The topography at this site is great with a rocky reef full of of cracks, crevices and canyons. Plenty of kelp as well as invert encrusted patches on walls. Plenty to explore!

Aquatic Life:

This site is mostly well lit with lots of kelp, lessonia is quite dominant. There are also some shaded steep walls and little guts and other darker areas for encrusting life to thrive.

Usual coral walls and holes, shark spots, and a wreck. Used Beluga Diving when we stayed , professional informative and friendly.

Aquatic Life:

Sharks, turtles, tropical fish,

Warnings:

Tropical fish with spines

Directions:

Vava'u is smaller island short flight from the main island

Dived off from the beach, hired the gear from the local resort, I only went out as far as the reef as the locals warned me not to go further as thats where the sharks feed

Aquatic Life:

visability was endless, water was warm and the fish life was great

Warnings:

Normal tropical hazards, sharks (never saw any) sea snakes (saw a few) and things that sting. There were strong rips close to the reef.

Directions:

Get in a taxi and head south, that easy

This rocky coastline faces south and is exposed to the full force of the southerlies which regularly pound Wellington’s southern shores. A couple of days of northerlies though and this site is a cracker and one of the most dramatic and convenient of Wellington’s dive sites. Long rocky reefs extend out SSW with steep walled channels and gravely flats between them with shaded walls prolific with encrusting life and lush mixed kelp forests in well lit areas.

Cape Rodney to Okakari Point Marine Reserve (more commonly known as Leigh or Goat Island) was established over 30 years ago and was New Zealand's first marine reserve. Previously charachterised by barren rock flats grazed bare by kina (sea urchins), since gaining protection predators such as snapper and rock lobster (crayfish) populations have recovered keeping kina in check and allowing a rich and diverse ecosystem to thrive.