It’s set to be all systems go for the maiden dive off Mooloolaba for Australia’s first hybrid tourist submarine.
And our tourism boss can’t wait.
Down Under Submarines founder and owner Andrey Alexeenko (pictured) said the launch date for the first paying passengers on SUBCAT-30, affectionately nicknamed the Sunshine Coast’s “yellow submarine”, had been pushed back slightly due to delays in formal documentation for the crew.
“Delays with taking paying passengers on board have been caused by complying with three different authorities: Vanuatu Flag Documentation (all the SUBCAT-30 crew must have endorsement by the Flag), American Bureau of Shipping (surveying authority) and local Australian Maritime Safety Authority,” Mr Alexeenko said.
“Currently, while our crew is getting the endorsement, we can take only non-paying passengers on board and perform the training exercises.
“All formal documentation for the crew must be presented to AMSA, which will access the crew preparedness before we can take passengers.”
He is expecting smooth sailing towards christening the region’s latest multimillion-dollar tourist attraction after November 20, with some days in December already fully booked.
Excitement is certainly building in tourism circles.
Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel said Down Under Submarines was a massive coup for Sunshine Coast tourism.
“The submarine is one of a kind and will be a really unique selling point for Sunshine Coast tourism,” he said.
“The experience will allow visitors to see our region from a whole new perspective, and I’m sure visitors and locals alike – myself included – will be really keen to book a tour when it launches.
“As our region opens up to the rest of Australia and indeed the world, it is more important than ever that we have fresh new product that helps set us apart as a destination, and Down Under Submarines does just that.”
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The SUBCAT lays claim to being the only passenger vessel in the world that is a hybrid submersible: travelling on the surface of the water like a normal sea vessel but also able to dive like a submarine when it arrives in the diving area.
The 65-tonne vessel, which is 19.5m long and 6m wide, travels at a leisurely pace – an average 8 nautical miles an hour.
The yellow submarine can carry up to 27 passengers, two highly-trained tourist submarine pilots and a customer service host on each dive tour.
Based at the De Brett Seafood wharf on Mooloolaba Spit, the sub will bring passengers closer than ever before to the wonders of Mudjimba (Old Woman) Island on its dive tours that last about two hours.
Guests will take in the sights as they leave the Mooloolah River and Mooloolaba Spit behind, pass by the Point Cartwright lighthouse and water tower and look back on Mooloolaba Beach before an exhilarating cruise on the waters of the Coral Sea, with views of the coastline, before heading closer to the whale-shaped island.
But heading “down under” is what the tourist submarine is all about, creating memories to last a lifetime.
The dive, lasting 30 to 35 minutes, will take place at the southwest wind-protected side of the island, to a depth of 15m.
Mr Alexeenko said prospective dive trials at the Ex-HMAS Brisbane were being considered by Tourism Queensland.
He said SUBCAT-30 had ventured offshore again on Monday, November 8, for training exercises with the Mooloolaba Coast Guard.
Scuba diving and testing of the mini-sub (ROV) also had been undertaken in order to ensure the best experience for customers.
