Uber launches Great Barrier Reef submarine experience

It will be the world's first ridesharing submarine

The scUber experience will take passengers around the Great Barrier Reef. Tourism and Events Queensland

The experience will only be available for a limited period of time. Tourism and Events Queensland

The pod will be the world's first rideshare submarine. Tourism and Events Queensland

The experience will start at Queensland's Heron Island. Tourism and Events Queensland

Passengers will be able to book the submarine experience through the Uber app. Tourism and Events Queensland

As well as the submarine experience, passengers will also get a return helicopter ride included in the price. Tourism and Events Queensland

Here in the UAE, we might have Uber choppers, but we are not the only country with an unusual ride offering.

In Australia, the taxi app has launched scUber, the world’s first rideshare submarine experience offering passengers the chance to explore the Great Barrier Reef.

The experience promises customers an unfiltered lens to one of the world’s greatest natural attractions, which boasts some of the richest marine life on the planet.

From May 27, scUber will be available for a limited number of people to request through the Uber app, allowing passengers to immerse themselves without the need for a snorkeling mask or a diving license.

The experience is a joint partnership with Tourism and Events Queensland. “In late 2018, consumer research identified that exploring the Great Barrier Reef in a submarine was the most desired future travel experience sought by visitors,” says chief executive officer Leanne Coddington. “scUber makes this wish a reality and reaffirms Queensland tourism's commitment to providing locals and visitors alike with truly remarkable ways to explore nature's wonderland.”

The scUber experience will be available starting on Heron Island, off the coast of Gladstone in the Southern Great Barrier Reef region from May 27, before moving to Agincourt Reef off the coast of Port Douglas in Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef region from June 9.

A scUber ride costs AUD$3,000 (Dh7,623) for two, including a return scenic helicopter ride to either Heron Island or the Quicksilver Cruises pontoon off the coast of Port Douglas. The scUber trip will last for one hour.

Uber has partnered with the Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, working to protect and conserve the natural ecosystem.

“At Uber, we believe good things happen when people move - whether that's by getting people from A to B in their city, or by making dreams come true experiencing the world's greatest natural wonder, the Great Barrier Reef,” says Susan Anderson, regional general manager of Uber, Australia and New Zealand.

“We're looking forward to seeing how visitors to the Great Barrier Reef embrace this new form of movement and become advocates of the Reef for years to come.”