Explore New Zealand

New Zealand is famous as a land of rugged natural beauty, with coursing rivers, piercing mountain tops, pristine fjords and emerald green countryside. Below the water, the topography is no less varied and the diving here is diverse - sub-tropical reefs around North Island, fjords on South Island and wrecks around the Bay of Islands are just some of the options available. 

The country and its islands are sparsely populated, though the transport networks and visitors centres are excellent which makes getting around a breeze. As travel between islands usually requires a flight, be aware of scuba diving fly limits. 

There are dive centres dotted around the North and South Islands, with the higher density found in the north. On the South Island, they are concentrated around the largest cities of Christchurch, Blenheim and southernmost Dunedin. Dive resorts aren’t a popular phenomenon here and liveaboards exist but are rare, tending to stick around Poor Knights. Though New Zealand is not the most popular location in the world for diving courses, most good dive centres offer courses from introductions up to dive master.

Jacques Cousteau once said that New Zealand contained some of the top five dive sites in the world, speaking of the Poor Knights Marine Reserve. Much underrated as a diving destination, with over 15,000 kilometres of coastline, you will be glad you chose to dive in these virgin waters. Dolphins and seals are just some of the inquisitive encounters you might enjoy - sightings of whales are also not uncommon. Caves, kelp forests, wrecks and deep water drop offs, all encased in cool, clear water, are just some of the gems that await in this ancient, culture steeped land.