Experience Co. is expanding its Cairns-based Reef Unlimited fleet with the acquisition of Aquarius II, a multi-functional vessel that will operate day tours and private charters to the Great Barrier Reef.
The new 26m, 240-passenger Aquarius II will provide additional capacity for Reef Unlimited’s half and full-day Reef tours from Cairns, visiting the company’s Reef Magic platform at Moore Reef as well as Green Island, Fitzroy Island and Port Douglas.
Experience Co. Chief Executive John O’Sullivan said: “We have seen strong demand for our Great Barrier Reef experiences for some time now. This has been off the back of continued domestic patronage as well as the return of international travellers. We believe that The Great Barrier Reef will always be one of Australia’s leading tourism drawcards.”
Aquarius II accommodates passengers comfortably on three decks, with a large sundeck and shaded areas as well as a fully air-conditioned saloon and bar area. There is also a sizable food service area with a large cool storage facility allowing for hot and cold buffet catering as well as onboard Starlink Wi-Fi.
The vessel is also equipped with a spacious hydraulic platform for easy water access and an in-built air compressor to fill tanks for scuba divers.
“We are also excited by the growth of the cruise sector in Cairns which delivers important economic returns to the region. The introduction of this vessel to service ship to shore transfers as well as delivering additional shore excursion capacity will help to support this opportunity,” concluded John O’Sullivan.
