New Zealand is a great destination for tourists that like being active in nature such as trampers, hikers and scuba divers.
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Recent diving activity from our members
The Mikhael Lermontov is a Russian cruise liner that sank when it tried to enter the passages of Marlborough Sounds.
- Kaikoura
- White Island, Whakaari
The Aldermen Islands are a set of protected small islands off the coast of Tairua.
- Stewart Island
- Marlborough Sounds
Spectacle Reef is diving on a typical reef returning on the other side.
- Kingfish Reef, Kingfish Rock
- South Sunk Rock
The Tie-Dye Archway is a great dive site just south of the main Poor Knights Islands group.
- El Torito Cave
- Bernie's Cave
The Waikoropupu springs are closed for diving (and all contact with thewater) because of risk of introducing a pest plan...
Lion Rock was another beautiful dive in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. We found loads of green leaves on the bottom an...
- First Cold Water Dive on the Rainbow Warrior...
Named after a Russian poet, who was killed in a duel in his mid 20's, the Lermontov sunk under mysterious circumstances ...
New Zealand is one of the best cold water dive destinations in the world. North near the Poor Knights water temperatures can be as warm as 23 degrees, while the water can drop to freezing levels of 8 degrees in the south of New Zealand near Milford Sound. Visibilities can be as low as a few meters close to shore but offshore island can be lucky and sometimes experience up to thirty meters.
Famous spots around the island are Northland with the Bay of Islands and Doubtless Bay, which are well known area's for short package tours. The Poor Nights Islands are known around the globe and are probably your best bet for diving in New Zealand. Hauraki Gulf is Auckland's private volcanic field and offers a diverse underwater landscape which in turn attracts many different types of marine species. Other well known spots around North Island are the Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki. The south island is more rugged and booking a diving tour outside the summer months might be difficult here. Marlborough sounds is stunning and offers steep cliffs, walls and crystal clear blue waters. Milford Sound is a place all tourists know because it is home to the most famous track in the country, but also offers some stunning underwater world. If you really want to dive to remote areas you should consider Stewart Island where you need your own car and equipment to visit many of the more popular dive sites. The east coast of New Zealand (Canterbury and Otago) offers excellent towns such as Kaikoura, Christchurch and Dunedin, all pretty cities.
All around the country you find excellent multiple day tracking trails, stunning nature and peaceful wildlife. New-Zealand is home to several of the largest creatures mankind can meet underwater such as mink, humpback and fin whales. But also orcas, seals, sea lions and penguins are animals you won't often find while diving somewhere in the world. On top of this there are regions that take advantage of warm Australian currents and have excellent hard coral reefs filled with many of the common tropical fish and colorful anemones. Game fish such as cod, tuna and kingfish is common. New Zealand is not a destination you should go to only for diving. There are many other interesting things to do as well, but if you have time, diving is certainly worth a few days of your trip.