Take a dive at Goat Island
The north Auckland marine reserve is well worth a visit
It had been nearly four years since my son and daughter, Charles and Lily, had completed their first try dive with Dive Tutukaka and my cunning plan that they would love diving, qualify and become my “on tap” dive buddies.
So on my “to do” list was to help them both qualify as Scuba divers. Lily lost interest when she moved to Christchurch to attend Canterbury University so it was just Charlie and at the end of January Charlie and I decided he should do another try dive just in case he now wasn’t interested... heaven forbid.
I personally consider Goat Island Marine Reserve, New Zealand’s very first marine reserve established in 1975, one of the best places anywhere to take a person who has never tried Scuba diving for a try. Other than a swimming pool, it is a slow slopping sandy seabed off the beach and with staggering fish life, it provides a fantastic introduction to Tangaroa’s wonderland.
Charlie took to the dive straight away. He had no issue with the basics of ear equalising, mask squeeze and buoyancy. I was very impressed. And, despite the relatively shallow dive, his air consumption was very good. After an hour we had both had enough and surfaced.
As we took our kit off I was busting to ask how “obviously” keen Charlie would be to get his dive certificate.
And then Charlie said, “That was great Dad but I don’t want to get my diver certificate” and with that the tap turned off. Oh well, the great thing about scuba diving is you can learn to dive at time of life.
Goat Island marine reserve in Leigh, is just over 100k north of Auckland Airport
Stuart Bilbrough qualified as a NZUA CMAS One Star diver in Christchurch in the mid-1980s. A former board member of the New Zealand Underwater Association and of Dive Pacific magazine, Stuart has a number of dive qualifications, including Club Instructor with the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC).