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The Scuba Diver's Paradise

For years divers worldwide have debated the question "Where is the best diving in the world ?". Kiwis have known the answer to this secret for just as many years and are more than happy to share it with you.

New Zealand comprises two of the largest islands in the South Pacific offering some 140,000 kilometres of coastline. Not surprisingly, New Zealanders have developed into avid watergoers with diving ranking as one of the highest participant watersports. In fact it is estimated that 130,000 New Zealanders are active, certified divers in a country with a population of only 3.5 million.

To complement this fascination with the deep, excellent dive facilities have developed throughout the country including dive stores with their own training pools on site and a multitude of charter services to take you offshore for the dive experience of your life. Visiting divers need therefore have no worries as to the availability of equipment and services and will be pleasantly surprised at the low costs when compared to other recognised diving nations. Newcomers to the sport are also well catered for with an abundance of introductory courses available throughout the country at very reasonable prices. If you've been thinking you'd like to take up diving but were put off by the expense in other countries, New Zealand may very well provide the opportunity you've been looking for to enter this fascinating world of visual and culinary delights.

With dives ranging from some of the most picturesque in the world to low visibility adventure, cavern and wreck diving, New Zealand offers something for everyone. There are over 1300 shipwrecks around our coast, some of which have never been found. Two of the more well known are The Mikhail Lermontov in Port Gore and the former Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior in the Bay of Islands which delight divers from all over the world. Both are completely intact with their hulls now home only to fish and other marine life.

Northland

The entire East Coast of Northland provides extensive diving being sheltered from New Zealand's prevailing westerly winds. Houhora, Matauri Bay, Whangaroa and the Bay of Islands all offer access to the many off-shore islands in the north. These spots act as water-borne playgrounds for divers because of their stable climate and easy access for the large population in the Auckland region.

Further down the coast, Tutukaka and Whangarei are coastal ports both offering access to The Poor Knights and Hen and Chicken Islands. Diving the Poor Knights needs a chapter of its own to serve any kind of justice to the visual delights available to every diver who puts their face in the clear, tepid waters of this marine reserve.

There are many charter services available in these ports ranging from smaller pleasure craft to larger, fully equipped launches. Skippers in the area have a wonderful working knowledge of the coast and off shore islands.

Auckland

Closer to Auckland lies the Goat Island Marine Reserve. Still on the placid east coast, about 100km north of Auckland, excellent diving can be had right from the shore. Dive operators in the area cater for tourists and stores in Auckland run tours which will collect visitors from their hotels and return them after a days diving from small craft. Hire gear and lunches are normally included in these packages.

Little Barrier and Great Barrier Islands are also within easy range of Auckland. Charter boats leave from either the city wharves or from Leigh near Warkworth. There are also daily boat charters on the Island as well as excellent facilities for gear hire. Diving at either of these islands is quite remarkable, allowing divers to feast on catches such as scallops or crayfish (lobster) or simply take photos and admire the abundant marine life.

Coromandel/Bay Of Plenty

The next major diving region is the Coromandel Peninsula which is a diver's mecca. Diving anywhere on the coast from Cape Colville to Whitianga and Tairua is superb. Again shore access is an option although offshore diving from a boat is usually easier and more fruitful.

The Bay of Plenty provides excellent adventure diving either from small boats or ocean kayaks. Places such as Whangamata, Whanarua Bay and Lottin Point to the far east of the bay are excellent places to explore on your own and ocean kayaks provide a great way to venture into these areas independently.

Wellington

The Wellington region is quite unique in that good diving is available within easy reach of the central city. Visibility may not be as good as in the north, but it is acceptable and the marine life is prolific. Also, many shipwrecks lie in and around Wellington's harbour which can be visited with guidance from a local dive store. Wellington offers a high standard of service to divers so you can be assured that all your needs will be catered for in our capital city.

South Island

The South Island is vastly different from the North with large wilderness areas hardly touched by the mainstream tourist divers. Beautiful snow clad mountains reflect on the surface of sheltered fiords, while below there lies another world with it's own unique fauna and flora. The people of the South Island are renowned for their relaxed and friendly nature which makes it a pleasure to dive here.

In the north, Nelson, Picton and Christchurch all offer excellent dive centres and services. Don't miss the crystal clear waters of Pupu Springs, near Takaka, which pumps out millions of litres of fresh clear water every hour. The water here is reputedly the clearest in the world. North Westland (Punakaiki), and Milford Sound also provide good services to the travelling diver with full hire gear available. The South Island offers beautiful lakes in which to dive as well as many shipwrecks, hidden bays and reefs. Stewart Island, just a short hop across Foveaux Straight, is another world of deep inlets and sheltered bays.

Kaikoura

Much more than a dive destination, Kaikoura offers the visitor a wide range of activities which provide the opportunity view and interact with marine life. Various whales, dolphins, seals and seabirds are regular visitors to this coast with best whale and bird sightings between April and October. You can snorkel with fur seals and dusky dolphins, and the reef diving is among the best in New Zealand, with sites suitable for all levels of experience.

Fiordland

Fiordland offers a stunning array of underwater which has not been found anywhere else in the world. Much of the uniqueness is caused by the light absorbing freshwater layer. This restricts algal growth and allows deep-water or light avoiding species to become established in shallow water. Approximately 50 species of fish have so far been recorded by divers within the surface 45m of the fiords. These range from typically warm water to cool water and relatively deep water species. Species usually confined to deep water elsewhere include sandpaper fish and spiny sea dragons.

Black coral is known to occur at a few offshore islands of New Zealand, usually at depths greater than 45m, however in the fiords it can be found in abundance as shallow as 5m deep. Red hydro corals are found from 15m and the saucer sponge and tube anemone, usually considered to be deep water species are common in water less than 20m deep. The great thing about our country is that these are all available to be explored by divers and you will be well rewarded for your efforts if you are prepared to explore. New Zealanders love to dive and love to share their country and waters, with travellers.

If you come to New Zealand to dive, allow yourself time to slow down to our pace. We don't like to rush things and love to savour every moment and aspect of this beautiful country in which we live. We hope you will too.