Tourist Footage Captures China’s Most Advanced Type 093B Nuclear Submarine Off Hainan Coast

Video footage of China’s most advanced nuclear submarine sailing close to the crowded tourist beaches in Hainan has gained significant views on social media since Chinese naval and military assets are usually not seen in public.

The footage was recorded recently by a Russian tourist in Yalong Bay near Sanya.

It showed a submarine, widely labelled online as China’s Type 093B nuclear-powered attack submarine, moving toward Yulin Naval Base’s harbour facilities.

The public appearance of the surfaced submarine drew massive attention since it is a transitional platform before Beijing introduced the Type 095 class.

The submarine was seen transiting extremely close to recreational waters with swimmers, civilian boats, and beachgoers visible in the same frame.

The Chinese government has not commented on this video circulating online, and no international media has verified the submarine’s identity, but according to open source analysts, it was the Type 093B.

This incident has also led to wider discussions among naval and defence experts about China’s maturing nuclear submarine operations, underwater tests and missions and the expanding South China Sea infrastructure.

The Yulin Naval Base is a key undersea facility in China’s military inventory and functions as a cornerstone for its naval operations in the Western Pacific.

The submarine reportedly showed features resembling the newer Shang-class, though the distance and quality of the images prevent definitive identification of its pump-jet configuration, sail geometry, or missile-launch systems.