Forget about 'surge' pricing on an Uber ride – how about 'submarine' pricing? Hailing a 'ScUber' in Australia's Great Barrier Reef will get you a $3000 AUD charge to your Uber account – and it's worth every penny for the hour-long Uber ride of your life.
It's the first underwater ride share in the largest living organism on the planet, a partnership between Uber, and Tourism Queensland.
ScUber rides are available for a limited time directly through the Uber app, and cost $1500 AUD per person, with a minimum $3000 AUD for each hour-long ride. The fare includes an Uber pick up and drop off at your location, a scenic helicopter transfer to and from select cities in mainland Queensland, the Australian state that's the jumping-off point to the country's unparalleled Great Barrier Reef.
The ScUber ride is a completely immersive experience in the underwater home of 3,000 individual reefs, a thousand islands and over 1,600 species of fish – no mask, tank, or diving expertise needed. The first reef ecosystem to be recognized by UNESCO, the tremendously biodiverse Great Barrier Reef is the storied home to the 'Great 8' marine encounters: whales, turtles, manta rays, clown fish, sharks, potato cod, Maori wrasse and the giant clam.
Queensland Tourism surveyed visitors to the region, and discovered their biggest travel goal was exploring the Great Barrier Reef by submarine. Enter a partnership with Uber as the ultimate, 21st century way to explore this underwater natural wonderland.
The partnership doesn't just give a lucky few locals or visitors able to snag one of the limited available ScUber underwater tours of the Reef. It also supports the preservation and sustainable protection of the world's largest ecosystem.
Uber is donating $100,000 to Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef to help support their conservation programs. On top of that, it's also donating the value of every scUber ride taken.
With over 3 million visitors each year to the Reef's UNESCO World Heritage area, very few will be able to actually hail a ScUber.
Here's a 'deep dive' into other reasons to book a trip to the Great Barrier Reef:
- It's the largest natural feature on Earth - the only living structure that can be seen from the moon.
- The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest - about 70 million football fields!
- It's also the longest reef system, stretching 2,300km north-south along the upper east coast of the island of Australia. That's about the same distance between New York and Dallas!
- The Great Barrier Reef represents approximately 10% of all coral reefs in the world.
- 600 different types of coral grow here. That's a third of the world's species of coral.
- Since 1981, the Great Barrier Reef has been a UNESCO World Heritage Area. It's the world's first reef ecosystem to be given that designation.
- The Great Barrier Reef is highly protected. One of the best-managed marine areas on Earth, 80% of tourism only takes place in about 7% of the marine park.
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Images: Tourism and Events Queensland
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