To sink an artificial wreck- Yes, No, Maybe?

[cuddlefish]

A non profit organization known as WHARF (West Hawaii Artificial Reef Foundation) has been working for the past couple of years to get a wreck sunk off of Kona. There is an online poll on http://www.westhawaiitoday.comPlease vote asap as this poll is likely to only be in there today (Monday)...however, it is possible that they may keep it on there longer.

Check out www.wharfpacific.org for information.

A very small group in Kona is so opposed to this that they are claiming the wreck is a "toxic metal" and will poison the locals. This wreck will be a great way to spice up the diving here, attract fish and invertebrates, and support the local economy.

Please help

MAHALO

 

[skierbri10]

I voted for you.

 

[cuddlefish]

Has anyone else voted? The online poll will probably bo going for another couple of hours.

 

[www.scubamazing.com]

I was able to vote just now. Looks like our side is winning cuddlefish:
66% Support
15% Like it, but have concerns
19% Oppose creating an artificial reef

I think the person conducting the poll supports it. Instead of saying "I oppose sinking thos boat here" they say "I opposrt artificial reefs" which I think have always been shown to be good things.

the poll makes the opposition question sound like you're against the reef overall instead of convinced it'll hurt the environment. Anyway, I think we've seen enouch evidence that these sunk ships help. I hope it happens.

Do you know when they'll make the decision?

 

[NW_DiverDude]

I voted in support of the sinking the ship as a divable wreck. The size, at 511', would make this a site worth visiting numerous times as the sea life takes hold in years to come. So long as the company/organization managing the ship wreck knows what they are doing, environmental and diver safety should not be an issue.

Ray

 

[jjgibo]

it seems like the wharf site doesn't provide a lot of information or the environmental impact. I did vote on the poll to support the sinking, but it would be cool to get more information.

 

[cuddlefish]

Thank you. Yes, the cleaning and preparation of the wreck would have to be approved by the United States Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Hawaii Department of Health. That wreck won't be sunk until it is clean enough to eat off of. It will have to go through many other stringent measures prior to approval. None of us wants to damage the environment. Thank you for your support.

 

[cuddlefish]

Thank you for your support. The WHARF group is still in the process of the required environmental impact study. It is an ongoing process and they, too, want to be sure the environment is protected. I will remind them to add their progress in this matter to their website so that everyone knows what's going on with that. Thank you! (By the way...just so everyone knows...I am not on the WHARF committee.)

 

[friscuba]

Thanks for the head's up on the poll. Did you make it to the meeting? I had to clean our rental that evening.

If they continue the poll when they change issues this afternoon, one could really skew results by announcing in on the Basic Scuba Discussions fourm section and on Scuba Divings board. I think it'd been obvious that some activism might have occurred if suddenly they get hundreds of votes on one side or another.

I think this would be a great oppportunity for all Kona businesses.

later,

 

[cuddlefish]

Activism is what it's all about. I would have posted in "Basic Discussions"...but I wasn't sure if it was appropriate. Don't know what the rules on this board are in regards to such matters. Perhaps if a moderator sees this thread, they will let us know. I figured it would be ok in this forum and the "Underwater Treasures" forum.