Graffitti on Rainbow Warrior wreck disappoints divers

Scooby's bid for aquatic immortality has met with stern disapproval from dive companies that take people to visit the wreck of the Rainbow Warrior.

The former Greenpeace vessel was bombed by French secret service agents in Auckland in 1985, killing one crew member. The ship was refloated and towed to Matauri Bay in Northland, where it was scuttled in 25m of water.

The wreck sat there largely undisturbed for 18 years until recently, when someone scraped the limpets and crustaceans off its bow and used a knife to carve "SCOOBY 2004" in letters around 15cm high on it.

"Scooby" lived near the wreck site, and had been told his actions were unwelcome, Mike Edkins of Dive North Rainbow Warrior told NZPA.

"We know who it is. Paihia Dive (another company which dives on the wreck) and we were just really brassed off that someone was doing that for no good reason.

"The last thing we want to see on there while we're taking tourists on there, because we do guided dives on there, is some idiot writing his name on there just because he thinks he has a right to."

Representatives of Dive North and Pahia Dive had "had a word with him all right," Mr Edkins said.

"We and Pahia Dive have a policy we don't take anything off it (the wreck) or do anything stupid like that on it because it's there for our dive customers to look at... it's in a sacred site as far as the Maori are concerned as well.

"A few of the locals take crayfish off it and stuff like that, which is pretty annoying as well. So far as we're concerned just leave it alone."

Clare O'Gorman of Paihia Dive told the Northland News the wreck was treated with a great deal of respect.

"To graffiti the wreck is not only a desecration of one of our most famous artificial reserves, it also encourages irresponsible diver behaviour," Ms O'Gorman said.

"Unfortunately, there is no law stipulating that the Rainbow Warrior is an artificial reserve and should be left untouched, it is just a 'gentleman's agreement' that keeps the wreck protected."

David Doo, known by his nickname "Scooby", said he had not used a knife to scratch on the boat.

Mr Doo, who is manager of nztramp.com, said: "It was done with a finger, not a knife. I was explaining to a customer how to do a mark and to see how quickly it disappears. It was done at the end of the [diving] season and it will disappear."

He claimed the incident had been "blown out of proportion" because of competition with other dive operators in the area.

- NZPA