Floating idea for dive site
THE Gold Coast City Council is seeking a 50-year lease on a $5 million world-class dive attraction which visitors will be charged for a twohour visit.
An officer report to councillors on Thursday suggested it would be opened in 12 months. Funding is split between the State Government and council.
The council transport committee meeting was told the design was 50 per cent complete and showed eight buoyant “sculptural reef flutes” extending up to 20m and gravity anchored to the sea floor by weighted reef foundations.
The reef flutes closest to the top are only 10m below the surface, making them accessible to snorkellers who will be able to access a landing pad on a mooring. The buoyant or floating reef is the first of its kind, and a map showed it would be located 2.5km east of Philip Park at The Spit on a sandy seabed.
The site is about 1.8km east of the existing Scottish Prince wreck, popular among local divers, and will withstand storms and be available at least 220 days each year through vessels leaving the Gold Coast Seaway.
A council officer told councillors: “The precinct is 500m by 500m. We have six moorings in there. Three are available to the public, so you would book for twohour timeslots.”
The cost is expected to be $25 for visiting divers, similar to charges for diving trips off Brisbane. A diving permit is needed and bookings will be made with council. Robina-based councillor Hermann Vorster asked several questions about operational costs and argued that he had the “strong and firm view” that council should be granted the lease.
Council and State officers had agreed the city would lodge an application for 50year term lease over the dive precinct.
Council transport and infrastructure director Alton Twine told Cr Vorster: “We should be in the gun seat to manage this. We shouldn’t be incurring a loss. We want to cover our operational costs.”
The council report said the dive attraction would inject $32.8 million into the region’s economy in the first 10 years of operation, generating about 166,540 new overnight visitors to the Coast.