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The Cairns Aquarium in partnership with Austrian-based technology provider ATTRAKTION! has installed a 5D Sea Explorer underwater submarine simulator experience as part of a million-dollar visitor experience upgrade. 

The Sea Explorer 5D attraction provides a 270 degree view underwater journey in a futuristic submarine complete with special audio and visual effects, mechanical moving platform, light show, and perfectly timed air blowers.

The new attraction located at the entry of the Aquarium begins with a submarine Captain providing a debriefing to visitors about their upcoming underwater journey to the Arctic, Antarctic and then out to the Pacific Ocean.

Two separate five minute voyages are experienced. The first is a trip to the frozen Arctic to explore the world of seals, polar bears and walrus living in the coldest regions of the planet. The Sea Explorer 5D then takes visitors over to the Antarctic to see and learn about penguins and migrating whales.

Once the Sea Explorer returns back to its dock, crews then prepare it for an expedition into much warmer waters and it sets out on another voyage through to the Pacific Ocean. A serene and calm encounter with marine turtles, brightly coloured reef fish, and luminous sea jellies is suddenly disrupted when the Sea Explorer finds itself off course and under attack from some not-so-friendly monsters of the deep who are intent on destroying it.

Cairns Aquarium Chief Executive, Daniel Leipnik, is delighted with the outcome of the new attraction, advising “the Sea Explorer 5D provides visitors to the Cairns Aquarium with a fun, new, technology-driven and entertaining way of experiencing simulated ocean life.

“The Aquarium provides a memorable experience and interaction with the incredible fish and animals from the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics rainforest and the addition of an underwater submarine simulator ride experience of other realms is a wonderful enhancement to a fun day out for the family.".

Chief Executive of ATTRAKTION!, Markus Beyr adde “the commissioning of the Sea Explorer 5D at the Cairns Aquarium is the very first of our technologies to be installed in Australia. We were so happy to have been approached with the concept of adding our augmented reality theme park technology to Australia’s newest publicly accessible Aquarium.

"We have installed our technologies through aquariums, zoos, and major attractions in Europe, Asia and North America and it is wonderful to be able to now include Australia in our expansion plans too.”   

The Cairns Aquarium attracts thousands of visitors a day and for many people, the facility provides a pre-reef trip education enabling visitors to the region to be better informed about what they will see and encounter when they go out to the Great Barrier Reef.  

Leipnik advised “we are constantly looking for ways to improve the overall visitor experience at the Cairns Aquarium and adding an augmented technology component felt like a perfect fit."

Beyr concluded “the Sea Explorer 5D is both educational and fun.  It is aimed at a younger market audience of 6-12 year olds but the ride simulator and visual effects will be enjoyed by the whole family."

The Sea Explorer 5D project was supported in part by the Australian Government’s Regional Jobs and Investment Package (RJIP). Funding under the program was used to facilitate installation and commissioning of the technology and employment of new staff members at the Aquarium to operate the Sea Explorer.

This $1.1 million investment is one of several project components at the Cairns Aquarium totalling $4.7 million which is jointly funded by the RJIP and Cairns Aquarium and Reef Research Centre Pty Ltd. 

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