Rena wreck: a rare spectacle five years on

Monday, 9 May 2016

Marine life is flourishing at the Rena site, which ran aground on Astrolabe reef in October 2011.

The sinking of the Rena in the Bay of Plenty did not turn out to be the maritime disaster it was predicted to be.

Instead, it has become a rare and beautiful site for divers.

A diver looking through the remains of the Rena shipwreck's bow thruster tube at Astrolabe Reef.

It's almost been five years since the Rena ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef, and after an extensive salvaging process, the shipwreck has become a diving destination.

Waikato University marine ecologist Phil Ross has done over 100 dives at the Rena site over the past four years.

Marine life at the Rena has created a great spectacle for divers on the Astrolabe reef.

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'It is a spectacular reef, with a steep rock wall covered with amazing sponges, anemones, fish life and a lush kelp forest.

'The shipwreck is a great part of New Zealand history now.

'It will have huge heritage value down the line. People can learn about the wrecked Rena and then go and have a look for themselves.'

Ross had never dived a shipwreck before and it was fascinating, he said.

'It will become more and more interesting as it evolves over time.

'It is a real shipwreck, not one that has been scuttled for the purposes of diving on.'

Other than the usual risks that go along with regular diving, the wreck poses no threat to humans.

Ross says the more interesting parts of the reef are quite deep, but as long as people behave appropriately, there is no danger involved.

'It has been extremely popular so far. A Coast Guard will be stationed out there to keep an eye on things for the first couple of months.'

The $700 million salvaging operation finished last month, making it the second most expensive salvage after the Costa Concordia. It is considered too technically difficult and dangerous to do any more.

The owners have received resource consent to leave the wreck on the reef. But, this has been appealed by numerous parties and will go to the Environment Court for a ruling at the start of next year.

Aside from the initial oil spill, there are three concerns that still pose a risk to the area.

The first is tributyltin (TBT), a toxic chemical to marine life that is present in hidden layers of the ship's anti-fouling paint.

There are also between 5 and 10 tonnes of granulated copper trapped underneath the stern of the ship.

Finally, six foreign species were brought over on salvaging vessels and belatedly discovered after not undergoing proper biosecurity checks.

There have been no reports of any of these contaminants being a problem so far, but Ross says it would be better if they didn't exist.

'A lot of misinformation has been bouncing around, but the effects were localised and while they remain an issue, they are not a wider Bay of Plenty problem.'