Although the water is cold, getting into it is one way to appreciate the reserve. With a wetsuit, mask and snorkel you can explore the rocks around the shore, while scuba gear will allow you to dive further out. Average depth for divers is approximately 18 metres. Visibility generally ranges from 5-8 metres.

Aquatic Life:

A variety of fish such as triplefins, lumpfish, moki, butterfish/mararī, spotties, banded wrasse, blue cod/kopukopu, leather jackets/kōkiri, crayfish/kōura, paua and rockfish/taumaka can be found.

Warnings:

This reserve protects a typical piece of the Central Hawke's Bay coast. At low tide a broad rock platform is exposed, giving access to a fascinating variety of marine life. At the northern and southern ends of the reserve water depth generally does not exceed 24 metres but between the Aramoana and Blackhead campgrounds it extends out to at least 33 metres deep.

Aquatic Life:

Yung Pen is the wreck of a Taiwanese fishing boat that sunk in December 1982. Only the stern end of the Yung Pen is here, the bow ended up further on shore and was cut up for scrap. The wreck sits in about 5 metres of water in a sheltered lagoon type area on the western side of Owhiro Bay. The wreck is made up of one large section with a few bits and pieces scattered around. The bottom around the wreck is made up of many small boulders.

Aquatic Life:

Water temperature ranges from 8 degrees in the winter to 14 degrees in the summer. Visibility can be excellent here as there is little run-off from the land with 85% of the island covered in native forest (protected thanks to the National Park) extending right down to the shoreline.

Good sites here include Octopus Island, western and eastern ends of Sydney Cove

Aquatic Life:

Diving in Fiordland is a unique experience due to the tea coloured (tanin stained) freshwater layer that permanently sits on the surface of the fiords reducing light penetration. Below this is the calm clear salt water where many organisms usually beyond diveable depths can be seen.

Diving in Fiordland is a unique experience due to the tea coloured (tanin stained) freshwater layer that permanently sits on the surface of the fiords reducing light penetration. Below this is the calm clear salt water where many organisms usually beyond diveable depths can be seen.

The boulder reef is a distinctive feature of this reserve and is interspersed with patches of bedrock reef. The boulder reef is more dominant in the southern end of the reserve. The many cracks and crevices create excellent habitat for local marine life to shelter in. Further out reefs give way to soft sediments with a mixture of mud, sand, shell and gravel.

Aquatic Life:

Common fish species include banded wrasse, spotties, triplefins, goatfish, blue cod, blue moki and tarakihi. Snapper are also occasionally seen.

Barney's Rock is a popular wall dive with lush kelp forest. The rock itself is named after Barney O'Reily, a legendary local whaler who used the rock to spot whales from.

Water temperature ranges from around 10 degrees in winter to 16-18 degrees in summer. Average water visibility is around 5-8 metres. This site is best dived following a northwesterly where visibility can increase up to 15 metres.

Aquatic Life:

Fish species include banded wrasse, spotties, blue cod...[more info required please].