Dive Review of
Dive North - Bay of Islands Ltd./N/A in
New Zealand/Bay of Islands, North Island

 Worldwide diving 46 years, New Zealand previously. 

Dive Conditions

Fairly cooperative about diving your desires and plans, according to your
experience and weather limitations.  

Rinse facilities on shore, not much aboard. Dive operation helpful, but no
special facilities for photographers. Good topography, fish and invert
photography, varied kelp thickets.  

Overall Rating

April is very early fall here, as warm as the water will get all year. This
east side of North Island is sheltered from winds  normally. Bay of Islands
is very picturesque, diving has lots of swimthroughs, caverns and
interesting topography, and very fishy- schools of small to medium fishes,
pelagics on occasion. A fun dive is "Hole in the Rock",
fabulously fishy- but keep your depth, as huge tourist jet boats speed
through here too. Bay of Islands is a great place for critter diving and
photoggers / videographers. Also accessible is the wreck of the famed
(Greenpeace) Rainbow Warrior, sunk by French agents at dock in Auckland and
re-sunk here for divers.

Dive boat is 23 ft Lady Gail partial cover catamaran w/ head, speedy and
fairly comfortable for up to seven divers. Dive operator is a young eager
couple, small waterside shop- much of their business is from a nearby
tourist kiosk. Though they are pleasant and helpful, to the point of
serving hot soup during  the surface interval, we were told the Warrior was
not accessible due to high seas. The truth is others dove it that day, and
we suspect they didn't want to go out there due to the small number of
divers OR to because there was no dive ladder this trip, necessitating
entry using the outboard motor fin (forgotten?), tricky with swell. The
operation is small, and mixes divers of all experience levels and
snorkelers. Dive guides provided, but we were allowed to do our own thing
on our own timelines, with decent briefings for the sites.

Price about US$50 two tank dive (tanks and weights), air only, 10%
discount if booked directly. Can charter boat for 7 for two tank dive for
just under US$400. Dive trips depart Paihia central wharf about 7:30,
return about 2:00 PM. Trips to the Rainbow Warrior just over an hour each
way, second dive is on a reef. Other dive areas 30 minutes. 

Dive North Bay of Islands Ltd.
http://www.bay-of-islands.co.nz/diving/divenorth.html
P.O. Box 361,
Paihia, Bay of Islands
New Zealand 
Phone: +64 9 402 7079; Fax: +64 9 402 5969 
Email: divenorth@xtra.co.nz 

Alternative dive operator would be

Pahia Dive
http://www.divenz.com/
P.O. Box 210
Paihia, Bay of Islands
New Zealand
Phone +64 02 7551,Fax +64 02 7110
divepaihia@xtra.co.nz


 

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