Diving New Zealand in winter

[Oceanlovers]

From the warm waters of Ningaloo, West Oz my vacation takes me to the wreck of the Yongala, Townsville and then onto NZ - Christchurch to start with.
Are there any must do sites in NZ as I am flexible and recently won the lotto :monkeydan
Planning around a month...
Anyone dive the remote Chatham Islands?
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Cheers Oceanlovers

 

[elbuzo]

New Zealand

Don´t miss Poor Knights , i went for 1 month (feb/2002) and i found the diving great besides that the water was too cold (17 c) for this caribbean soul . The viz at that time (summer) was poor , around 25 ft. so i did only macro and some video. The rocky bottom is full of life and color , you will find archs and caves very dramatic underwater.

I spent 1 week at the small Tutukaka´Pacific Rendevouz (www.oceanresort.co.nz) the location is spectacular.... very peaceful and incredible views but not luxurious.

I dove with Dive Tutukaka , they have fastest/modern boats but usually a bit crowded.
So i dove more with Knight Divers a much small operator with older boat but i found it more relaxing and easy going.

At NZ you will find a lot things to do if you like the outdoors , adventure and nature . I suggest to buy the Lonely Planet NZ guide, i found it invaluable to plan my trip also to move around there.

There you will find some dolphins/whale watching trips , i went out of :Auckland , Bay Island and Kaikoura . This last one place you can see hundreds of dolphins and some sperm whales . If the conditions are right the allow you to get in the water and interact with the dolphins.

For some topside action go to Queenstown.

Have a great trip and don´t forget a dry suit.

Saludos

Elbuzo

 

[stefo2]

Yup, definetely the Poor Knights. I dived there in winter (August) 3 years ago, and water temperatures were around 14-15°C - o.k. in a 7mm 2-piece. Visibility was EXCELLENT, felt almost unlimited...I also dived with Dive!Tutukaka, and it was not crowded in winter. Very professional outfit with good rental equipment.

 

[greg somers]

Dive Toots will be fine in winter. I've dived with them as well as Knight Diver. Most of the operators ther know the area well. Just at the edge of Tutukaka harbour are 2 wrecks sunk especially for divers. The 'Tui' and the 'Waikato'. Ex naval ships and dive toots go to both.
It depends on how experienced you are. I dive a 5mm all year round with boots, hood & gloves in winter. I'm fine with that and never need to use the internal pee heating system built into every diver.
Also further north at Matauri Bay is the Rainbow Warrier.
The truth is that NZ has an abundance of dive sites & conditions. Beach dives, boat dives, lake dives. 5% of the country are qualified divers so ask around as everyone has their little possie home where the bugs roam and the photos click all the day....lol
Also call the local dive shops when you get here as they are always organising dives.

Cheers Big Ears

Gasman

 

[Bubble Junky]

The Poor Knights is the best known in NZ, for good reason. I used to work a bit further north in Paihia, Bay of Islands. Paihia is a good place to dive the Rainbow Warrior from. It's a nice easy, small wreck covered with jewel anemones. Also from Paihia, Cathederal Cave is an awesome dive. Check www.divenz.com.

 

[AndyNZ]

Resurection of a thread two years old???????

 

[Haiko]

Seems like it...
Best thing is that I will be in NZ in september (I'll guess its's still winter then) to do some diving.
I'll sure check out Dive Tutakaka and others to see if I can do some courses with them.

So keep those suggestions coming...

 

[AndyNZ]

Best thing is that I will be in NZ in september (I'll guess its's still winter then) to do some diving.

September is the turning point between winter and spring - water temperature will probably be around 14-15 degC at the beginning of the month and rising gently from there until December where it should be around 19-20 degC.

Weather can be a bit odd in September - expect lots of rain in the north island. The good news is that the spring skiing is at it's best in September!

 

[Haiko]

September is the turning point between winter and spring - water temperature will probably be around 14-15 degC at the beginning of the month and rising gently from there until December where it should be around 19-20 degC.

Weather can be a bit odd in September - expect lots of rain in the north island. The good news is that the spring skiing is at it's best in September!

Hmmm, de temperature of our North Sea is at this moment around 9 degC, and I have seen people jump into it with just their shorts on. So I'll guess 15 degC with a 7mil can't be that bad.. can it?:05: But I'll have 12months time, so I'm not in a real hurry to get wet, although I hardly can wait for that day to come!


And rain, well I'm pretty used to that too. Skiing sounds fun too, guess that will be on the South Island? The airline will dump me in Auckland...

 

[AndyNZ]

Hmmm, de temperature of our North Sea is at this moment around 9 degC, and I have seen people jump into it with just their shorts on. So I'll guess 15 degC with a 7mil can't be that bad.. can it?

No, but the surface interval is the killer on a two dive day... particularly if it's a wet and windy day!

And rain, well I'm pretty used to that too. Skiing sounds fun too, guess that will be on the South Island? The airline will dump me in Auckland...

There's some good skiing on the North Island as well.... Mt Ruapehu (www.mtruapehu.com) is actually NZ's largest ski field and only a four hour drive from Auckland.