Man-made reef idea to draw divers to Umkomaas [POLL]
There has not been a new dive site in the area for 30 years.
Sapphire Coast Toti Tourism (SCTT) has embarked on an ambitious idea to boost the number of divers visiting the area.
Chairman of SCTT, Jacques van Schalkwyk is keen to create a man-made reef out of old Transnet railway carriages between Umkomaas and Umgababa, north of the Umkomaas River.
Over 30,000 divers visit the area every year to dive the Aliwal Shoal, one of the world’s top three dive destinations. There are also two wrecks near the reef that are popular recreational dive sites. However, once divers have dived the site once or twice, there is not much else to keep them returning.
“There has not been a new dive site in the area for 30 years,” said Jacques. “We need a new attraction.”
He recently spoke to a Transnet representative, who was keen on the idea.
The plan is to have at least five railway carriages gutted with windows, doors and even sides stripped out and oil and rubber removed to allowing access for marine life and divers.
He pitched the idea to the diving fraternity at a breakfast recently and it was unanimously accepted.
One dive operator who welcomes the idea is Bryan Vivier of Umkomaas Lodge and Dive Charters. “It is a brilliant idea,” he said. “It will take the pressure off the reefs. Divers will visit a man-made reef and it will bring more tourists to the area. Divers like new spots where they can have an adventure. We are constantly finding new spots, but a man-made reef would be very popular and we can also document starting a reef from scratch for the next 20 years.”
Jacques is also planning a second dive site with massive concrete statues of the Big 5 animals for divers to enjoy.
This idea stems from his brainwave to have a statue of Nelson Mandela dropped in the vicinity of Aliwal Shoal to commiserate the stateman’s life and sacrifices to South Africa.
Areas to drop the carriages and statues have already been investigated.
“The whole idea behind more dive sites is to lengthen the time divers visit the area,” he said.
“This is a three to five-year plan. We will obviously need environmental approval and the funds to do it, but it makes a lot of sense and it would be good for Toti.”
The next step forward is to get an environmental impact assessment specialist and a sponsor to get an environmental plan done.
“We call on any students or past students who have studied either marine biology or environmental studies to email me at chairman@totitourism.co.za to help us set up a committee of like-minded individuals who can help us make this dream a reality.”
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