Feadship has launched the 69-metre Samaya, a custom superyacht designed for luxurious diving expeditions around the world.
Samaya took three years to be developed, with Asian broker Lee Marine introducing the client to Feadship during the 2014 Monaco Yacht Show. Bas Nederpelt, director at Feadship, adds that the letter of intent was signed within three days of the introduction and the project later grew in length by around five metres.
Exterior styling and naval architecture are by De Voogt, while British design studio RWD developed the interior spaces, which total around 1,600 gross tonnes.
The owner of Samaya was involved throughout the project. His ultimate goal is to explore the underwater world in safety and comfort while contributing towards the conservation of the oceans and the wonderful but vulnerable species contained within, so the brief called for a yacht capable of remaining autonomous for long periods while exploring uncharted areas.
The overall exterior profile is inspired by the primary purpose of Samaya, Feadship De Voogt designer Jan Schaffers explains. “The owner shared stories about diving adventures as we studied shapes together to discover what it is that makes these underwater creatures so fascinating. Our conclusions were included in the design. A good example is the gentle yet powerful muscular shape of the side bulwarks, which echo the pronounced slender muscles seen on a bull shark.”
The hull has been finished in a shade called lunar white, which will reveal hints of a warm pink hue at sunset. Meanwhile, the teal waterline stripe is inspired by a rare tropical fish that the owner once encountered on a diving excursion.
Samaya’s outdoor facilities include an amazing sun deck, which offers a range of dining and relaxation areas. Large enough to become a true party deck, it also contains intimate features such as the two comfortable ‘top of the world’ resting beds nestled against the mast arch.
The dive centre is obviously the most impressive feature of the yacht, which have been developed in order to serve as diving expedition base. Located on the main deck aft, the flat-bottomed plunge pool will be filled with hot water to speed up post-dive recovery from the coldness of the depths. In a similar vein, all luxury areas on the yacht can be heated up to 30 °C rather than the normal 25 °C mark. The area is styled with teal coloured floor, bespoke layout and nitrox-enriched air system. The European client’s love of diving and desire to protect rare underwater species is further reflected in the manta ray symbol built into the superstructure of Samaya.
Samaya’s interior showcases the owner’s affection for a variety of international cultures. The guest suites have been designed for and by the owner’s children, with highly distinctive colour schemes and furnishing of their own. Another bespoke area is the ethnic lounge on the bridge deck where friends and family can spend time watching their newly recorded diving movies.
Accommodation is for up to 12 guests split across six staterooms, including an owner’s suite, four guest staterooms and a VIP suite. The crew quarters allow for a staff of up to 16 people.
Samaya offers a fully-stocked foredeck garage, housing two tenders (one 7.2-metre and the other 8.8-metre long) and plenty of water toys.
Power comes from a pair of CAT 3512C engines that allow for a top speed of 16.4 knots and a maximum range of 5,000 nautical miles drawing on a total fuel capacity of 160,000 litres.