PORT CHARLES

Coromandel Peninsula
Depth Range: 5-22m
Protected from all but easterly swells and wind. Varied reef with kelp forest that drops steeply. Crayfish in the cracks. Some school fish at the top but red and painted moki, wrasses, blue cod and snapper down the wall. Patches of sponge life and anemones mainly on the underhangs. Dozens of triplefins and a few nudibranchs.

STONY BAY

Depth Range: 0-20m
Protected from all but easterly swells and wind. Nice patches of reef and clear water. Usually crayfish close in under the larger boulders and underhangs. Schools of trevally, blue maomao and mackerel around and the odd kingfish. Red moki, leatherjackets and other reef fish in good numbers. Nudibranchs on the shaded rock faces amongst the invertebrates.

CHANNEL ISLAND

Depth Range: 5-30m
Very exposed to all wind and swells. Strong current. Some dumped ammunition, but do not attempt to recover any. Very steep wall with lots of cracks. Crayfish usually in good numbers and include packhorse. Schools of fish all around including kingfish and plenty of colour on the invertebrate walls.

PORT JACKSON

Coromandel Peninsula
Depth Range: 0-22m
Exposed to northerly wind and swells. Strong current around points at either end of bay. Large reef area with crayfish often in quite shallow water. Scallops between the reef on the sand. Schools of trevally, kahawai and mackerel with kingfish quite common. Plenty of reef fish and colourful invertebrates.

FANTAIL BAY

Coromandel Peninsula
Depth Range: 0-25m
Best if wind is from east and no swell. Interesting dive with a shore entry over boulders. Be wary of fishing line and set nets. Good schools of fish in the shallows over the kelp forest and crayfish under the larger rocks. Scallops out over the sand. A wreck sits to the west of the granite wharf.

SHEARER ROCK

Marblefish

East of Tiritiri Matangi Island 

Depth: 3-25m

Watch the current here - best dived on slack water. Interesting cracks and holes in the rock but not many crayfish. A few school fish and lots of invertebrate life. Bits of the ship Royal Tar which hit the rock lay scattered on and around it. Some scallops on the sand near the rock.

TI POINT

Clown Nudibranch

1.5km south of Matheson Bay 

Depth: 5-22m

Interesting dive over large boulders. Some kelp and school fish in the shallows but changes to sponge gardens at 15m. A few crayfish including the occasional packhorse. Few scallops on the sand between the reefs. Nice invertebrate life and a place to see New Zealand’s largest nudibranch, the Wellington nudibranch.

MATHESON BAY

Tube Worms

1km before Leigh

Depth: 0-22m (shore dive)

From the beach head east through the channel. Gradually drops away with rock shelves sheltering a wealth of invertebrate life including large numbers of nudibranchs. Usually quite a few snapper, red moki and school fish. A few crayfish deep in the cracks but hard to get to. One of the best places to see masses of brachiopods on the walls.

DANIELS REEF

Porcupine Fish

300m off Crabb Bay, Leigh 

Depth: 5-18m (shore dive)

A reef that rises close to the surface 300m off the coast. At 10m some kelp covers the rock and underneath in the deep holes are a few crayfish. Schools of kahawai are common in the shallows and kingfish in summer. The odd very big snapper and porae sometimes mooch about where the kelp and rock meets the sand. Look for porcupine fish amongst the kelp.

LEIGH REEF

Yellow moray eel

1km east of Leigh Harbour 

Depth Range: 12-25m

A great dive with good numbers of reef and school fish, including mado. Best dived at slack water as there is usually a current. Descend via the anchor rope to the reef between 12-20m. The reef is riddled with caves and swim throughs. Never lose sight of the cave entrances and be careful not to disturb silt. Crayfish, yellow moray eels and very large conger eels in the caves. Outer walls are covered in encrusting sponges, jewel and common anemones, dead man’s fingers and hydroids. In summer schools of kingfish, some over a metre long make close passes.

OUTPOST

Goatfish

Leigh Harbour entrance 

Depth: 0-20m

An interesting dive along the rock wall, especially when a northerly cuts out a lot of the coast. The rock drops to kelp and scattered sponge garden at 10m. Numerous goatfish rest under the kelp and a few John dory hunt at the edge. Giant boarfish are often seen on the sand. Good invertebrate life, a few nudibranchs and schools of broad squid seasonally.

GOAT ISLAND BEACH

Giant Boarfish

3km from Leigh, 25km from Warkworth 

Depth Range: 0-15m (shore dive)

Large schools of silver drummer and big snapper surround Shag Rock at high tide. Butterfish, blue cod, banded wrasse, kelpfish and red moki are very common among the kelp. Look in the dark areas for nests of large crayfish. Towards the northern end of the island the sea floor shelves off to 15m and the kelp becomes interspersed with encrusting and finger sponges. Giant boarfish feed over the sandy patches near Shag Rock.

NORTH REEF

Diver with finger sponge

200km NW Goat Island, Leigh 

Depth: 0-20m

Kelp forests cover the shallow reef and the vertical walls are covered in colourful invertebrates. Big schools of silver drummer cruise around and huge snapper are common. The cracks are home to large crayfish and yellow moray eels. Often huge schools of kahawai feed on the surface. At 15m the sponge gardens start with butterfly perch and demoiselle schools over them.

EAST GOAT ISLAND

Two-Spot Demoiselle

Just south of Tony’s Cave 

Depth: 0-25m

The walls drop straight to 17m, covered in anemones, sponges and other invertebrates. Schools of blue maomao, trevally and kahawai near the surface, replaced by demoiselles and butterfly perch deeper down. Big crays nestle in the cracks and large transient snapper are usually present but flee as you approach. The gravel bottom is home to giant boarfish, red pigfish and masses of other fish. Best dived in the morning with no swell.

NGATAMAHINE PT

Pink Maomao

NE point, Little Barrier Island 

Depth: 10-25m

A series of pinnacles that drop steeply to sand at 25m. The channels between them have grey and orange finger sponges with butterfly perch, pink maomao, snapper and blue maomao. Large numbers of red moki share the cracks with crayfish and the occasional painted moki. During summer you may see more than a dozen stingrays on the sand. Large yellow moray eels are resident and look amongst the anemones for trumpet and tiger shells.

TE HUE PT

Scallop - Yum!

NW point Little Barrier Island 

Depth: 0-25m

Several huge rocks that drop to 25m. The walls on the shaded sides are a mass of invertebrates below the kelp. The cracks have been known to house dozens of crayfish. Between the rocks a few large snapper mooch around but generally vanish before you can get close. A few scallops on the sand outside the reefs.

ROCKY POINT

Red Moki

Midway east side Little Barrier Island
Depth: 5-22m
A mix of boulders, kelp and reefs with large nests of crayfish and big red moki. Schools of blue maomao and sweep with butterfly perch and demoiselles further down. The walls are covered in colourful invertebrates, sea shells and nudibranchs. Some large yellow moray eels.

HORN ROCK

SE of Little Barrier Island 

Depth Range: 10-25m

A mix of sand at 15 to 25m between walls of kelp-covered rocky reef. On a calm day the fish schools are obvious at the surface. Descend through blue maomao, sweep, demoiselles, trevally, kahawai and kingfish. Look in the cracks between the rocks for crayfish. Jewel anemones and white bonsai-like hydroids with resident Jason nudibranchs line the walls. In late summer large numbers of goatfish mill around the kelp. If the current increases remember to swim into it or you could end up a long way from your dive boat. A safety sausage is a handy accessory.

SHAG POINT

Waratah Anemones

NW of Tryphena Harbour, Great Barrier Island

Depth Range: 5-25m

Broken rocky reefs with kelp cover and crayfish. Plenty of small fish around and the occasional large snapper. Some scallops on the sand away from the edge of the reef. Big red moki common along with yellow moray eels. Nice anemone growth and other invertebrate life on steep walls.

GREEN ISLAND

Hermit Crab

NW Port Abercrombie, Great Barrier Island 

Depth Range: 5-25m

Broken rocky reef with kelp cover and sand channels between. Usually schools blue maomao, trevally and baitfish with kingfish in summer. Some crayfish in cracks and caves. Scallop bed off island, but parchment worms may have taken these over.