Explore Your Coast 70km dive - stage one complete!

Rain and wind above the water and restricted visibility beneath the waves

Rain and wind above the water and restricted visibility beneath the waves meant the best view was via the virtual reality headsets where people could do a fully immersive 360 video dive in Taputeranga Marine Reserve without getting wet!
The next day with calmer weather and clearer skies, over 50 people met at Princess Bay to dive the coast for the annual Big Dive event fundraiser for the Taputeranga Marine Reserve. The Green Party’s newest MP Celia Wade-Brown joined in the activities and even dived a section with Nicole, reporting exciting close up sightings of john dory and blue cod. Wade-Brown is also a Patron of the Taputeranga Marine Reserve and an avid environmentalist. Passionate about protecting our natural environment for future generations, she said,

“I have been diving here for many years before the establishment of the marine reserve and I have seen with my own eyes the huge improvement in marine life. For the marine biodiversity and for the people making a living by the sea we need 30% of our marine area protected."

While a third of New Zealand’s land masses are protected in parks and reserves, only 0.48 per cent of our oceans are protected. Currently, Marae Moana in the Cook Islands is the largest marine protected area in the world at just under 2 million square kilometres. The Taputeranga Marine Reserve is 8.55 square kilometres.

Explore Your Coast and the Big Dive are about raising awareness and celebrating our marine environment. Nicole said it was wonderful to see such a positive turn-out and have the support of the local community. Some participants were seasoned divers and others came to try diving or snorkeling for the first time. Nicole says, "The more people engage with the water the more they will appreciate it and the more likely they’ll care for it."

Next weekend the Explore Your Coast series of the events continues. A kina cooking demonstration is scheduled for Scorching Bay 12.30-1.30pm on Saturday 3 February, to coincide with Nicole diving and video documenting the coastline along the Miramar Peninsula from Breaker Bay to Point Haswell. Nicole adds, "Kina are taking over sections of the seabed threatening important kelp forests, so removing some of the kina is not only practical but delicious!"

On Sunday 4 February the diving will start at Days Bay, and head around Eastbourne to Pencarrow Lighthouse. You can join in with the divers from Dive HQ for an underwater and beach clean-up at Days Bay from 10am or join the Great Harbour Way cyclists to ‘Ride Your Coast’, departing from Days Bay Wharf at 10am to Pencarrow Head and return. Finish off the day with a wharf jump and ice cream.

The activities including the 70km dive of our coastline will continue on Waitangi Day, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 February. Everyone ‘s invited to come and join us.

Check Facebook for daily updates https://www.facebook.com/exploreyourcoastwellington and any schedule changes due to weather and look on www.exploreyourcoast.co.nz for more details.