need to separate it into two different categories: underwater and on the surface.

When swimming above the water surface, they can reach their full potential of 50 mph (80 km/h). But when they start to enter the waters, the speed will drop to about 20 to 25 mph. Perhaps, we can also benefit from the speed limitation, as you can get dizzy from cruising underwater quickly just to suddenly propel to the open air!

10. Customize the Seabreacher to Your Own Liking

To date, Innespace has only manufactured three different base models of Seabreachers. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t ask them to make a unique, customizable Seabreacher. With a dedicated team full of professional artists and designers, you can receive a one-of-a-kind watercraft that suits your style. 

There are a lot of things that you can choose to customize. For the interior design, you have the privilege to select from hundreds of upholstery choices. You can also add the dashboard layouts with an LCD video display or iPhone dock. Oh, did we also mention the wonderful custom paint that you can add too? All in all, not a bad deal if you really like marine activities. 

11. The Knight Rider Himself is Even Attracted to Seabreacher

You know him as Michael Knight from Knight Rider. You may also know him as the legendary Mitch Buchannon from Baywatch. Well, Mitch Buchannon will need some assistance for his job as a lifeguard on the beach.

In a special episode from the History Channel, you can see how David Hasselhoff marveled at the experience of riding the awesome Seabreacher. Even though it’s his first time riding it, he doesn’t seem to panic. All in all, it’s an amazing experience that can make a good episode for a new Knight Rider series, right?

12. Seabreachers Racing Event Can Be a Thing

Previously, we have mentioned that Innespace is thinking of ways to improve Seabreachers’ user experience. One way of doing that is by organizing racing events. Currently, there are some amateur racing competitions in various areas.

Even though Searbreachers is a lesser-known craft, Innespace, in fact, held a trial competition in 2008 using the Innespace Seabreachers and Innespace Dolphin. Then, a massive racing competition was also held in Long Beach during the summer of 2018. It’s very, very cool!

13. Innespace Brought a Seabreacher for the 2015 World Finals

Racing competitions aren’t the only thing that Innespace can be proud of. In 2015, the model Z Dolphin made its way to the 2015 Quakysense World Finals. Although the main event of the show was the racing competition, the Seabreachers, in fact, still managed to catch people’s attention during the trade show exhibition event.

During the exhibition show, the awesome Seabreacher performed some cool stunts and freestyle tricks, including the full 360-degree barrel roll. 

Now that you know some of the lesser-known facts about Seabreachers, would you like to ride one?

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