Scuba Diving Training, Trips, News and Blog
Dive Trips
Trip Report : Happy New Yeaaaa!
01 year ago
This year, our annual New Year Poor Knights Liveaboard was a three day trip.
Once again, we were going to host the most unique DJ set (in the world?) with DJ Gareth B playing in the New Year in Rikoriko Cave.
I’m in the process of (if I have not already) popping a post up on my personal blog about the set in the cave – Most unique DJ set on the Planet.
And this year, (… excitement!) I had my buddy Marcia along.
Diving with Marcia means hundreds of photographs, long bottom times, early morning dives and very short distances.
One dive, we spent a good 70 minutes underwater taking photographs. We thought we had a bit of a swim back to the boat so we turned …. and came across the anchor line.
We had basically swum around one rock in all that time!
Anyway – back to this years trip.
Three days of diving at the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve with a boat load of fantastic friends … and my camera.
The visibility is down at the moment and there are some weird currents out there. Quite strange for this time of year.
It is almost as if the world has tilted slightly and things have gone a little pear shaped. Either that, or the islands think that it is late October/early November and they are just starting to warm up and the blue water is going to be pushing on through.
Never mind, I have my macro lens so all is well. I’m not going to write a trip report for all the sites we visited over the three days.
But I will post a wee album as there were some pretty amazing underwater sights to see.
From Northern Arch packed with Pink Maomao to a Demoiselle trying to pick off a Tambja verconis in Tie Dye Arch (which was stacked with rays), diving the Poor Knights was, as it always is, stunning!
To everyone – Happy New Year and all the best for 2011. dm xxx
Dive Sites: Poor Knights Islands – Rikoriko Cave
21 year ago
Rikoriko Cave has been surveyed as the largest natural sea cave in the world.
Using 3D lasers and traditional hydrographic surveying, the cave has been measured at 35m high above the water, 26m deep below the water, 80m wide and 139m long.
entrance to Rikoriko Cave
It is a blister cave – formed by a gas bubble in an volcanic eruption 10,000 years ago when the islands were created.
In the Maori language, Rikoriko means waning moon or twilight.
Often the skippers will explain how many bands have played in the cave as the acoustics are known to be some of the best in the world – apparently equal to the Sydney Opera House with an echo that is only one to two seconds shorter than that of the Taj Mahal.
It is an often repeated story that the Spice Girls did a short acapella in this cave on their trip to New Zealand. New Zealand group Pitch Black also performed for the Minister of Conservation in 2003 during sea week – with over 10 boats rafted together.
inside Rikoriko Cave
Diving Rikoriko Cave is an extraordinary experience and so is just entering the cave.
It is a good spot to anchor up and spend the night as well as a fabulous spot for a night dive.
It is very easy to navigate your dive in Rikoriko Cave.
The walls at the entrance to the cave exist in the light zone and are covered in anemones, nudibranchs and starfish – as you would find in most locations at the Poor Knights Islands.
The rear of the cave is affectionately known as a moon scape.
Whilst the bottom is 8m at the rear of the cave down to 15m at the beginning of the light zone, marine life that is known to exist at 200m is found here.
The lack of light brings a whole different perspective.
Quite often we find the noctural Nudibranch, Janolus Ignis, at the back of the cave.
Looking in to the light, a vast window out to the blue shows visibility normally 10m better than any where else.
And at the front of the cave, in front of the pinnacle at approximately 27m, are the remains of a sperm whale head bone.
Location : Maroro Bay, Aorangi Island
( approximately 35°28’35.61″S / 174°44’11.46″E )
Depth : 8m to 30m
Marine Life : Noctural Nudibranchs, Carpet Sharks, Firebrick Starfish
