Bigeyes Lair & Keyhole Cave
Spectacular diving in the caves and arches of Cape Brett
Heading out of the Cape Brett Reserve you come to Bigeyes Lair.
Situated on the north side of Kariparipa Point. This cave starts at a depth of 14m and runs back towards the point shallowing up to 5m.
As you can tell by the name it’s a place full of bigeye cavefish. We also often see toadstool grouper and yellow banded perch there, both tropical fish not often seen in coastal dive sites. Take care as you near the back of the cave – hundreds of black urchin line the floor! Like land mines!
Further up the cape towards the Hole in the Rock we have Keyhole Cave, a great site and easy to spot since above the water it is shaped like a keyhole. The reef area in front of this cave has lots of rays, schooling fish, crayfish, and scorpionfish. Many other reef fish also call this place home.
The entrance is easily accessible with rays often hanging out in it. At the rear is a very small restriction which, on the calmest of days it is possible to pass through. But once through it is pitch black so remember to take a good torch.
At the back of the cave there is a beach where little blue penguins nest. But please note, it is not practical to access this beach due to the nature of the restrictions present, and even on the calmest of days it gets a lot of surge. The possibility of getting in and not being able to get out is very real. Please practice caution.
Outside the cave many boulders and undercut rocks hide lots of critters for you to find. The average depth here is 10–16m.
The next two sites are at Motukokako or Piercy Island, otherwise known as the Hole in the Rock itself.
The Hole in the Rock is probably the Bay of Islands most popular tourist attraction but those who don’t dive miss out on a truly spectacular experience.
On the right day, with a bit of current, the entrance and exit to the Hole are filled with schooling koheru, trevally, sweep, blue maomao, kahawai and huge kingfish. At times you will find it difficult to see your buddy as the fish can be so densely packed!
To be continued…
For more info contact Paihia Dive at www.divenz.com
