HMNZS Wellington boosts NZ dive industry

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CDNN
December 15, 2005



WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Dive companies in Wellington are reporting a huge boom in trade since the HMNZS Wellington frigate was sunk.

It might be 21 metres down in the ocean, but it has become the region's number one dive attraction, pulling in scuba enthusiasts from across the world.

Wellington's dive industry has boomed since the sinking of F69.

"We've been very busy, we've taken two charters a day since the wreck was sunk...probably 200-300 people been out on the wreck since it's been sunk...it's been really good," says Bill Keddy, owner of the Splash Gordon dive shop.

Since she disappeared below the waves in November, charters have jumped by over 50% and bookings run right through to May.

It was a text book sinking and the frigate's already attracting an impressive array of undersea life.

And it's as safe as wrecks get - divers don't even need torches to find their way around.

"When you're down inside there in the wreck you've always got an escape route that you can clearly see...it always lets a lot of light in so there's a lot of good natural lighting in the wreck," says recreational diver Mike Lester.

Dive companies say the demand for scuba courses has risen by up to 70 percent since the frigate went down.

Just ten minutes from Wellington's airport, the frigate has now been billed as the world's most accessible wreck dive.


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