The Nekton Pilot utilizes Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull (SWATH) technology to provide you with the smoothest ride
on your vacation.
Why is a SWATH vessel so stable? The key is the two
submarine pontoons (pictured above) that can ride completely submerged beneath the surface
of the water (unlike a catamaran where the pontoons only ride on the surface of the
water.)
As a diver, you realize that even on a rough day, the water is calmer just a few feet
below the choppy surface - that's precisely where the pontoons which provide the buoyancy
for a SWATH are located - hence the submerged
pontoons act as stabilizers giving you the feeling you're on a vessel more than eight
times its size!
The Nekton Pilot is the 32nd SWATH
in the world and the only SWATH designed and
engineered from the ground up specifically for scuba divers. The Nekton Pilot
measures 78 feet (25 meters) long and 40 feet (12 meters) wide.
Propulsion is provided by two large diesel engines located down aft in the pontoons thus
isolating the guest area from noise and vibration and providing for more space. Electrical
power is provided by redundant diesel auxiliary engines.
Ballast tanks in the pontoons can
be flooded with seawater and pumped out by huge pumps in very short notice. Ballasting up
(catamaran mode) allows for shallow water harborage (6 feet / 1.8 meters) and maximum
speed. Ballasting down (SWATH mode) provides for
maximum stability.
The entire dive platform raises and lowers via hydraulic lifts.
The Nekton Pilot has modern instrumentation and communications including an
Inmarsat gyro-stabilized satellite station with voice, fax and Internet access; dual GPS navigation;
RADAR; real-time weather data; EPIRB; high-seas SSB short-wave and VHF radios; and
cellular telephone.
The Nekton Pilot also has an onboard Pentium class PC with USB, SCSI Zip Drive, Nikon
Super Coolscan 2000 hi-res 35mm slide scanner, and Color printer. Internet Email
connectivity is possible via satellite.
This PC is also capable of uploading dive computer logs via RS-232 interfaces.
Telephone via calls via satellite can
be placed anytime while onboard via pre-paid satellite calling cards which can be purchased
onboard.
