"Excavators" - the end of an era and a new beginning

After 15 years of operation, the “Orka” Diving Base, serving divers at the cult diving site “Koparki” near Jaworzno, is definitely disappearing from the map. Along with it, all the equipment that appeared under and above the water in the last 1.5 decades must be removed. This means a complete end of “Koparki” as it was known to whole generations of divers who visited it.

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It was supposed to be beautiful, pompous and joyful, because June 16 was the 15th anniversary of the creation of “Koparek”. Unfortunately, instead of joy and celebration, the Orka employees had to dismantle, in a gloomy mood, what they had been creating for so many years, trying to improve the diving site. All work and demolition must be completed by 24 June.

The dismantling to its original state includes gazebos, a new building and even a plaque commemorating the divers who have already departed from this world. The wreck of the AN-2 plane, well known to all, has already found a new resting place, which is another legendary diving site in Zakrzówek. In addition, the wreck of a BMW car and a pipeline built for sidemount divers will also disappear.

After the clean-up work is completed, the site will be taken over by a new owner – Konsorcjum Inwestycji Gospodarczych. The winner of the tender offered PLN 1.9 million for the perpetual lease of the land on which “Koparki” is located. This amount considerably exceeded the possibilities of Orka Group, which Mirek Kierepka estimated at just over PLN 1 million.

[ot-video type=”youtube” url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joIOaGzkbAQ”]

The change of ownership alone did not rule out the existence of the diving site as we knew it until recently. Unfortunately, the talks conducted between Orka and KIG, concerning the purchase of a part of the infrastructure, did not bring a positive solution. The reason, of course, was money, or rather the discrepancy between the KIG’s offer and Orka Group’s expectations. The new owner of the land proposed the amount of PLN 65,000 for the installations, whose book value was less than the book value of Orka Group. PLN 65 thousand for installations, the book value of which amounted to over PLN 470 thousand. PLN 470 THOUSAND.

Due to the lack of agreement, Mirek Kierepka, together with the Orka employees and people connected with the place, started to dismantle what he had created for many years. The footage shows that it was a very unpleasant experience for everyone, who commented on it with the most eloquent words: “such are the laws of the market”, “this is what we have in a democracy”.

Mirek himself seems to be reconciled with the situation and sums up everything with the words – “I left my heart here, mine and my family’s”, he also expresses hope that in the future the dive site will continue to function and will defend its position on the diving map of Poland.

The journalists making the footage for the jaw.pl portal, announced that in the near future they will make another one with a representative of the new owner – Leszek Sulej, president of KIG, who will present in more detail the plans related to the diving site and its future.

For my part, I would like to thank Mirek, the staff of Orka Group and everyone associated with “Koparki” for their input and work put into creating this place. It was a piece of good work and I commend you for what you have managed to create together. I hope that although a certain chapter in the history of this place ends (not necessarily in the way it should), it is thanks to you that “Koparki” will always remain a diving site.

Source: jaw.pl