North Island
Explore North IslandLocated closest to the equator, New Zealand’s North Island experiences the cou
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.
Power Plug Type
I
Payment Method
VISA, MC, AMEX, DIS, DC, JCB
Tipping
5–10% / Service Staff / Tipping is appreciated but not mandatory.
Airports
AKL
Currency
NZD
Dial Code
+64
Electricity
230V / 50Hz
Time
UTC+12, UTC+13
Places to explore
Courses and Events
Dive Centers
Dive Sites
Top Wildlife Sightings in New Zealand
The marine life you can find here is abundant, varied and will put New Zealand firmly at the top of every divers’ bucket list. The cool, nutrient rich waters attract life from deep within the oceans. Macro life such as nudibranch adorn many rocky reefs while crustaceans ranging from tiny, translucent glass shrimp to big, confident lobsters all scuttle along the seafloor. A highlight for many are the spiny sea dragons huddling in the seaweed of Milford Sound.
Small, iridescent fish hover in schools over the corals of the northern reefs and create aquarium-like vistas. The deep water draws in larger pelagic fish from the deep - big game species like tuna, kingfish, blue cod, marlin and John Dory school and hunt out in the blue. The summer months can even bring the weird and wonderful mola mola and manta rays.
Sharks are drawn by these large fish numbers. Big sharks swim in deeper waters away from the dive sites but bronze whaler and mako sharks are seen, as well as the rare seven gill. Other predators include stingrays, moray eels and sea snakes, while less intimidating turtles sedately glide around the reefs.
New Zealand is marine mammal central - over half the worlds’ cetaceans are found here. Porpoises and dolphins are common sights and there are more penguin species found here than anywhere else in the world. Fur seals are a favourite, their inquisitive and playful dispositions have earned them the nickname of “puppies of the sea”!
Whales are natives to these deep, nutrient abundant oceans. The planet’s largest animal, the blue whale, is endemic, are are humpbacks, southern rights and sperm whales. Poor Knights marine reserve offers a spectacular chance to see orcas feeding on the resident stingrays.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 25
iStock/Juliosanjuan
Eagle Ray
1.2k Sightings
J
208
F
101
M
215
A
70
M
90
J
23
J
47
A
45
S
43
O
93
N
80
D
186
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
886 Sightings
J
164
F
83
M
134
A
75
M
44
J
51
J
36
A
22
S
51
O
42
N
65
D
119
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
723 Sightings
J
175
F
77
M
55
A
51
M
35
J
22
J
36
A
41
S
47
O
37
N
59
D
88
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
Octopus
469 Sightings
J
79
F
35
M
34
A
24
M
13
J
33
J
19
A
31
S
25
O
20
N
60
D
96
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 110
iStock-Rainer von Brandis
Snapper
2.9k Sightings
J
529
F
251
M
491
A
198
M
206
J
128
J
137
A
100
S
137
O
164
N
224
D
382
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 600
Shutterstock-dushkovladimir
Crayfish
1.7k Sightings
J
175
F
134
M
149
A
166
M
195
J
95
J
58
A
102
S
106
O
104
N
178
D
188
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 90
Shutterstock-Levent Konuk
Goatfish
1.4k Sightings
J
283
F
119
M
209
A
99
M
59
J
46
J
59
A
43
S
86
O
103
N
68
D
186
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 80
iStock/Extreme-Photographer
Stingrays
1k Sightings
J
187
F
105
M
200
A
70
M
41
J
22
J
41
A
44
S
44
O
45
N
88
D
137
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 35
Shutterstock-divedog
Trout
694 Sightings
J
62
F
60
M
73
A
97
M
67
J
27
J
26
A
30
S
49
O
53
N
68
D
82
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 3000
SSI-Peter-Schinck
Nudibranch
606 Sightings
J
93
F
65
M
51
A
41
M
18
J
23
J
15
A
19
S
45
O
52
N
53
D
131
