Imagine cruising beneath the water in a car, watching the scenery pass by without having to hold your breath. That's the idea behind Sub Sea Systems' Aquaticar, a two-seat underwater vehicle that moves along a submerged track using a stream of air bubbles for propulsion. Riders sit inside a sealed canopy that keeps their heads and shoulders dry, while the lower half of the vehicle travels underwater.
The attraction is already operating at AquArabia Water Theme Park in Saudi Arabia, which opened in April. Each ride lasts around six minutes, and a standard setup can carry up to 300 guests an hour. The bubbles pushing the vehicle along also supply air to the canopy, so passengers can breathe normally throughout the journey.
It's an unusual way to turn underwater scenery into a theme park ride, without asking visitors to swim or get their faces wet. For parks, the Aquaticar offers a repeatable attraction that can take large numbers of guests beneath the surface.
Image Credit: Sub Sea Systems
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Dry Underwater Experiences
- Sealed-canopy aquatic rides make underwater environments accessible to non-swimmers, creating new possibilities for immersive attractions without full-body submersion.
- Bubble-powered Mobility
- Air-bubble propulsion introduces a low-speed, visually engaging transport method that blends ride mechanics with environmental spectacle.
- Submerged Track Attractions
- Guided underwater vehicle systems offer theme parks a scalable format for controlled, high-throughput aquatic storytelling.
Where This Applies
- Theme Parks
- Destination parks can expand beyond slides and pools with novel ride formats that turn underwater settings into premium guest experiences.
- Water Parks
- Aquatic venues gain a differentiated attraction model that appeals to families seeking immersive water-based entertainment without swimming requirements.
- Experiential Tourism
- Resort and leisure operators benefit from underwater mobility concepts that transform marine scenery into accessible, memorable excursions.
