Explore Warkworth

Warkworth, a town on the Northland Peninsula of the North Island, offers dive charters to some of the best dive locations in New Zealand. While scuba diving in Warkworth it is possible to explore several marine reserves including the Poor Knights Islands – noted by Jacques Costeau as one of the top 10 dive sites in the world – as well as several wrecks. Impenetrable walls of schooling fish, manta rays, hammerhead sharks as well as orca can be witnessed!

Warkworth diving is possible from the only dive centre in the area, which offers charters and liveaboards to a wide variety of locations in New Zealand. The dive centre offers dive courses to novices as well as experienced professionals, training everyone including sports and technical divers.

Courses and Events

Try Scuba

Looking for underwater adventure? Try SCUBA is the way to go! There is nothing like SCUBA diving! Its much easier than you think and the Try SCUBA entry level program is an ideal way to start exploring the magical world of the big blue ocean like you have never seen it before! On completion you will earn the SSI Try SCUBA recognition card and and learn to love the ocean from a completely new perspective. If you decide to become an Open Water Diver within the first six months, your Try Scuba open water dive will be recognized as one of the required dives. In order to truly enjoy your first underwater experience, an SSI Dive professional will teach you everything you need to know and under their guidance, you will learn the skills you need to enjoy this first experience underwater. Overview of the day - Meet at our dive shop in Warkworth around 8:30am (contact us if a later time suits better) - Dive theory introduction (you will get access to the e-learning when you sign up for your refresher course) - Drive to the dive site (approx. 20-30 mins, please contact us if you don't have your own transport) - Dive briefing - Skills practice shallow water - Continue the dive after the skills - Drive back to the shop & debrief, finish around 1:00 pm Included - Dive instructor - E-learning - Dive equipment - Skills in shallow water, shallow water dive Please bring - Swimsuit & towel - Dry and warm clothing for after the dive - Water & snacks/lunch Important - You need to be able to swim 200m and tread water for 10 minutes when signing up, for your own and your instructors safety in the water - All diving activities are weather dependent. Please read our T&C's before booking. - After completing your try dive, you can sign up for the Open Water Course!

12 February +62 More
EUR 139.82
NZD 275.00

Deep Diving

If you dream of exploring the big blue this specialty is for you. Many exciting dive sites, including historical wrecks and deep walls and drop offs, are located in deeper water. The SSI Deep Diving Specialty will give you the ability to safely and comfortably plan and conduct dives beyond 18 meters, and is a prerequisite for some advanced training. Without proper training, this kind of diving puts you at risk. To scuba dive with confidence at depths down to 40 meters, you should take the SSI Deep Diving Specialty. During the course we cover deep diving equipment, dive planning, decompression theory & more! Overview of the course - Online theory - to be completed before the dives - Boat charter and dives included. Location depends on the date, options are The Poor Knights, HMNZS Waikato Wreck, Little Barrier Island & more! - 3 deep dives are mandatory for your deep diver certification. If you've completed your advanced adventurer course or adventure deep dive, this 1 dive will count towards the certification. - Deep diver exam - Max training depth: 40m - Minimum age: 15m Included - Dive instructor - E-learning - Dive equipment - Training dives - Certification after completing the course successfully Please bring - Swimsuit & towel - Dry and warm clothing for after the dive - Water, snacks and lunch Important - We will give you access to the e-learning when signing up, and it can be completed on a laptop, computer or online app (phone).. - We offer SSI and SDI deep diver courses. If you have a preference for a specific agency - let us know after booking. - Our boat is a 7m RHIB, with limited space for bags and personal belongings. Please bring only what you need (water bottle, sunscreen/hat and food) and leave everything else in the car for after the trip. - All diving activities are weather dependent. Please read our T&C's before booking. Upon completion, you will earn your SSI Deep Diving Specialty certification and be able to explore beautiful deep dive sites wherever you choose. This SSI Specialty is also a prerequisite for some advanced training, making it the next logical step to take in your dive education.

13 February +26 More
EUR 279.64
NZD 550.00

Open Water Diver

This globally-recognized certification program is the best way to begin your life-long adventure as a certified scuba diver. Personalized training is combined with in-water practice sessions to ensure you have the skills and experience required to become truly comfortable underwater, and you will love the ocean from a completely new perspective. The SSI Open Water Diver course consists of three main phases: - Knowledge Development to understand basic principles of scuba diving. You will get access to the e-learning, which should be completed before the course starts - Confined Water Dives (pool training) to learn basic scuba skills and complete the water fitness evaluation - 4 Open Water Dives to review your skills and explore! - Learn all about your scuba gear with SSI scuba lessons. In the SSI Open Water Diver course, you learn to use basic scuba gear including a dive computer, and standard accessories. The equipment you wear varies somewhat, depending upon whether you're diving in tropical, temperate or cold water. Minimum Age: 10 Days: 3 Course is usually done in 3 consecutive days, but can be run over 2 weekends or over several weeks. Our scheduling is flexible - please contact us for alternative schedules. Overview of the course - Day 1: Skill practice & water fitness evaluation We usually meet at Newmarket Olympic Pool in Auckland at 10am, and we will be finished at 3pm. On a Saturday or Sunday we'll usually do our pool training between 1pm and 6pm. We will confirm this after booking, as it might change depending on the pools availability. - Day 2: Open water dives 1 & 2 We'll meet at our dive shop in Warkworth at 8:30am. Here we will get our gear ready, brief you for the dives and you will complete the theory exam. Afterwards we'll head to one of our local marine reserves for 2 dives, with a surface interval on the beach in between dives. We expect to finish around 3pm. - Day 3: Open water dives 3 & 4 We'll meet at our dive shop in Warkworth at 8:30. After getting our gear ready, we'll head to the dive site for the last 2 dives of the course. We expect to finish between 2 and 3pm. Included - Dive instructor - E-learning - Dive equipment - Pool skill session and 4 open water dives - Certification after completing the course successfully Please bring - Swimsuit & towel - Dry and warm clothing for after the dive - Water, snacks and lunch Important - E-learning needs to be completed before the course. We will give you access when signing up, and it can be completed on a laptop, computer or online app (phone). - You need to be able to swim 200m unassisted and tread water for 10 minutes. If you're unable to do this, you can't start the course and are not eligible for a refund.

20 February +8 More
EUR 355.40
NZD 699.00

Stress & Rescue

The Diver Stress & Rescue Course is an important step in expanding your knowledge and experience as a diver. You will learn to prepare for unexpected emergencies, and how to avoid, recognize, and solve problems on the surface and under the water. Stress is a major cause of diving accidents and negatively impacts rescue situations. This program teaches you the skills and knowledge required to recognize and deal with stress, prevent accidents and properly deal with emergency situations encountered by divers. You will learn to perform diver assists and rescues, manage dive accident situations and render first aid. You will earn the SSI Diver Stress and Rescue Specialty certification after completing this program. Minimum Age: 12 Certification Prerequisites: Open Water Diver - Students must have proof of current training (within 2 years) of First Aid, CPR & O2 Provider We recommend having at least 20 logged dives and an advanced or specialty diver certification before starting your rescue course. The more comfortable you are under water, the more you'll get out of your training! Course overview: The course will be run over 2 or 3 days, depending on your experience and conditions. Included - Dive instructor - E-learning - Dive equipment - Training dives - Certification after completing the course successfully Please bring - Swimsuit & towel - Dry and warm clothing for after the dive - Water, snacks and lunch Important - We offer First Aid (including CPR) and O2 Provider training as well. Send us a message to book in if you don't have a current certification. - E-learning needs to be completed before the course. We will give you access when signing up, and it can be completed on a laptop, computer or online app (phone). - You need to be able to swim 200m unassisted and tread water for 10 minutes. If you're unable to do this, you can't start the course and are not eligible for a refund. - We offer SSI and SDI rescue courses. If you have a preference for a specific agency - let us know after booking.

07 March +5 More
EUR 338.11
NZD 665.00

Dive Activity

Diving in Warkworth

While Warkworth diving, delve into New Zealand’s first marine reserve, Goat Island, which is ideal for novice divers and a site where try dives and dive courses are often held. On Hauraki Gulf, visit the kelp forests and sub-tropical environment of Little Barrier and Great Barrier Island in search of hammerhead sharks while there are some incredible wreck dives found at Great Barrier Island as well as close by to the Poor Knights Islands. Sites such as Sail Rock on the Hen and Chicken Islands are ideal for technical divers who want to head deeper.

Top Wildlife Sightings in Warkworth

As many of the islands in the Hauraki Gulf are fed by the East Auckland Current, the area sees a diversity of both tropical and temperate fish. Exploring the Great Barrier and Little Barrier Island’s, hammerhead sharks can be seen migrating. During the summer months at the Poor Knights Islands, giant schools of blue maomao, sea turtles, orcas and manta ray can be witnessed while groupers also visit. Dolphins can be seen during the journey to and from dive sites and there is a wealth of nudibranch, crayfish and invertebrates on volcanic rocks. Fur seals are often seen in the area.

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

Eagle Ray

35 Sightings
J
2
F
15
M
3
A
0
M
8
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
2
D
5

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 300

Octopus

28 Sightings
J
2
F
0
M
0
A
10
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
4
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
12

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 90

Goatfish

228 Sightings
J
47
F
22
M
26
A
20
M
0
J
10
J
5
A
2
S
12
O
18
N
15
D
51

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 110

Snapper

145 Sightings
J
45
F
15
M
24
A
14
M
0
J
4
J
0
A
2
S
1
O
0
N
14
D
26

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 7000

Crab

57 Sightings
J
1
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
1
J
0
A
11
S
5
O
0
N
11
D
28

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 3000

Nudibranch

25 Sightings
J
1
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
2
J
4
A
5
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
13

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 80

Stingrays

23 Sightings
J
5
F
1
M
1
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
1
A
0
S
0
O
11
N
2
D
2

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species: 300

Squid

13 Sightings
J
2
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
11

The best Months to Dive in Warkworth

Warkworth is located in the North Island which is New Zealand’s warmest region and has two distinct seasons underwater. In the summer, between November and April, the water temperature can reach 20°C–23°C/68°F–73°F yet visibility is at its lowest due to plankton blooms. However, it is the best time to see stingrays and orca. In the winter, between May and September, the water temperature drops to 14°C–16°C/57°F–61°F and the visibility improves, reaching 30 meters/98 feet. If you plan to witness hammerhead sharks in the Hauraki Gulf, dive from mid-January to March.

Dive Centers

Dive Sites