Blue Ocean Charters-Diving trips

PRICES for the 2008/2009 season

Dive Site Information

Astrolabe Reef
This is an outstanding outlying reef with plentiful fish life.This reef structure just breaks the surface at low tide, roughly halfway between Motiti and Mayor Islands. It is renowned for pristine water (great photography), spectacular drop-offs to 37m and shallow plateaus alive with fish and the occasional seal. This is a stellar scenic experience with visibility from 6-30m.

Plate Island
This area offers a beautiful scenic dive and is home to many seals.

Mayor Island marine reserve
This area is 40km NE from Tauranga. Diverse underwater terrain. Pristine waters. Excellent marine life. Sea floor very interesting, with caves and dropoffs. Best areas - Western Bay, Cathedral Bay, Bait Pond, Crater Bay. Two popular reefs in the area are Tuhua Reef and Twenty Fathom Reef.

The marine reserve was established in January 1993. It covers about three square nautical miles at the northern end of the island and extends from mean high water springs mark to one nautical mile offshore. The reserve includes about 5 kms of coastline from Tumutu Point east to Turanganui Point. Within the marine reserve a "mixed weed" zone occurs from low tide mark to depths of 6-9m. Rock girdles are the most common seaweeds, but a variety of other brown, red and green species also characterises the zone. Scattered amongst these weeds and beyond the depth limits of the zone there are often dense concentrations of sea urchins or kina. These graze on seaweeds and so reduce some areas to the appearance of bare rock. From about 3-30 metres, paddleweed kelp forms dense forests wherever rock bottoms are present. Beneath these canopies there may be other smaller algal species in addition to "bushy" or "encrusting" animals such as hydroids, bryozoans, sponges, ascidians, soft corals and anemones. Cup corals, extensive areas of lace coral and beds of black coral also occur in these deeper areas of water. Other subtidal animals include large black spiny sea urchins, chitons, snails and limpets, feather stars, brittle stars, starfish, sea cucumbers, rock lobsters and crabs.

Over 60 species of fish are known from the area. Common species in shallow, rocky areas include black angelfish, leatherjackets, hiwihiwi, marblefish, paketi, banded wrasse and red moki. Two spot demoiselles, sweep and blue maomao occur widely and red mullet or goatfish are common in sandy areas. Moray eels and stingrays are seen in parts and schools of koheru, kingfish, trevally and pink maomao often congregate near pinnacles and deeper water dropoffs. Subtropical species sometimes seen include Lord Howe coralfish, long finned boarfish, down toado and crimson cleanerfish.

Taioma Wreck Dive The Taioma, , a name derived from two maori words, Tai - meaning water or tide, and Oma, meaning running with. The Taioma - "Running with the Tide". A WW2 tug, she is sitting on the sand in 27 meters of water, on the SE side of Motiti Island.

Penguin Shoals A Beautiful dive site with the top at 22 metres. This dive site is a small rock half way to Mayor Island. It tops out at 22 metres and drops off with vertical walls to about 60 Metres. Large numbers of Pelagic species can be seen at this site. A popular fishing spot for Kingi's.This reef structure just breaks the surface at low tide, roughly halfway between Motiti and Mayor Islands. It is renowned for pristine water (great photography), spectacular drop-offs to 37m and shallow plateaus alive with fish and the occasional seal. This is a stellar scenic experience with visibility from 6-30m.Lying 40km north east of Tauranga this dive mecca and marine reserve is warmed by the East Auckland Current, which draws in many subtropical fish species like Lord Howe coral fish, crimson cleanerfish and boarfish. The sea floor has fascinating caves, drop-offs, pinnacles, hot water vents and black obsidian beds (volcanic glass). Dense forests of paddleweed kelp extend to 30 metres, and the reefs are festooned with lace coral, cup coral, colourful anemones, sponges and hydroids. Top spots are Tuhua Reef, Cathedral Bay, Western Bay and the Bait Pond.

Karewa Island
This wildlife sanctuary 12km from Mt Maunganui offers good diving and snorkelling with visibility to 9m. The Taranaki shipwreck lies on the northern side of the island.

Motiti Island
This island is 23km offshore and offers good diving in sheltered bays with reefs from 5-18m deep. In common with other Bay of Plenty islands the crayfish (lobster), paua (abalone) and scallops can readily be found.

Aldermans

This interesting area is made up of a number of Islands and features pinnacles with prolific underwater life. There are spectacular drop-offs to 55 metres on which large pelagic fish can be seen cruising in the warmer months.