Jessica Benton
A diving charter business has secured half of the access rights to a new $10 million site off the Bellarine Peninsula.
Dive Victoria managing director Jason Salter confirmed this week his company had secured sole rights to two of four moorings above the former HMAS Canberra, off Barwon Heads.
But he said Dive Victoria would effectively subsidise access to the other two moorings.
Other divers and opposition MPs had previously criticised State Government’s access arrangements, predicting they would create a “monopoly” on access to the site.
Mr Salter confirmed arrangements revealed in the Independent earlier this month that one of the remaining moorings would be available to other tour operates on a permit system, while the last would be left for recreational divers.
Mr Salter said Dive Victoria had invested “a large sum of money” to guarantee access to the dive site, which would become “internationally renowned”.
“We’re extremely happy about this but it’s costing us a lot of money to do this,” he said.
“We’ll basically be subsidising the sites to allow for the other two sites because the other two moorings are not going to be able to pay their way.
“We’re opening up diving to interstate and international markets, which is something that has never happened before in Victoria.”
Mr Salter had a sneak peek of the scuttled ship last week when State Government contracted him to survey the site before its opening to the public.
“I was absolutely blown away,” he said.
“To see her underwater, she’s much better than we’d ever expected.
“She’s really taking hold as a great wreck, with nice growth and juvenile fish making it home and schooling around the wreck.
“It’s the best scuttled wreck in Australia by far, if not the world.”
Mr Salter expected the site to open “very early December”.
With the site under the management of Parks Victoria, commercial dive operators will have access to three of the four moorings. Recreational users will have to apply for permits to use the remaining mooring.
Permits from Parks Victoria will cost $5 for each diver.
Ocean Grove diver Peter Rogers said Dive Victoria would effectively “monopolise”, leaving little opportunity for recreational divers.
Geelong Dive Centre’s David Summers was also disappointed with the access arrangements.
“It’s quite unfair on the rest of the industry because it’s really going to be monpolised by Dive Victoria,” he said.
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