"The clarity of the water and temptation to lose yourself in the environment was hard to resist. Couple this with the want to get close up views of the wreckage and treasure trove of debris, and you have a recipe for disaster."
Mr Rhodes said supporters of the application had cited the risk to commercial divers of total removal. "If there is a hazard to commercial divers, then the hazard must be considered even greater for recreational divers, should the wreckage and debris remain."
Quoting warnings from experienced recreational divers, he said that leaving the wreck open to divers would result in accidents which at those depths were usually fatal.
"Mark my words, recreational diving of the Rena wreck will costs lives. It is only a matter of time before the first fatality happens."
Mr Rhodes also warned that leaving so much debris and wreckage would create a minefield when it came to retrieve anchors using electric winches. Fouling an anchor in even a minimal swell would greatly increase the likelihood of the vessel being swamped.
"What appears as a reasonable offer to heal wounds today will likely appear as a less appealing solution tomorrow, especially when the wounds are still with us."
He said the club was willing to trade fishing time on the reef for the clean-up to be completed, even if it took three to five years.
"Surely this is a moment in time compared with the legacy that we will leave our grandchildren and their children."
Call for marine reserve on reef
A leading environmental protection organisation has called for a marine reserve to be established on Astrolabe Reef if the Rena wreck is allowed to remain.
Forest and Bird's Central North Island regional manager Alan Fleming said the environmental benefits of the four-year exclusion zone around the Rena should not be lost.
Mr Fleming said recreational fishermen had found alternative places to fish since the exclusion zone was imposed four years ago. The benefits of a reserve would include spillover of bigger and more fish into surrounding areas that could be fished.
Carole Long of Forest and Bird's Te Puke branch said the effects of leaving the Rena or debris on the reef were more than minor and it should be removed. They included the accumulation of toxins and pollutants.
If the wreck was allowed to stay, a marine protection forum representing iwi and community should be established to prepare proposals for a marine reserve.
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