finance

Cairns Entrepreneur Jordan Hale Spotlights Marine Tech Innovation at ReefSense

The local founder scales AI monitoring tools from a Cairns base to support reef operators facing rising operational costs.

By Cairns Business Desk · Published 20 July 2026

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Cairns Entrepreneur Jordan Hale Spotlights Marine Tech Innovation at ReefSense — Photo by Liz Pidgeon / flickr (pdm)

ReefSense, the Cairns startup founded by Jordan Hale, closed a $475,000 seed round on 9 July 2026 to deploy its latest AI coral scanner across additional reef sites by December.

The timing aligns with renewed federal grants for Far North Queensland marine projects that opened applications last month, pushing operators to adopt cheaper monitoring methods after insurance premiums for dive vessels rose 18 percent in the past year.

Local Roots and Collaborations

Hale runs daily operations from a converted warehouse on Abbott Street in the Cairns CBD and maintains a test rig at the Smithfield Industrial Park, where the firm works with the Cairns Chamber of Commerce and the Smart Reef program run through James Cook University’s Cairns campus.

Those ties have already produced two joint field trials at The Pier marina and along the Esplanade lagoon, allowing ReefSense to calibrate sensors against real-time water temperature data collected by council buoys.

Evidence of Growth

Internal records show the company added 14 paying clients since March 2025, each unit priced at $11,800 with annual service fees of $2,400, while the broader Cairns startup cohort grew from 19 registered firms in 2024 to 31 this year according to state business registry figures.

Operators at smaller charter companies report cutting weekly inspection hours by half after installing the system, freeing staff for other tasks during the peak June-to-August season.

Businesses interested in similar tools can contact the Cairns Regional Council’s innovation desk for the next round of matching grants or visit the Smithfield test site during open demonstrations scheduled for the last Friday of each month.

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