With flair, imagination — and pyramids — Gold Coast dive site could be as successful as Topgolf

FORGET scuttling ships — the Gold Coast should aim to create something truly new and original which will capture the imagination of tourists when we finally create an artificial reef dive site off The Spit, writes Keith Woods.

Statues from the deep sea underwater cement sculpture artwork 'The Silent Evolution' by sculptor Jason de deCaires Taylor off the coast of Cancun, Mexico.

HMAS Darwin was designed to provide air defence, anti-submarine and surveillance capabilities for the Royal Australian Navy.

She was fitted with anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, and a flight deck and hangars for two Seahawk helicopters.

She was deployed to the Middle East seven times between 1990 and 2016 and to East Timor in 1999.

There were many important considerations for the RAN when commissioning the frigate. Providing an artificial reef for the pleasure of tourists was not among them.

Cancun underwater museum

Neither was dive tourism a consideration when the navy commissioned the heavy-lift transport ship HMAS Tobruk — which may go some way to help explaining why its June 29 scuttling off the Coast of Bundaberg to create just such an attraction has been somewhat less than a rip-roaring success.

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The local MP, Stephen Bennett, on Monday described its sinking as a “complete, devastating failure” after the boat hit the sea bed on its side, rather than sitting upright as hoped.

Mr Bennett claimed that “even advanced divers will have trouble diving this site”.

The HMAS Tobruk is sunk in waters off Hervey Bay.

The fact that the Gold Coast has missed out on securing the Darwin for another tricky scuttling mission may thus be something of a blessing in disguise.

Mayor Tom Tate has instead proposed that we build a dive site using materials which, unlike naval ships, are specifically designed for the purpose.

It is a proposal with enormous merit.

Scuttled ships are dotted around the Australian coastline. To compete, the Gold Coast needs to do something more imaginative.

Ships are also not always suitable for novice divers. A purpose-built diving precinct, however, can be designed to cater for all levels of ability.

Cancun’s underwater museum, due to open soon.

And they can have wow factors better than any ship.

One of the world’s most remarkable dive sites is called “The Silent Evolution’’ in Cancun, Mexico.

GOLD COAST MAYOR ON PYRAMID DIVE SITE PLAN

It includes 400 statues sculpted by artist Jason deCaires Taylor, who has previously shown interest in creating a similar site in Queensland.

The Gold Coast dive site could also rival the “Underwater Museum’’ due to open soon in the Gulf of Mexico in Florida.

The sculptures at this site include a hollow pineapple, a skull and an octopus.

Sounds daft? Not to the thousands of tourists lining up for the chance to swim among them.

The potential of a similar project on the Gold Coast to capture the nation’s imagination was made perfectly clear last week.

Part of ‘The Silent Evolution’, and underwater artwork by Jason deCaires Taylor under the sea near Cancun in Mexico.

The fact that the Mayor’s plan includes a structure shaped like a pyramid led to a smattering of amusing pharaoh puns and a whole heap of media coverage.

But there was a serious side to all the attention received. It showed the marketing potential of a project if it is imaginative, original and fun.

We have had another tourism project on the Gold Coast, Topgolf, that sounded a bit “out there” when first proposed.

Yet it has been an extraordinary success, with this newspaper reporting today that punters are willing to wait four hours for a turn.

These statues at the Cancun dive site will provide excellent tourism appeal.

Done right, a Gold Coast diving precinct can be the Topgolf of the waves.

Indeed, its proposed location, in waters off The Spit directly east of Sea World, means one can’t help thinking that Village Roadshow Theme Parks — owner of both Topgolf and Sea World — would make a great private sector partner for the project.

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While the council and state must provide the capital to build the site, they could surely do with the sort of expertise only Village can provide to help market and run it when it’s built.

And Sea World already runs successful helicopter and whale watching tours.

A spokesperson for the Mayor told this column Cr Tate is always open to public-private partnerships where “appropriate and fit for purpose”.

A ‘skull’ is lowered into the water to become part of a new dive site off the coast of Florida.

A Village Roadshow spokesperson told me it was not something the company had considered, but that they were “always keen to explore things that will benefit the tourism industry on the Coast if they make business sense.”

It could be a match made in heaven — they should talk.

The Mayor is finalising a panel including dive experts, the State Government and others to work out the details of the project. Maybe Sea World, with its huge knowledge of both tourism and marine life, should be offered a seat on the panel too.

For no stone should be left unturned to make this project a success. The many recent stories of small business failures on the Coast that it has been this newspaper’s sad duty to report make clear that this city needs to keep adding exciting new projects to its tourism mix.

There is another great advantage to proposing a purpose-built dive site not involving warships.

The campaign to secure the Darwin became bogged down in a zero-sum political game between the State and Federal governments.

The site of the proposed Gold Coast dive site in waters east of The Spit.

There is no such impediment to this project going ahead. Indeed, Tourism Minister Kate Jones told this column she was excited by the proposal and looked forward to seeing more details.

She added that the proposal sounded like an ideal candidate for assistance from the Tourism Infrastructure Fund announced in the State Budget.

So too does the proposed Hinterland cableway, which should be the next cab off the rank.

The dive site can be delivered quicker though, and will be an important first test of the state’s commitment to tourism through its new fund.

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For once, all the stars seem to be aligning. Even environmentalists should welcome the proposal. A purpose-built dive site would not only promote marine life, but would do so without the risk of pollution that scuttled ships can sometimes bring.

In retrospect, warships are probably best left to the experts in the navy. Let the HMAS Darwin, after her many years of fine service protecting this nation, sail off to her watery grave in Tasmania.

And let the marine and tourism experts devise a world-leading dive site for the Coast.