Te Awaatu Passage, New Zealand

By Tony Enderby (Adapted from "passport to diving the world")

Well Known For :

One of the best dive spot in New Zealand.

The dive begins in water the colour of cold tea, with the accent on cold. The green freshwater layer changes to warmer, clear oceanic saltwater at five metres. Descend to the sand at 30m among fields of Victorian-era quill-like sea pens. They glow dull orange and stand 30 cm above the sand. Resident blue cod and girdled wrasse do their best to distract and accompany divers back up the wall. Glowing white colonies of black coral extend at right angles. Some are covered in tightly wound snake stars and all have large numbers of hovering fish. Beneath the underhangs sit brilliant red coral colonies and white sea anemones. Crayfish, splended perch, and banded perch are also here but play second fiddle to the red corals. The emerald green of the surface layer is a backdrop different to any other dive.

(Ok enough with the stories, I'm itchin' for a dive)