Islands should have more artificial reefs!

[gkndivebum]

On the Big Island, we've had a HUGE problem with the locals. They'd come to meetings and yell any time someone in favor of the project spoke. Lots of misinformation out there... wrecks cause ciguaterra, etc.

We had a group trying to get approval for a large wreck a couple of years back, it was pretty ugly.

Indeed - I worked a bit with the group (WHARF - West Hawaii Artificial Reef Foundation) on
the project to get the USS Mauna Kea sunk here.

There was tremendous opposition to the idea from some surprising sources -
there was the usual opposition from the usual suspects on the West Hawaii Fisheries
Council (activist native Hawaiians against everything; some of them have made
presentations to the council stating that tourists are giving the local turtle population
AIDS - but I digress). Most surprising to me was opposition from some of the local
dive operators, who from my perspective had lots to gain from having an artificial
reef but were opposed to the idea completely.

A shame, really.

 

[ScubaAndDreams]

Indeed - I worked a bit with the group (WHARF - West Hawaii Artificial Reef Foundation) on
the project to get the USS Mauna Kea sunk here.

There was tremendous opposition to the idea from some surprising sources -
there was the usual opposition from the usual suspects on the West Hawaii Fisheries
Council (activist native Hawaiians against everything; some of them have made
presentations to the council stating that tourists are giving the local turtle population
AIDS - but I digress). Most surprising to me was opposition from some of the local
dive operators, who from my perspective had lots to gain from having an artificial
reef but were opposed to the idea completely.

A shame, really.

Just out of curiosity the dive operators reasoning was...what ?

 

[gkndivebum]

Just out of curiosity the dive operators reasoning was...what ?

You could summarize it as "don't put your trash in my ocean".

 

[MeiLing]

You could summarize it as "don't put your trash in my ocean".

Where is that sort of sentiment when it comes to the Waianae Coastline?

Pray for Sex is becoming a veritable garbage can. The recycling center in Waianae doesn't look like anyone ever visits it. Instead they're buying Heineken and busting the beer bottles on the rocks at the beach, dumping their old tires (we've counted about 40 at just one spot, and various other trash both on the beach and in the ocean. There's so much in the water that you can't pull out all that you come across on a single dive.

And don't get me started on what a dump most of the beaches on the Waianae coastline have become due to the whole homeless issue.

Don't put your trash in our ocean???? How hypocritical!!