Diving clubs in the Bay of Plenty are preparing to access Astrolabe Reef for the first time since it was struck by the Rena container ship on October 2011.

Owners and insurers are currently briefing clubs for reef access to resume in February next year.

Astrolabe Reef is being prepared to welcome divers for the first time in over four years. Photo: Dale Hobson.

Depending on the weather, New Zealand Diving and Salvage (NZDS) are expected to complete the final stages of debris removal soon, with commissioners set to announce their decision on the resource consent application on February 26.

Public access to the reef is currently denied via a two nautical mile exclusion zone put in place soon after the ship struck. It has remained in operation ever since because of ongoing salvage operations.

However, the zone's navigational safety justification disappears with the completion of the salvage operation, and the Bay of Plenty Harbourmaster is expected to remove it.

Preparations are underway for a wreck access plan, with interested parties for the role of site advisor being spoken to in order to balance potential conflicting interests as the reef is opened to commercial and recreational fishers.

Sorting out dive site access is being undertaken by the Rena owners and insurers – as is the necessary funding – as part of the conditions they volunteered, says Rena project spokesman Hugo Shanahan.

The site advisor position has arisen out of discussions with the reef's former visitors, who were concerned about possible tensions between different reef users.

'What I mean by that is commercial cray fishermen versus recreational users, and how that plays out once that exclusion zone is lifted,” says Hugo. 'That will need to be managed carefully.

'A lot of the content has been put forward by locals who have used the reef a lot in the past. Their feedback is about how you mange that potential conflict.

'That role of site advisor will be really important.”

The Wreck Access Plan information and materials are being finalised for publication and distribution, and draft copies of the flyer and brochure are available for review and feedback.

As February nears, the Rena Project will issue a detailed information advisory to all stakeholders, and launch a dedicated wreck access plan website.

The harbourmaster is expected to announce details of the removal of the exclusion zone as and when NZDS operations are complete.

The reef is regarded as a ‘technical' dive only suitable for experienced divers. All divers and snorkelers are required to hold at least a PADI Open Water certificate.

Divers are advised to check the currents, including their strength, before entering the water. Divers should also plan to be collected by their skipper following the ascent, because of strong currents.

The access plan provides recommended but non-enforceable measures and guidelines for visiting Astrolabe Reef.

The information is aimed at encouraging visitor safety, raise awareness of the state of the reef with the wreck on it, and manage an anticipated influx of visitors once the area is reopened.