Queensland, Australia in partnership with Uber, has launched the world’s first rideshare submarine experience on the Great Barrier Reef.
This new form of travel gives riders an unfiltered lens to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, a playground rich in marine life offering remarkable underwater experiences. “How excited are we today to have a world first on the world’s largest and most beautiful reef,” said Kate Jones, Tourism Industry Development Minister for Queensland.
“We all know that you can see the Great Barrier Reef from space. But now, you’ll be able to see the Great Barrier Reef from the world’s very first rideshare submarine.”
Dr David Wachenfeld, Chief Scientist for the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the first person to experience scUber, captured the heart of curious bystanders when he described scUber as a cross between two Hollywood icons. “We were hovering over the bottom looking down and … you get to see the big stuff and you get to see the little stuff. And, it really is bizarre … like a cross between Nemo and a Bond movie.”
Queensland and Uber have teamed up to deliver this exclusive experience, in a landmark partnership to showcase the reef. Passengers will get 180-degree views of the underwater icon and taken to depths of up to 30 metres, without even needing a scuba mask.
The rideshare experience will be available at the touch of a button, costing AUD$3000 for two passengers. “Having this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to access a submarine typically only available to the ultrarich is a world changing experience,” said Uber Australia and NZ General Manager, Susan Anderson.
Riders can book the underwater adventure through the Uber app.
Uber will be donating $100,000 to Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef to help support conservation initiatives on the Great Barrier Reef, and will match the equivalent value generated from every scUber ride taken.
Heron Island is a small coral cay, based at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, that has captured the hearts of David Attenborough and Jacques Cousteau.
Greater than 69 million football fields in size, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef with an extraordinary range of habitats and species. It has more than 600 different types of coral, 1625 species of fish and more than 1000 Islands, making it one of the most complex natural systems on earth.
