Like most people in New Zealand, I grew up in and around the water. I started freediving at a young age however, I had no training. I qualified on an SSI Level One course to enhance my ability and learn the proper techniques and safety in the water. The course taught me the safety of freediving and how to respond to and help your buddy in …
Category Archive: Dive Reports
Oct 07
Sea Horse – Hippocampus abdominalis
Diving at night is one of the most eye-opening experiences a diver can have. Seeing the change in environment is a breath-taking experience with a completely different marine life. Behavioral along with color change, and importantly, the usually impossibly shy creatures come out to play. The Potbellied Sea Horse is one of those mysterious ninjas, after more than 40 …
Sep 22
Red Moki – Chirodactylus spectabilis
One of the more common fish we see on our local dives is Red Moki. If you are diving in north New Zealand, most divers would be unlucky to not find one, however many don’t know they are one of the more interesting fish we have. These fish aren’t usually afraid of divers and will …
Sep 09
Eagle and Sting Rays
Sting Rays & Eagle Rays are some of the more common creatures we see on our local dives. There is also a common cause of confusion when determining the differences between the two. It is not uncommon for divers and swimmers alike to have an undeserved fear of these amazing rays. Both Stingrays and Eagle Rays behave similarly, they both …
Jun 03
Midweek Dives at The Aldermans!
Winter has definitely arrived however last week we escaped Auckland for two days diving at the Aldermans. We had two frosty starts but despite this the boat was full both days and we all enjoyed two days of amazing diving with visibility being 15 – 20m most dives. It was our first trip to The …
May 28
Rainbow Warrior and Cavalli Islands
Our 2016 Diploma in Professional Scuba Diving Instruction students experienced their first wreck dive on the Rainbow Warrior this month. Followed by some stunning dives on the nearby Cavalli Island reefs. A big thanks to Carlos, a Whangaroa local, for showing us a couple of great new dive sites. We are ENROLLING NOW for our …
Dec 06
Diving Sail Rock & Taranga Island
It was an awesome day out on the Hauraki Gulf today as we headed out to Sail Rock and Taranga Island, in the Hen and Chicks, for a couple of great dives. It was a quick 45 minute journey up from Omaha in calm seas, and we took shelter from the ocean swells on the …
Nov 22
Poor Knights Diving and Video
Our new dive boat, Whakaari Express, made 3 trips to the Poor Knights Islands this month. As Whakaari Express cruises at 50km we made it out to the Islands in 20 minutes from Tutukaka Marine. That left us plenty of time to dive, tikky tour around the islands and get back to the marine by …
Oct 25
Waikato River Dive Against Debris
So, we have just completed our Dive Against Debris in the upper reaches of the Waikato River between Cheery Island and Reids Farm in Taupo. This has to be one of the most beautiful areas of New Zealand with the town wrapped around the northern part of the spectacular Lake Taupo and the snow covered …
Sep 08
Rainbow Warrior and Cavalli Islands
To make life easy launching the boat off a decent ramp, we headed up to Whangaroa for 3 days to dive the Rainbow Warrior and Cavalli Islands. The Whangaroa inlet is a stunning location and only a short 20 minute run out to the Cavalli Islands. The visability was excellent at 12m+ and we knocked …