Wellington offers some of the best diving in New Zealand. With exquisite marine life all around, amazing underwater topography, and some great shipwrecks, the area boasts more than twenty quality dive sites, all surrounding a picturesque town with an interesting history. One thing you will notice when diving here is that the visibility is usually between 5 and 10 meters at most sites, and if it has rained recently, expect it to be even lower. Don’t let this deter you from enjoying these fantastic dives – the marine life makes up for the visibility! Here are just five of the terrific dive sites around Wellington.
Princess Bay - New Zealand Dive Sites
A local favorite, Princess Bay features a sloping bottom with gentle contours and maximum depth at just 12 meters. With sandy beaches and good parking, plus nice changing facilities and restrooms, the area is located on the east side of Houghton Bay, and is well sheltered from direct swell. To the south of the parking area, you’ll find fantastic rocky reefs with crayfish, octopus, and nudibranchs in attendance, as well as a lovely gravel-bottomed area where sea hares can sometimes be found. Watch for blue moki and teakihi, blue cod and wrasse, among others.
The Sirens - New Zealand Dive Sites
A picturesque area of rocky coastline that barely separates the road from the sea, The Sirens is located to the west of Island Bay. You can park in front of the Island Bay Marine Laboratory and the Brass Monkey Café. With a gentle, sloping bottom that descends to a maximum depth just over 13 meters, the site features long, rocky reefs that are jam-packed with life. Between the reefs, which are quite close together, small channels with gravel bottoms provide shelter to crayfish and crabs, octopus, and sea stars. There are some narrow swimthroughs to explore, and there are lots of banded wrasse, red and blue moki, terahiki, blue cod, spottys, butterfish and maori chief here, along with jack, mackerel, and sea perch. There is normally very little current here, providing for a fantastically relaxing experience.
Owhiro Bay Shipwrecks - New Zealand Dive Sites
The four shipwrecks accessible from this site are all in about 13 meters of water. This site is easily accessed via a boat ramp, and the bay is well sheltered from outside swell. Besides the wrecks, the area has some fantastic rocky reefs and gravel flats where you can find a variety of marine life.
Once in the water, head around to the right, following the gravel channel for a short distance. The wreck of the Yung Pen, a 37 foot Taiwanese fishing vessel built in 1970, lies beneath barely a meter of water at low tide, with maximum depth at about 7 meters. This wreck is just about 20 meters from shore and is well broken up as it was salvaged after sinking in 1982.
Located 50 meters to the west of the first wreck, you’ll find the site where shattered remains of the Cyrus rest. This triple masted barque was built at Prince Edward Island in 1874, and was 119 feet long. The water here is about 5 meters deep, and all you will find are nails and pegs, splinters of wood, and small pieces of copper sheath. On occasion, divers have discovered gold and silver coins, and even pieces of jewelry have been found. Take a close look – you never know what you might find!
The Wellington, which is sometimes called the Helios, was lost during the same March 1869 storm as the Cyrus. Lying along the sloping bottom in 8-12 meters of water, this once proud 153 foot full-rigged ship has been reduced to little but splinters, but the donkey boiler and a pair of anchors remain. It is located approximately 50 meters from Cyrus.
To the southeast of the Yung Pen, you’ll find the remains of the Progress lying along a slope, in 3-12 meters of water, along the rock and shingle bottom. Built in 1882, little remains of this 129 foot iron steamer but some ribs, the ship’s engine, and a boiler. She was lost in 1931, and took 4 crew members with her.
Point Gordon - New Zealand Dive Sites
Located just south of Kau Point, this rocky promontory features depths between 5 and 7 meters around the rocks, and maximum depth of 20 meters out in the channel. Used during WWII as a defense position, the site features some concrete foundations among the rocks, as well as the remains of the harbor defense boom, which was a wire rope net used to keep submarines from entering the harbor. Out in the channel, bits of old shipwrecks can be found, and there is excellent fish life in both areas. The rocks and a nearby kelp forest shelter a wealth of marine life large and small, and two beaches provide easy entry and exit points. Visibility tends to be best in the shallower areas, but if you manage to find the boom, you will get a look at some larger fish. The site is good for several dives, as there is plenty to see!
Whitireia Point - New Zealand Dive Sites
Extending into the Porirua Harbor entrance channel, Whitireia Point is the northernmost point of Titahi Bay peninsula. Protected from the southerlies by high cliffs and from the westerly swell by the point itself, this well-sheltered site is a haven for marine life of all kinds. A short walk from the parking lot, you will find a clear, calm pool which you can enter via a giant stride or forward roll, which is full of colorful invertebrates and crustaceans. There are lots of stingrays among the rocky channels, where sandy patches provide them with resting places, and the fish life is great. Watch for wrasse and spottys, as well as moki, butterfish, crayfish, and an octopus or two.
These are just a handful of the great dives you’ll find at Wellington, and as you don’t need a charter to access them, you can enjoy them anytime conditions are calm. Local dive shops can provide you with maps and airfills, as well as equipment rentals in the event you haven’t brought your own with you. Grab a buddy, and have fun!