Editorial: Divers' proposal deserves hearing

I really feel for the divers of the Bay of Plenty.

I've never given underwater diving a go. Being so far underwater and relying on scuba equipment to keep me alive just doesn't seem like a peaceful way to spend my spare time.

But what I have gathered over the years of interviewing divers is that those who love to dive really love to dive.

Back when Rena hit the reef one of the biggest fears was for the Astrolabe, a place that local diving identity Shane Wasik told me on one of those first couple of days after it got stuck was hugely popular with divers.

For most of us, the damage to the reef has shifted to the back of our minds as our fears for beaches, seafood and wildlife became a visible priority.

But for those people who really love diving, the state of their beloved reef has no doubt stayed at the top of their concerns.

The hope that Rena could eventually become a new underwater place for them to explore would have made it easier.

News that Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) had instructed Costamare to get Rena out of the water must have come as a blow.

According to a MNZ spokesman, the organisation's director has made it clear he wants it gone.

Mr Wasik issued a release on behalf of local divers yesterday and in it called for Rena to be left as an artificial reef and diving attraction.

Its current position would provide a choice of depths for divers of ranging experience levels, he wrote.

He believes the world's coverage of Rena hitting the reef could be spun into a positive, with potential international divers already having heard of what could become the Bay's big attraction.

His plans are to contact government departments and plead his case.

I hope whoever he ends up talking to gives his case a chance.

While it would be nice to get Rena off the reef and delete the memory and any evidence of what's happened, it couldn't hurt to look at any chance to give the region a boost after all it's been through.

If Rena's final position makes it too dangerous to allow her to stay as a diving attraction, so be it, but let's not be in a rush to rubbish the dreams of local divers.

Kate Newton