Triton Submarines is an American company that designs and manufactures submersibles for research, filming, deep-ocean exploration, and the superyacht and high-end tourism sectors.
Triton is a bespoke manufacturer and, as of August 2023, fewer than twenty-five submersibles have been delivered since the company's founding.
Limiting Factor, known as Bakunawa since its sale in 2022, and designated Triton 36000/2 by its manufacturer, is a crewed deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) manufactured by Triton Submarines, built for and originally owned and operated (2018–2022) by explorer Victor Vescovo's ocean research firm, Caladan Oceanic, and currently owned and operated by Gabe Newell's Inkfish ocean-exploration research organization. It currently holds the records for the deepest crewed dives in all five oceans. Limiting Factor was commissioned by Victor Vescovo for $37 million and operated by his marine research organization, Caladan Oceanic, between 2018 and 2022. It is commercially certified by DNV for dives to full ocean depth, and is operated by a pilot, with facilities for an observer.
The vessel was used in the Five Deeps Expedition, becoming the first crewed submersible to reach the deepest point in all five oceans. Over 21 people have visited Challenger Deep, the deepest area on Earth, in the DSV. Limiting Factor was used to identify the wrecks of the destroyers USS Johnston at a depth of 6,469 m (21,224 ft), and USS Samuel B. Roberts at 6,865 m (22,523 ft), in the Philippine Trench, the deepest dives on wrecks. It has also been used for dives to the French submarine Minerve (S647) at about 2,350 m (7,710 ft) in the Mediterranean sea, and RMS Titanic at about 3,800 m (12,500 ft) in the Atlantic.