News
Aussie dive club push for new artificial reef in Sydney
An ex-Australian Navy ship could be sunk off Coogee Beach in New South Wales to create an artificial reef to boost tourism under a proposal by the Gordon’s Bay Scuba Diving club.
The plan is to create Sydney’s first recreational dive wreck by sinking a decommissioned ship 4km off Coogee Beach.
Gordon’s Bay Scuba Diving club secretary John Rowe said the dive wreck would create a new marine habitat and boost the economy – without any negative impact on Coogee Beach.
“It creates an effective marine habitat on what was otherwise a soft-bottomed featureless environment,” he said.
The club’s dream ship is the Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Sydney IV, due to be decommissioned on the 7th November.
More than 1200 people, including Coogee MP Bruce Notley Smith, have shown support for the project.
“I’ve done three wreck dives and loved every second of it,” Mr Rowe said.
“The relationship between you and the ship … is a magic secret treasure.
“It’s an extraordinary feeling you get when you go there.”
The club came up with the idea after seeing the former naval warship, the Ex-HMAS Adelaide, sunk off Avoca Beach in 2011.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries reports the site is already home to a healthy marine community of giant cuttlefish, blue groper, kingfish, yellowtail and octopus.
A location near Wedding Cake Island has been identified for the ship, 30 metres under water on a sandy ocean floor away from shipping channels or telecommunication cables.
“When a ship is decommissioned and sold for scrap it can get about $15 to $16 million,” Mr Rowe said. “If we convert it into a dive wreck you could see a return of somewhere between $80-$100 million over 20 years.”
Pro Dive Coogee manager Rod DeGroot said a Sydney dive wreck would boost the diving industry and local tourism.
“In Sydney we have got a lot of historical wrecks, but most are too deep for the average diver,” he said.
“There is limited dive sites that have real mass appeal – this could create a lot of interest in an area which wasn’t a diving location prior to that. And could attract people who have a real love for wrecks,” he said.
The Ex-HMAS Adelaide project at Avoca Beach ran into opposition from local groups who were concerned the ship would pollute the ocean, but an Administrative Appeals Tribunal concluded:
“The level of pollutants now aboard the ship is low, and those that remain are either in very low quantities or inert and unlikely to cause any environmental problem.”
The dive wreck would be accessed by boat from Botany Bay, Rose Bay or Malabar.
Source: www.dailytelegraph.com.au
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News
Santa Divers take the Plunge for Charity
Ho Ho Ho! Vobster Quay’s recording-breaking charity Santa diving event returns on Sunday 15th December 2024 for another round of festive fundraising frivolities. Run in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Help For Heroes, this ever-popular annual fundraising event aims to raise sack-loads of cash for these two very deserving charities.
Divers of all levels are invited to grab their Santa outfits – and as much festive cheer as they can muster – and head down to Vobster Quay near Mells, Somerset for a mass sponsored Santa dive in aid of charity. In previous years, the event has attracted divers from the far corners of the UK to join in the festive merriment for a final festive dive before the Christmas and New Year break. Back in 2015, the event smashed the world record for the most Santa divers with 188 divers taking to the waters donning their festive finery – a record that remains unbeaten to this day!
Vobster Santas isn’t just about setting records – it’s also about raising some serious cash for charity. Vobster Quay encourages all divers to get into the spirit of the season to raise much-needed funds for two very deserving charities – the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Help For Heroes.
Through individual sponsorship and online donations, divers can invite their friends, family and work colleagues to sponsor them to plunge into the balmy waters of Vobster Quay dressed in full festive finery. Since the very first Santa dive in 2007, the event has raised over £52,000 for charity. “It’s been over 17 years since the very first charity Santa dive took place at Vobster Quay and every year the event just keeps getting bigger and better” enthused Vobster Quay owner, Amy Stanton.
“Vobster Santas is a great way for divers to say a massive thank you to the both the RNLI and Help For Heroes – two very deserving charities close to our hearts. We’re immensely proud of all that Vobster Santas has achieved and hope that even more divers will join this year’s event on Sunday 15th December. I’m confident that we can make Vobster Santas 2024 the biggest yet!”.
Divers wishing to participate can get involved by simply registering their attendance at
www.vobster.com/event-vobstersantas.php.
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