The Waikato is Down!!!

It took just 2 mins and 40secs from bang to bottom, but it must be worth it. The hundreds of hours put into the planning by the Tutukaka Coast Promotion group, to say nothing of the time spent preparing and cleaning the Waikato for it’s final resting place while it was moored at Opua in the Bay of Islands has now meant a new world record for sinking a ship of its type plus another magnificent dive site for the divers of the world to visit.

The weather certainly played it’s part, a beautiful day for the sinking, far different from the screaming 30 knot plus sou westers on the first planned day for the sinking some two weeks ago. Needless to say there were plenty of spectator craft, planes and helicopters there to witness what could be the once in a lifetime experience of seeing a frigate purposely blown up and sunk. Approx 500 vessels of various sizes, ( from 10 foot dingies with a 5 horse outboard to Fullers big cat chocker with people and everything in between) along with over 2000 spectators on the hills surrounding the entrance to the Ngungururu river, reveled in the hot sun as the final preparations were made. The fireworks headed skywards and seconds later the crump of high exposives was felt and seen as the bottom of the ship was cut open. The final journey had begun.

Now we have a new dive sight, with the Waikato sitting on it’s keel facing east west but on a slight list to port… as expected …it 27 meters of water with the top of the vessel just 8.5 meters from the surface. What a dive sight and all at our back door.