Dive Destination: Getting wet in the Eastern Coromandel

The excitement about heading out for a dive is often the anticipation: you just never know what you’re going to see. It could be a really big fish, or a tiny and vibrant Nudibranch.

On the Eastern Coromandel you would be right to be especially excited. There they’ve had humpback whales come to stay, joining the Brydes and other whales that visit, as well as the resident Orcas - and that’s just on the boat ride out.
“Through October and November, the Humpbacks stayed on for a few weeks which is just unheard of for this area,” said Ryan Hansen of Dive Zone Whitianga.

“We saw them four days in a row, in Mercury Bay in October. One Humpback about 10 metres long came right up and did some laps around us for 10 to 15 minutes going directly under the boat.”

“I had six or so student divers with me at the time gearing up for a dive as part of their tertiary Diploma in Professional SCUBA Instruction. They went ‘wow’ a lot!”  
“We could see a larger humpback in the distance too, and we’ve heard their tail slaps and breaching. I’ve been doing this for 8 years and this winter saw them much more than usual, heading up from Antarctica going north to places like Tonga where they breed and give birth.”

“Usually their visits are short, but not this year. It’s amazing they’re still here.”

Orcas

Ryan adds they’ve had a few Orcas also pass by lately. “A pod came right into the harbour recently, and we often see them roaming along the coast year round.”Ryan says they take divers to a wide variety of places out from Whitianga.

This could be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour’s boat ride including to the Aldermen and Mercury Island groups.

Favourite dive?

So, what’s his favourite dive site?
“I’m asked that all the time and can’t think of a good answer because we see the most amazing things at the most unexpected of places. For instance, on a rough day with rain and dark skies we took our students to the most sheltered spot we could find. There were Kingfish swimming around, and then I noticed a big rock and some of the Kingfish were rubbing up against it, so I went over, and it turned out to be giant Sunfish. At least three metres long.”

“On another day we went to shore dive in a flat sandy bay, a place where I’ve seen Orcas, and an aggregation of long tailed stingrays was there. At least a couple of hundred. The whole bay was full of them!”

“In that same spot on another day we were teaching a group of school kids, about 15 years old, setting up dive flags and floats in the water when a couple of Orca came by, eyeballing them. Some of the kids were in the water which was only about five metres depth. They were awestruck.”

When it turns it on

Ryan, a senior dive instructor, says he’s put on his first tank at age 8, some 27 years ago. Asked what sightings are more common, he says “Well, we don’t often see sharks though there is an occasional one spotted.”
“Divers come here traditionally to photograph, and for the scallops and the crayfish,” he says. “There are good numbers of colourful nudibranchs, lots of school and reef fishes, and Kingfish are always a big hit. There’s plenty to see!”

Many people say the same thing. They say, when the occasion turns it on, it’s pretty spectacular.

“A lot of people get a kick too, out of seeing the snapper and other big fish at the Te Whanganui-a-Hei Marine Reserve, and getting lost amongst schools of fish.”

Boat travel times

No matter how you travel, by the time you arrive you have already seen stunning coastline and islands, white sand beaches and volcanic cliffs, in summer all laced with the bright red flowering Pohutukawa.  

Within an hour’s boat ride from Whitianga is many kilometres of diveable coastline, over 30 islands including the Mercury and Alderman Island groups, the Te Whanganui-a-Hei (Cathedral Cove) Marine reserve, plus countless rocks and pinnacles, shallow sheltered coves and deep vertical walls.

Conditions

Water temps in Summer reach 20-22 degrees C - “practically tropical.” Mid-winter they dip to 14C but the colder water can mean the best visibility, up to 30m. In spring the warming water brings an explosion of salp, plankton, jellyfish, krill and algae, all a buffet for the fish.

What will you see?

Most species are seen year-round with warming water and plentiful food bringing impressive schools of Kingfish, giant Lions Mane Jellyfish, bright yellow striped Koheru, a Hammerhead or a Mako always a chance, and with Giant Boarfish moving in from deeper water in summer.
Then there’s the more commonly encountered Leatherjackets, Sandagers Wrasse, Red Moki, Black Angelfish, Porcupine Fish. Crayfish, Butterfish and Jack Mackerel. Hiding in a crack you might find a Yellow Moray eel, and Octopus homes can be spotted by the shells laid around their entrance. Out on the flat are Snake eels, Eagle rays, and Short and Longtail stingrays, the latter up to four metres long

Archways above and below water, swim throughs, caves, house sized boulders all teem with life with walls covered with Sponges, Anemones and Hydroids. And Clown, Gem and Jasons nudibranchs along with Triplefins , the enchanting Blue eyes and Bleeneys.

Huge schools of Kahawai and Trevally roam around, Pink Maomao can on the deeper pinnacles, with Scorpionfish and Big Eye inhabiting darker areas.
New Zealand Fur Seals take up residence in the area in the winter months, often following divers around in shallower water. Dolphins are common year-round. The Common Dolphin is most often seen offshore while travelling between dive sites whereas the local Bottlenose population is more coastal.

If you are lucky to be around when the Orca are, you might witness a pod on patrol in the shallows, working together to muster Stingrays. No Orca in the wild has ever harmed a human. Turtles too have become an occasional sight. And then there’s the whales.

Really, you never know what’s going to happen. And that’s the beauty of it.

About Dive Zone Whitianga

Darrell Bird opened his store in October 2004. Dive Zone Whitianga's mission is to always provide quality brands of equipment while operating a safe and fun based adventure tourism and education business.
Email: info@divethecoromandel.co.nz
Phone: +64-7-8671580
Website: www.divezonewhitianga.co.nz

Open 7 days, Sunday to Thursday 8am-5pm, Friday & Saturday 8am-6pm