A 12-hour trip by sea from Brisbane to Mooloolaba will be the next big step in the journey of the Sunshine Coast’s new “yellow submarine” tourist attraction.
Australia’s first tourist submarine – the $3 million SUBCAT-30 – has undergone a $2million refit to be tourist-ready for our waters and is expected to arrive at its new home, based at DeBrett’s Seafoods on Mooloolaba Spit, within weeks.
DownUnder Submarines founder Andrey Alexeenko said the SUBCAT-30, which would travel at a relatively slow speed of 8 nautical miles per hour, was set to make the slow but steady voyage to relocate from its current base on the Brisbane River to the Mooloolah River in the middle of August.
The SUBCAT lays claim to being the only passenger vessel in the world that is a hybrid submersible: able to travel on the surface of the water like a normal vessel but also able to dive like a submarine when it arrives in the diving area.
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A sister submersible will begin its operations in Indonesia at the end of this year.
“We are progressing well,” Mr Alexeenko said.
“This week we were completing sea trials.
“Trials were held in the Brisbane River to test that all systems are working together, which is particularly important after a long period of inactivity. Any required adjustments have been made and confirmed by our surveyor.
“Preparing for trials, we have had to take the SUBCAT out of the water for hull cleaning and inspection.
“Also, we have charged our ballast air. Now SUBCAT is ready to dive.”
Mr Alexeenko said he would be making arrangements about where to locate containers and berthing for the SUBCAT, as well as the office. The containers will be on-site soon.
He said crew training was continuing and had entered a crucial, more practical stage as the SUBCAT, measuring 19.5m long and 6m wide, prepared for partial submerging over the next couple of weeks.
“Our current pilots in training hold a Master Unlimited Australian qualification which is a requirement for the foreign-flagged ships (the SUBCAT will operate under a Spanish flag).
“It means they have more experience in managing big ships, not a small submarine.
“They have to relearn and adjust to our vessel which is a major challenge for local ship masters due to a big-ship mentality. Being in training right now does not guarantee they will be allowed to act independently.
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“On the other hand, our Spanish pilot arriving in a few days has more experience with smaller vessels.
“Eventually, the best capable personnel will be allowed to navigate SUBCAT independently, while developing crew members will continue to operate under supervision until a necessary degree of skills is acquired.”
Mr Alexeenko remains confident underwater tours will be introduced from September for Coast residents and visitors, after further data collection, safety drills with the Mooloolaba Coast Guard.
Once fully operational, the SUBCAT, which can descend to 30m, will host tours in the waters off Mooloolaba and around partially wind-protected Old Woman (Mudjimba) Island, bringing passengers up close with corals, reef life and marine creatures.
Tours aboard the 65-tonne SUBCAT will last an hour-and-40 minutes for a total of 27 passengers, under the guidance of two highly-trained tourist submarine pilots and a customer service host. Mr Alexeenko hopes one day to include tours to the ex-HMAS Brisbane wreck.
The 14 viewports – each with a video monitor providing a real-time view from four cameras installed on the exterior of the vessel – will offer unobstructed views of the colourful underwater world.
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Its unique feature was a cabin (pressure hull) above the water, which Mr Alexeenko said allowed passengers to see what was happening on the surface before and during a dive. At the dive site, they also could see the breaking water on the dive and re-floating.
A support vessel will operate alongside the tourist submarine for communication above water, to give resurfacing permission and to monitor changing weather conditions for the sub.
Bookings are now available for the first Mooloolaba one-hour above-surface cruises and the Mudjimba Island dives at www.downundersubmarines.com
