A bold venture to operate Australia’s first tourist submarine in Sunshine Coast waters seems to have been sunk, leaving a trail of unhappy customers in its wake.
Mooloolaba tourist operators were buoyed by the thought of what business DownUnder Submarines might bring post-pandemic with its SUBCAT-30, dubbed the ‘yellow submarine’ after the Beatles song.
DownUnder Submarines burst on to the Sunshine Coast tourism scene in 2021 when company founder and former Russian track and field athlete Andrey Alexeenko told Sunshine Coast News about his dream to base his $3 million sub in Mooloolaba after it had undergone a $2 million refit to be tourist-ready.
The SUBCAT-30 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.
For its maiden commercial voyage from its base at De Brett Seafood Wharf at Mooloolaba on Christmas Day 2021, the sub welcomed its first 16 paying passengers.
Mr Alexeenko was relieved to see his long-held dream come to fruition, with the final milestone on the journey reached.
But it has been less than smooth sailing since then.
Pandemic pressures and regulations were still making their presence felt in early 2022, affecting staff and booking numbers.
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Unseasonably bad weather conspired against DownUnder Submarines, along with other cruise companies along the east coast, resulting in cancelled tours.
But communication breakdowns and inability to contact the company by phone and email frustrated customers who were attempting to reschedule after the company cancelled their tours – sometimes on multiple occasions.
Sunshine Coast News tried to contact Mr Alexeenko by phone and email but did not receive a response.
While the DownUnder Submarines website is still operating, an error message has popped up since late last year when any attempt is made to book tickets or buy gift vouchers: “This business is currently not accepting any online bookings.”
A De Brett Fisheries spokesperson said DownUnder Submarines had moved the SUBCAT-30 from the Parkyn Parade wharf base.
“They moved their operation late last year. They’re not here,” the spokesperson said.
“I believe out of country – somewhere overseas – but I’m not entirely sure.”
Google Reviews ranging from a month to a year ago indicate one customer only learned about her tour cancellation after arriving at the wharf, many wanted their money back and others vented anger over refunds taking too long or that they were yet to be credited.
Mr Alexeenko personally responded to many of the complaints, including explaining that a third-party eCommerce company was responsible for managing the refunds.
One gift voucher-buyer, Jessica Boyle, is still angry at losing hundreds of dollars, saying “there’s a lot of people in the same boat as me”.
She contacted Sunshine Coast News in an effort to secure a refund, after being unable to book the dive experience online at a suitable time, despite many attempts.
She paid $460 (including discount) through the website on October 19, 2021, for what were to be Christmas presents for her parents and husband that year.
“(The dive experience) was the first in Australia,” the mother-of-two said.
“There was a bit of media hype about it and we wanted them (her parents) to experience that.
“They were super-excited. They live on the Gold Coast and we live in Brisbane. We were going to make a weekend of it, stay up there and do the tour.”
But her attempts to book the much-anticipated tour at suitable times proved fruitless. A refund seemed her only option.
“I made the purchase on a credit card and then that credit card had expired – it’s been almost two years,” Ms Boyle said.
“I asked, ‘Can you refund another card or do a transfer?’.
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“They (DownUnder Submarines) said: ‘We only initiate refunds by our bookings page but the actual refunds are managed by our eCommerce partner, similar to a bank.’
“Then I wrote back to them and said, ‘OK, well then let’s process it through them.’
“They never got back to me. Then I wrote to them probably five or six times. And that’s when I went to the Office of Fair Trading.”
The Office of Fair Trading contacted DownUnder Submarines on her behalf.
The company responded, saying it could process a refund or honour the gift vouchers over the next school holidays.
Ms Boyle said that by that time, she simply wanted a refund. She is still waiting.
“They just never responded. That was the last email I got from them. That was in September 2022 – six months,” she said.
While some customers appear to have been issued a refund, others such as Ms Boyle remain out of pocket and are considering their next steps.
“It’s infuriating, especially with the Office of Fair Trading, too,” she said.
“They basically said, ‘Look, it’s clearly unfair but we cannot force somebody to give you a refund. You’re going to have to go to Queensland Civil Administrative Tribunal now and make a small claim’.”
Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoekel said water-based activities were hugely popular on the Sunshine Coast and “we are fortunate to have well-established operators offering a range of services from swimming with whales to Indigenous-themed river cruises”.
“Our beaches and waterways are used for a whole range of tourism activities and events, and we look forward to attracting new operators who can deliver innovative and attractive water-based attractions,” he said.
Tickets cost adults $253 and children $143 for the 90-minute submarine dive experience (surface travel time up to 25 minutes each way, with a minimum dive time of about 35 minutes). The cost included a safety briefing, commentary and viewports to the marine life.
The hour-long cruise along the coastline off Mooloolaba (Mooloolah River in inclement weather) cost adults $55 and children $33, including tour instructions and commentary to experience the setting of the submarine, without actually diving, from seats on the outdoor deck.
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