From Superyacht to Dive Ship — Inside Draak’s Remarkable Rebuild

Where guests once relaxed in a beach club and spa, divers now prepare for underwater exploration beside a six person decompression chamber. Above them, powerful cranes handle a fleet of tenders, while guests and crew gather around the same dining tables.

Draak’s transformation reaches into almost every aspect of life aboard. Previously known as Equanimity and Tranquility, the Oceanco delivered in 2014 has been extensively rebuilt to support scientific research and marine exploration within Gabe Newell’s Inkfish fleet.

Following her appearance at the Monaco Yacht Show alongside companion yacht Leviathan, the 92.9 metre yacht will be presented at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show from 28 October to 1 November 2026.

A New Mission for an Existing Yacht

Draak returned to Oceanco’s facilities in Zwijndrecht with a brief that required substantial changes to her structure, equipment and interior. Selected as a companion to Leviathan, she needed to expand the fleet’s exploration capabilities while allowing the two vessels to operate together.

Oceanco’s Life Cycle Support and Design teams drew on the yacht’s original engineering records, working with specialist suppliers, owner representatives YTMC, Y.CO and Inkfish, and the crews of both vessels.

Having the original builder involved brought detailed knowledge of the platform. Crew participation added the practical experience needed to make the changes work at sea, with decisions on layout, ergonomics, materials and working practices informed by those who would use them every day.

At the Table with Gabe Newell

For Newell, the community aboard is central to the project. His approach considers how the vessels can support the ambitions of their occupants, alongside their wellbeing and working lives.

“Leviathan and Draak represent the second generation of our thinking about the community onboard,” he says.

That philosophy has reshaped some of Draak’s principal spaces. The former main saloon is now a shared dining room where guests and crew eat together. Newell describes the communal mess as the heart of the vessel, with the energy of a good neighbourhood café or bar.

The upper deck saloon has become a Chef’s Lab, providing a setting for intimate meals, menu development and chef training. Vedder upgraded the interior for its new functions, while accommodation was adapted and expanded to include an owner’s stateroom and eight guest cabins.

Newell’s ambitions also extend to crew employment, with a programme intended to support professional development, wellbeing and family life over the longer term.

A Dive Centre Engineered to Fit

The conversion of the former beach club and spa into a fully equipped dive centre is among the rebuild’s defining achievements. Alongside diving equipment and a medical treatment room sits the first decompression chamber installed aboard an Oceanco yacht.

Developed with Hytech-Pommec, the six person chamber supports oxygen and Heliox decompression procedures through an integrated Built-In Breathing System. This equips Draak to support deeper diving activities for which oxygen-only decompression would be unsuitable.

Installing the chamber presented a considerable challenge. Rather than cut a new opening in the yacht’s structure, the team designed it to pass through the existing access route.

Its profile was lowered, and windows, pipework and other components were repositioned to suit the space. A dedicated rail system was then developed to manoeuvre the chamber aboard with only millimetres of clearance.

Controls, seating, upholstery and interior details were customised, alongside an entertainment system. The exterior preparation and paint finish also had to meet the standards of the surrounding yacht, requiring the specialist manufacturer to adapt its usual approach.

Making Room for the Exploration Fleet

Outside, Draak’s new role demanded a substantial tender handling area. The upper deck aft helideck was removed to create clearance over the main deck, where the yacht carries her dive boat Scylla, RIB tender Minotaur, a Nautique Paragon sports tender and two Ribeye SOLAS rescue tenders.

A 12.6 tonne Van Driel jib crane was installed on the upper deck aft, with an outreach of 11 metres. Below it, a bespoke davit system with twin 6.7 tonne units became the largest of its type produced by Van Driel.

Modular supports provide flexibility for containerised transport and compatibility across the fleet. The swim platform was extended to incorporate an extendable boarding platform and retractable fenders, increasing the yacht’s overall length by just over a metre.

These modifications give Draak the equipment and working space to launch, recover and transport the craft needed for her exploration programme.

A Second Life Built Around Exploration

Draak demonstrates the scope of Oceanco’s Life Cycle Support work, which ranges from maintenance and refits to complex rebuilds and lifetime extensions.

Here, original build knowledge has helped turn an established yacht into a vessel with a substantially different purpose. The changes are visible in her stern, her dive centre and her shared living spaces, each shaped by the same operational brief.

When Draak arrives in Fort Lauderdale, she will bring a clear example of how an existing superyacht can evolve around an owner’s ambitions, carrying the equipment to explore below the surface and a community equipped to make that exploration possible.