Future Transport
Who Sells Personal Submarines, and What Do They Cost?
Quick answer
The best-known sellers are U-Boat Worx in the Netherlands and Triton Submarines in Florida, and neither publishes prices. Press reports put the two-seat NEMO, rated to 100 m, at €590,000 in 2022 and U-Boat Worx's Super Sub at about €5.2 million. Wikipedia says Triton's subs cost between US$5 million and $40 million. U-Boat Worx says every sub it sells is certified by DNV.
On this page
Yes, you can buy a submarine for yourself. It is not a concept or a prototype: two companies build them in small numbers, certify them, deliver them and train the pilot. What they almost never do is print a price on their website. This guide puts together what the makers publish (depth, seats, run time) and what the press and Wikipedia report about cost, with the date of each figure. I read all of it on November 3, 2026.
If your budget is closer to a few thousand dollars, the underwater jetpacks and sea scooters guide covers the cheaper way under the surface.
Who sells personal submarines?
U-Boat Worx is based in Breda, in the Netherlands. Wikipedia says Bert Houtman founded it in 2005 and that trade publications call it the largest builder of private submarines in the world, with over 60 in operation. Its lineup runs from the single-seat NEMO to the Super Sub, which seats a pilot and two passengers.
Triton Submarines is based in Sebastian, Florida, with a service center in Barcelona. It builds subs with thick acrylic pressure spheres, from the two-person 660/2 to the six-seat 3300/6, plus larger tour subs and a full-ocean-depth model, the 36000/2, rated to 11,000 m.
Both lineups are small. According to Wikipedia, Triton had delivered fewer than 25 submersibles by August 2023, historically one or two a year. That tells you how rare these machines are: a sale is closer to a custom boat build than to a car dealership.
How much does a personal submarine cost?
Neither maker lists prices on its site. The figures below come from press reports and Wikipedia, so treat them as a guide, not a quote. The most solid number is the cheapest: in September 2022, U-Boat Worx announced series production of the NEMO with a 40% price cut, to €545,000 for the one-seat NEMO 1 and €590,000 for the two-seat NEMO 2. New Atlas converted that to about US$553,000 and US$599,000, and said the NEMO 2 had started at €975,000.
At the top end the numbers climb fast. New Atlas wrote in March 2026 that U-Boat Worx "doesn't list Super Sub pricing", but that reports from the 2023 Monaco Yacht Show put the base price at €5.2 million, about US$6 million. For Triton, Wikipedia gives a range of US$5 million to $40 million across its models. An older report from 2012 put the 3300/3 at about US$3 million, which suggests prices have moved a lot since.
| Model | Seats | Depth | Price reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-Boat Worx NEMO 1 | 1 | 100 m (330 ft) | €545,000 (Sept. 2022) |
| U-Boat Worx NEMO 2 | 2 | 100 m (330 ft) | €590,000 (Sept. 2022) |
| U-Boat Worx C-Explorer 5 | Pilot + 4 | 200 m (650 ft) | Not published |
| U-Boat Worx Super Sub | Pilot + 2 | 300 m (1,000 ft) | About €5.2 million (press, since 2023) |
| Triton 660/2 | Pilot + 1 | 200 m (660 ft) | Not published |
| Triton 3300/3 | Pilot + 2 | 1,000 m (3,300 ft) | About US$3 million (2012 report) |
| Triton 3300/6 | Pilot + up to 5 | 1,000 m (3,300 ft) | Not published |
| Triton 36000/2 | Pilot + 1 | 11,000 m (36,000 ft) | Not published |
Personal submarines compared. Depth and seats are from the makers' pages; prices are press reports unless stated, and Triton publishes none.
One caution on the NEMO figures: they are from 2022, the press release does not say whether VAT is included, and I could not find a newer price on the U-Boat Worx site. Ask the maker for a current quote before you plan anything around them.
What do you get for the money?
Depth and comfort, mostly, not speed. New Atlas lists the NEMO at up to 3 knots (5.6 km/h) and up to eight hours of operation, inside an air-conditioned acrylic bubble. U-Boat Worx lists the C-Explorer at 3 knots as well, with up to 16 hours of dive time. A walking pace is the point: you are there to look.
The Super Sub is the exception. U-Boat Worx gives it up to 10 knots, a 62 kWh battery and up to eight hours of endurance, and New Atlas reports a 9-knot top speed (16.7 km/h), three times what the NEMO and Triton's subs manage. It is also a big machine: about 6.5 m long and 9,000 kg, against 2,500 kg for the NEMO. Triton's models go deeper still: its 3300/3 and 3300/6 are rated to 1,000 m, and the 36000/2 to 11,000 m.
What else comes with owning one?
A place to keep it and a way to launch it. Triton says owners of superyachts of 60 feet and up typically choose its leisure subs, and that it helps design a safe area to store, operate and maintain the sub on the yacht, in line with DNV classification rules. The sub prices above do not include the vessel that carries it. U-Boat Worx's site also points to a pilot training center in Curaçao. Without a ship or a dock set up for it, the price of the sub is only one line of the budget, and I would ask both makers what a complete setup looks like before comparing numbers.
Are personal submarines certified?
The makers say yes, and both point to a classification society, an independent body that checks a design against published rules. U-Boat Worx says its submersibles are all certified by DNV, and its Super Sub page says the 96 hours of emergency life support is mandatory under DNV rules. New Atlas also reports full DNV safety approval for the Super Sub. Triton says its 36000/2 was checked by a third-party classification society and that no other full-ocean-depth submersible has ever been certified, though that page does not name the society in its text.
These are the makers' own statements, and I did not see the certificates. My read: before the price, ask to see the class certificate for the exact model and year you are considering.
Who actually buys them?
Triton describes three groups: superyacht owners for the leisure models, cruise and tour operators for the larger commercial subs such as the 660/9 AVA that carries up to nine adults, and filmmakers, scientists and researchers for the professional models. U-Boat Worx counts 60-plus subs in operation, per trade press cited by Wikipedia. Its 2022 press release set a goal of 1,000 in operation by 2030, which is a target, not a count. At the small volumes both companies report, I would not expect a used-market or a rental scene like the one around boats to be big.
Frequently asked questions
Can a private person buy a personal submarine?
Yes. U-Boat Worx and Triton Submarines both sell personal submersibles to private buyers, mostly owners of large yachts. Neither company publishes prices on its website, so you have to ask for a quote.
How much does the cheapest personal submarine cost?
The lowest reported price I found is €545,000 for the single-seat U-Boat Worx NEMO 1, announced in September 2022 (about US$553,000 per New Atlas). The press release did not say whether VAT is included, and I could not confirm a newer price.
How much does the U-Boat Worx Super Sub cost?
U-Boat Worx does not list a price. Press reports since the 2023 Monaco Yacht Show put the base price at about €5.2 million, roughly US$6 million according to New Atlas in March 2026.
How much does a Triton submarine cost?
Triton does not publish prices. Wikipedia says its submersibles cost between US$5 million and $40 million, and a 2012 report put the 3300/3 at about US$3 million.
How deep can a personal submarine go?
It depends on the model: 100 m for the U-Boat Worx NEMO, 300 m for its Super Sub, 1,000 m for the Triton 3300/3 and 3300/6, and 11,000 m for the Triton 36000/2.
How fast is a personal submarine?
Slowly. New Atlas lists the NEMO at up to 3 knots (5.6 km/h). The U-Boat Worx Super Sub is the fast one: the maker says up to 10 knots, and New Atlas reports 9 knots (16.7 km/h).
Are personal submarines certified?
U-Boat Worx says its submersibles are all certified by DNV, a classification society. Triton refers to DNV classification rules for hosting its subs on yachts and says its 36000/2 was reviewed by a third-party classification society.
Sources
- U-Boat Worx: models, depth, seats and specs, read Nov. 3, 2026
- U-Boat Worx: Super Sub, read Nov. 3, 2026
- U-Boat Worx: NEMO series production and price press release (Sept. 12, 2022)
- New Atlas: NEMO personal submarine price cut (Sept. 9, 2022)
- New Atlas: Triple-speed personal submarine, the Super Sub (Mar. 21, 2026)
- Triton Submarines: leisure submersibles, models and specs, read Nov. 3, 2026
- Triton Submarines: 36000/2 full ocean depth, read Nov. 3, 2026
- Yachts International: Channeling Nemo, on the Triton 3300/3 (Feb. 27, 2012)
- Wikipedia: Triton Submarines, read Nov. 3, 2026
- Wikipedia: U-Boat Worx, read Nov. 3, 2026
Founder and editor, Novaverum
I write Novaverum to separate the technology you can really buy from the demos, concepts and viral fakes, starting from what the companies, regulators and engineers publish. Every article lists its sources at the end.
