At Paihia Dive, we offer exciting dives on two of the most famous shipwrecks in New Zealand – the Rainbow Warrior and The Canterbury.
The Rainbow Warrior, once a Greenpeace flagship, now rests on the seafloor of Matauri Bay, where it was deliberately sunk as an artificial reef in 1987. This iconic shipwreck is now a popular diving spot, where you can explore the ship’s remains and observe the marine life that has made it their home.
The Canterbury, on the other hand, is a former navy frigate that was sunk as an artificial reef off the coast of the Bay of Islands in 2007. This impressive vessel now lies at a depth of 37 meters, offering experienced divers a challenging and rewarding dive.
Our experienced guides will ensure you have a safe and enjoyable dive on these historic shipwrecks. We provide all the necessary equipment and conduct thorough safety briefings before every dive.
Whether you’re a seasoned diver or a beginner, diving on the Rainbow Warrior and The Canterbury is an unforgettable experience you won’t want to miss. Join us at Paihia Dive and discover the fascinating history and vibrant marine life of these iconic shipwrecks.
Learn to dive with the best. Paihia’s Padi Open Water courses start every Monday and run for four days. we operate in small class groups so that you get that personal attention from our great instructors.
One of the world’s premier wreck dives, and which truly is the ‘Jewel of the North’
Price: From $200 per person
Departs: Trips start at 7:45am each day and return at 4:00pm.
Dive Equipment: Full equipment hire available, extra charges do apply.
The Rainbow Warrior was Greenpeace’s flagship.On its way to protest France’s nuclear testing on the Mururoa Atoll when it was sunk by French saboteurs on July 10, 1985, in Auckland Harbour.
After the bombing Greenpeace gifted the Warrior to the sea and she now lies as an artificial reef in the Cavallii Islands, a refuge for the marine life she was sunk trying to protect.
At a max depth of 26m the Warrior is now home to a huge variety of aquatic life and is a world renowned dive site.
This artificial reef has matured into an ever-growing host to marine life and is an excellent shallow water wreck dive suitable for certified open water divers.
The wreck is asplendour of colour with jewel coloured anemones clinging to the rails in hues of purple, yellow and blue making it a great underwater photography subject.
It is the home to schools of Golden Snapper, Kingfish and John Dory making this, one of the worlds most famous wrecks, a most memorable dive.
We start the dive day at 7:45am at our dive shop on Williams rd. We organize equipment and paper work, and load our mini bus and trailer for a 8:30am departure.
We drive 45 minutes north to Matauri Bay were we launch our 7.5m inflatable boat from the beach.
Once at Matauri Bay we set up scuba gear, put wet suits on, and do the safety briefing. Launching the boat is lots of fun from the beach and makes it a very
short boat ride of 8 minutes to the wreck of the Rainbow Warrior.
After the wreck dive we head to one of the beautiful beaches on the Cavalli Islands for some lunch/snorkeling, and if we have any reef/DSD divers on board they do their first dive.
After lunch we then head to one of the many great reef dive sites in the Cavalli Islands. This is normally an 18m or less dive exploring the volcanic reef areas. We have plenty of swim throughs, tunnels and caves, so if you are keen on this let us know!
Once all the diving is done we head back to Matauri Bay, arriving at about 2:30pm and back to Paihia around 4:00pm. Arrival at Paihia can vary depending on how busy the boat is and if customers require to be back for a bus. If you are catching a bus in the afternoon, please let us know!
HMNZS Canterbury wreck she lies in one of the most stunning and sheltered locations in the bay. Accessible almost everyday, a trip to Deep Water Cove will take you through the heart of the Bay of Islands
Price: From $200 per person
Departs: Trips start at 7:45am each day and return at 4:00pm.
Dive Equipment: Full equipment hire available, extra charges do apply.
We start the dive day at 7:45am at our dive shop on Williams rd. We organize equipment and paper work, then load the boat on Paihia wharf for a 8:30am departure.
If you are staying in Russell we are happy to pick you up from the wharf in Russell at 8:45am. Just phone the shop to arrange equipment.
On the way out to the dive site we cruise through the islands and often see Dolphins, Penguins, Seals and marine bird life.
It takes approximately 30 minutes on Sentinel to get to Deep Water Cove, on the way out we can also organize gear and brief for the wreck dive. First up is normally the Wreck Dive, we then cruise to a reef area for some lunch/Snorkeling and if we have any Reef divers/Refreshers or Discover Scuba Divers on board, they do their first dive.
Refresher Divers
We do our first dive after the wreck divers surface at the first reef site. This shallow reef dive gives you a chance to practice in a more controlled environment.
It is done in a small group with the instructor. We go through the whole process of a dive with you.
We start with gearing up and then work on some of the basic skills to get you comfortable in the water again. We pay attention to your buoyancy control and weighting and by the end of the dive you will be ready for the second fun dive.
Discover Scuba Divers
After the wreck divers are up we move to a shallow reef site, gear up and enter the water.
We do some basic skills to get you comfortable with breathing underwater, and then we descend to a maximum depth of 12 metres. Once you are comfortable we take you for a tour of the underwater marine life.
After lunch we then head to one of the many great reef dive sites in the Bay of Islands.
This is normally a 18m or less dive exploring caves, arches, and swim throughs.
Deep Water Cove is a marine reserve, so the marine life in this area is incredible. There is also the chance for more snorkeling at the second site and if time allows a second dive for the Discover Scuba Divers (this carries an extra charge).
Once all the diving is done we cruise back though the islands to Paihia, arriving at the wharf around 3:30pm.
Arrival at Paihia can vary depending on how busy the boat is and if customers require to be back for a bus. If you are catching a bus in the afternoon, please let us know!
Note: The Canterbury lies in water deeper than 18m/60ft. As such, any Open Water divers who wish to dive the wreck must do so in conjunction with a PADI Deep Adventure Dive (which will contribute to their Advanced Open Water certification). This costs an additional $50. You must be a certified diver to dive the wreck.
Price: From $200 per person
Departs: Trips start at 7:45am each day and return at 4:00pm.
Dive Equipment: Full equipment hire available, extra charges do apply.
The reef diving in the Bay of Islands is completely different from anywhere were else in the world. We have a blended zone with tropical fish brought down to our temperate environment, so often we hear it called sub-tropical.
As well as all these tropical fish we see some amazing New Zealand residents. We have the largest Stingrays in the world, with our Short tail Rays getting up to 3m across and weighting over 300kg.
We have 5 different types of Moray’s, with my favourite being the Mosaic. Our Scorpionfish get massive compared to the tropical ones. Northern Scorpionfish can get up 60cm in length but don’t have the deadly sting of there tropical relatives.
Water temperature in the bay of Islands ranges from 15c in late winter and early spring up to 22c in late summer and autumn.
We dive in 1 or 2 piece 7mm wetsuits and use hoods, boots and gloves in winter. In summer you can get away with a 3mm steamer if a little thick skinned!
Visibility is consistently around 15 to 20 metres, but can get up to 40m in late summer when the blue water is in.
This is when we have had east winds for a while and it pushes open ocean water onto the coast.
When this happens we can see Sea Turtles, Manta Ray and the game boats of shore often see Whale Sharks.
The terrain that we dive is volcanic in origin. We have great wall dives, caves and caverns, swim throughs and crevasses. Attached to the rocks and boulders is a forest of Kelp. Our Kelp grows to about 1.5m high, so not to the scale of Californian forests, but still very different to tropical coral reefs.
On The Day: On the way out to the dive site we cruise through the islands and often see Dolphins, Penguins, Seals and marine bird life. It takes approximately 30 minutes on Sentinel to get to Deep Water Cove, on the way out we can also organize gear and brief for the wreck dive.
First up is normally the Wreck Dive, we then cruise to a reef area for some lunch/Snorkeling and if we have any Reef divers/Refreshers or Discover Scuba Divers on board they do their first dive.
Refresher Divers
We do our first dive after the wreck divers surface at the first reef site. This shallow reef dive gives you a chance to practice in a more controlled environment.
It is done in a small group with the instructor. We go through the whole process of a dive with you.
We start with gearing up and then work on some of the basic skills to get you comfortable in the water again. We pay attention to your buoyancy control and weighting and by the end of the dive you will be ready for the second fun dive.
All Dive Trips Please Bring…
Please bring your swimsuit, towel, sun block, camera, and something warm to wear after diving. You are welcome to bring your own lunch, or we are happy to provide a packed lunch for $12.00. Just let us know if you would like the meat or vegetarian option.
Paihia Dive also offer a range of dive courses from Discover scuba, Open water, Advanced open water, Rescue, Specialty courses and Dive master.
Phone: 09 402 7551 Freephone: 0800 107 551
Email: [email protected] Visit our Website: divenz.com
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