Rumor Control: Mooring cut on Corsair?

[DiverBAS]

Has anyone heard that the mooring on Corsair has been cut? ...the one attached to the prop shaft.

Heard a rumor that the DLNR (Dept Land & Natural Resources) cut the mooring on Corsair in the last couple weeks. For a variety of reasons this doesn't make sense, but many bad rumors have a seed of truth in them.

Just checking...
BAS

 

[IslandDiversHI]

This is true.

After speaking to Mrs Edwards at DLNR, who was responsible for contacting those affected, the story appears to be this:

Some time ago the state was contacted by the Feds regarding a mooring attached to the Corsair. As the wreck is still the property of the federal government, they were directed to remove it, which they did. They left the mooring attached to the anchor nearby. DLNR followed up with a letter stating (among other things) that replacement of any mooring attached to the wreck was punishable by a $10,000 fine and seizure of the vessel used to replace the mooring.

There is another rumor that the Feds got involved in the first place due to a dispute between two operators here on Oahu (one that dives the Corsair and one that doesn't). However, as anybody involved in "the industry" here on Oahu knows, rumors can often be just that.

Finally, Mrs Edwards mentioned that Malama Kai
http://www.malama-kai.org/
has received a grant to install permanent moorings and that there may be a representative of that organization here on Oahu soon to discuss site selection of those permanent moorings. As that is an issue of interest to the diving community as a whole, I will follow that development and post here on Scubaboard anything that I discover. Anybody going to the HI Ocean Sports Expo may be able to find out more.

Good diving,
Matt

 

[IslandDiversHI]

The only clarification that I received (during HIRSA meeting at HOST) regarding this was that The Feds in this case was the navy and that in addition to a possible $10,000 state fine for replacing the mooring, there is also a provision for a $100,000 federal fine.

No word as of yet when or how money received from the state for moorings will be allocated. I'll post here when I hear.

Good diving,
Matt

 

[DiverBAS]

Matt,

Thanks for the info and the update. Seems to me that a 2nd anchored mooring could be placed out there without "disturbing" the Corsair, but thats easy for me to say.

Too dry,
Bruce