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Airbnb wants you to explore the sea from a yellow submarine in contest

Hillary K. Grigonis
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Airbnb doesn’t (yet) have a home on the moon but the company’s latest contest is inviting guests to explore something almost just as unexplored. On Monday, January 29, Airbnb announced its latest competition in partnership with BBC America to win a stay on the research vessel used for Planet Earth: Blue Planet II. The contest will allow three winners, each with one guest, to visit the OceanX Alucia, complete with underwater exploration in one of two submersibles.

Planet Earth: Blue Planet II is a documentary that became the most-watched nature program on ad-supported television in the last nearly eight years when the premiere brought in almost 3 million viewers. The winners of the latest Airbnb contest will get a chance to see that on-screen exploration in person while the Alucia explores the Bahamas.

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Producer Orla Doherty is hosting the Airbnb, where guests will stay two nights on the ship and another two nights on land-based rental homes in April. While onboard, guests can explore ocean life both through the stories from the expedition crew and also experience them first-hand in one of the research team’s submersibles. The trip begins in Cape Eleuthera, Bahamas, and ends in Nassau, Bahamas, and airfare is also included in the prize.

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“Having spent 500 hours in the submarine and countless weeks at sea filming the deep sea for Blue Planet II, the Alucia almost feels like my second home,” Doherty said. “I now feel privileged to be able to share this once in a lifetime experience with promising ocean heroes and show them the wonders of life in the ocean.”

During the stay, there are a few Airbnb house rules, including the lighthearted, “Avoid watching Jaws” and the more serious no fishing and no deep-sea creature selfies. Airbnb also reminds winners that a research vessel means casual dress. The contest comes after a similar contest to stay at the Lego House in Denmark.

Only six people will have a chance at staying on the ship — the contest will award three winners, with each allowed to bring one guest. To enter, would-be ocean explorers need to send a 50 to 550 character response to Airbnb’s question: “You don’t need to be an astronaut to discover a new world. Our oceans are teeming with bizarre species and dramatic, alien-like landscapes. Tell us about your ideal deep sea adventure — what do you dream of exploring beneath the waves?”

Entries must be in by Februay 10 at 4 a.m. PT and the contest is open to residents of the U.S., Canada, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany, Philippines, Portugul, Spain, and the U.K.

Blue Planet II airs every Saturday at 7 p.m. PT across five AMC networks, including BBC America, AMC, Sundance TV, IFC and WE TV.

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Hillary K. Grigonis
Hillary K. Grigonis
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