Personal subs launched

The world's first personal submarines have been launched with a price tag of £65,000.

Dutch designers claim the subs will make owners feel like they are "flying through the water".

The one-seater version is 9ft long, and the 11ft model seats two. Owners who really want to impress can get go-faster stripes and custom paint jobs. The tiny C-Quester can dive to 50 metres and cruise beneath the waves at up to four knots using electric-propelled thrusters.

It can stay underwater for two-and-ahalf hours straight or 36 hours in the event of an emergency.

The vessel's high-strength pressure hull allows the pilot to submerge in a totally dry cockpit and surface straight from the maximum depth without risk of decompression problems.

Makers U-Boat Worx, which took three years to perfect the subs, said: "Never before has it been possible for the public to explore the underwater world with a one-atmosphere submarine." But budding Jacques Cousteaus will need to get an underwater pilot's license before they get behind the wheel.