NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Virgin unveiled the latest addition to Richard Branson's luxury fleet on Friday: an underwater plane that will fly riders into the depths of the Caribbean Sea.
Guests on Necker Island, a retreat in the British Virgin Islands, will be able to dive underwater in a submarine dubbed the Necker Nymph for $25,000 a week. But that's only after shelling out around $300,000 for a one-week stay on Necker, the private island owned by billionaire and Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson.
Beginning on Feb. 20, two riders and a pilot will be able to take the plunge from land or from a boat. The underwater plane uses the downward pressure on its wings to fly through the water for up to two hours at a time, while an open cockpit will give riders a 360-degree view.
The Necker Nymph's typical speed is 2 to 5 nautical miles per hour and it can dive more than 100 feet, said Karen Hawkes, a spokeswoman for Hawkes Ocean Technologies, the company that designed the Nymph.
A statement released Friday by Virgin Limited Edition, the luxury arm of Virgin Hotels, described the Nymph's launch like a plane's takeoff. "Gliding on the water's surface like an aeroplane on a runway, one of the three pilots will operate the joystick to smoothly dive down."
Vacationers will be able to fly the Necker Nymph while chartering the Necker Belle, Branson's 105-foot yacht, or the submarine can be launched from shore. Necker Belle is rented out to guests for $88,000 a week, bringing the full Necker Island experience to more than $400,000 per week.
Riders must follow SCUBA procedures and be trained or accompanied by a certified pilot before entering the underwater plane. SCUBA tanks are mounted in the submarine and passengers must wear masks while underwater, said Hawkes.
The Necker Nymph claims "near-zero" environmental impact because its "positive buoyancy prevents the sub from landing on a reef, and its low light and noise emissions ensure the fragile ocean ecosystems remain undisturbed," Virgin said. 
| Index | Last | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dow | 15,237.50 | -69.67 | -0.46% |
| Nasdaq | 3,446.75 | -16.55 | -0.48% |
| S&P 500 | 1,644.17 | -11.18 | -0.68% |
| Treasuries | 2.00 | -0.03 | -1.48% |
| Company | Price | Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Corp... | 13.00 | -0.32 | -2.37% |
| Hewlett-Packard Co | 23.72 | 2.49 | 11.73% |
| Ford Motor Co | 14.63 | -0.34 | -2.27% |
| Microsoft Corp | 34.02 | -0.59 | -1.69% |
| Citigroup Inc | 49.58 | -1.42 | -2.78% |
|
J.P. Morgan Chase's Jamie Dimon made $18.7 million last year, putting him fourth on the list of highest-paid chiefs in banking. Which CEOs made even more? More |
A 7-month rally came to an abrupt halt as Fed comments, weak China data rattled investors. More |
Fortune goes behind Amazons tax war. More |
By the time a startup is five months old, it's already been the target of hundreds of spam messages. More |
The tornado that struck the Moore, Okla., area Monday afternoon left an almost 2-mile wide path of destruction, flattening homes and businesses and taking at least 24 lives. More |
.
