If you are going to kick out $35 million for a superyacht at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show that runs Thursday through Monday, what's another $2 million for a two-passenger submarine on the deck?

Triton Submarines will display a small, lightweight submersible designed and built exclusively for private yachts in the Superyacht Tent, booths 740-754, at Bahia Mar Yachting Center. The sub successfully dived 1,000 feet off Bimini in the Bahamas last month, with a surveyor from the American Bureau of Shipping on board.

``There was really nothing down there . . . very sandy bottom, one fish,'' said the surveyor, who refused to give his name because he's not authorized to speak to reporters. ``Everything functioned correctly on the sub. We tested all the thrusters, the lights, survival systems, gauges, ballast system, communications with the surface. Everything worked very well.''

Civilian submersibles are nothing new; they have been used as a tourist attraction in the Cayman Islands and elsewhere for years. But Triton Submarines CEO Bruce Jones said his vessel is unique for several reasons: it can be easily deployed by a crane on the deck of a yacht 100 feet or longer; it is safe and stable to board from a small tender in the water; and it provides 360-degree visibility through an acrylic sphere surrounding the passenger compartment.

A REAL DEEP DIVER

It also goes really deep, and two more models the company is working on are expected to go even deeper -- to 3,000 feet.

``This has better viewing than anything,'' Jones said.

After the sub passed ABS inspection, Jones invited members of the media and potential buyers to take rides to 200 feet deep along the Bimini Wall. With company president Patrick Lahey at the controls, passengers got close-up views of fish, coral and sponges that few would have been able to observe on scuba gear. Light from the surface was visible at depth, but to intensify the reef's colors, Lahey turned on the headlights. Instead of being scared, a couple of queen angelfish meandered closer for a look.

The sub, weighing 6,600 pounds, had been quickly deployed by a crane on the deck of the 225-foot Allure Shadow. Crew members ferried passengers out to board it using a personal watercraft. The rider had to step from the jet ski onto the 10-by-9-foot catamaran hull and climb down into the passenger compartment through a hatch.

``There's a lot of freeboard,'' Jones said. ``It's very stable on the surface. You're not going to have a wave break over the hatch. Some subs, you can't open the hatch because it'll sink.''

More than a dozen people took joyrides with Lahey over a couple of days with no mishaps.

The sub's top speed is about three knots for unhurried sightseeing. It was so maneuverable with joystick controls that Lahey could creep to within four feet of the Bimini Wall without striking it. There was no scary-elevator-ride feel as Lahey slowly descended from the surface to 200 feet. An underwater tracking system enabled the support crew on the yacht to follow the sub's progress and allowed Lahey to navigate after the earthbound GPS signal was lost. The yacht and the sub had radio communication.

RESEARCH TOOL

Grant Gilmore, a prominent ocean scientist from Vero Beach, was impressed that the vessel was equipped with a claw arm for sampling marine life. A veteran of 350 scientific research sub dives, Gilmore has discovered 100 new species of fish -- all captured with subs.

``This particular sub is maneuverable and it can move faster than the subs I've been in before,'' Gilmore said, then joked, ``I wanted to take Patrick out and take over the sub.''

Jones said whoever buys a sub gets two weeks of intensive training with Lahey, plus 24/7 customer care during design and installation. And, as a special bonus, he will even throw in a ``secret'' list of the world's best deep-diving spots.

Captain Nemo never had it this good.

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