Diving 2010

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Photoalbum The Poor Knights Islands

     

Photoalbum New Zealand

Diving

 

Sunday November 7, 2010: Dive the Poor Knights Islands

Three in the morning and Timo is awake by the mobile phone. Apparently Davy of Kaai24 has called. He’ll have to wait until I return. Since we’re awake we go to the toilet and briefly enjoy the marvelous nightly starry sky. At least you can see some starts here. If there are not a million stars visible, we see none. There is not a single light on, only one in the cabin a bit further. The sky really looks beautiful. Eef also checks this out and then we go back to bed. At about six Timo is up and starts to correct the report of yesterday. There are many typing errors in it, because in the end he had enough to drink. He comes out of the camper and is being welcomed by the duck family and on the pasture behind the camping there are many rabbits. It’s about time to prepare for the dives, so we do that. We mustn’t forget anything and arrive on time.

We walk to the dive center and the welcome is very good, it is a very professional center, because everything is running smoothly. They have two boats for today and on one there are ten people and the other one has twelve. Everybody has to try his/her gear and they put everything into bags and will load it to the boats. We’re on ‘El Tigre’ today for The Poor Knights Islands. That’s where we want to be today! Ben and Evan (Canadian and American) are the skippers and the dive instructors. They’ll announce what will happen today. Before we board the vessel we encounter a lady from Vilvoorde and we start to chat with her and for the whole trip we have company.

We leave on El Tigre to the Poor Knights Islands at about nine and it should take us one hour and fifteen minutes to reach the islands. We can’t see the islands from the harbor, but once we’re on open sea we see about three large islands in the distance and we go to that direction today. The sea is pretty choppy and Kristien (the Flemish lady) has taken some medication against motion sickness, just to be on the safe side. But everybody is OK, no stomach have turned during the trip. The two skippers take turn to drive, because it would get boring for them. Our first diving spot is Middle Arch. From the boat it looks very nice. It’s a large arch in a small bay with high rocks at all sides.

Ben gives a short briefing with some additional info on the islands itself. In the past there were many different species of birds, insects and reptiles, but also introduced species. They were all wiped out, so the native fauna and flora could regenerate their numbers. We see gannets and some shearwaters: this species of shearwater is endemic to these islands and does not even live on mainland of New Zealand. The briefing is about the dive site itself and that’s quite easy: follow the wall with the right shoulder and then we should see the arch and then a cave and then turn back. Timo thinks he should be all right. This means that we will only dive the two of us, no probs.

We prepare everything, put on the double 7 mm and then after a buddy check we can start the dive. We’re the last buddy team in, but we’ve got plenty of time, because we’re on vacation, so no worries. That’s something they use here all the time and Timo already started to us it too. So no worries! We swim on the surface to the wall to ensure we don’t have to go too deep at once. Timo leads the dive and follows the wall at his right side. We slowly go down and reach a maximum depth of 20 meters. Then we follow the wall and we already spotted many small fish, but also kelp. That is something special, something we’ve not seen before during a dive. The sight is special and the plants are attached to the rocks with a small foot. The rocks are not grey, but more red and orange, really pretty. During the first fifteen minutes of the dive we don’t spot that many species, mainly wrasse and damselfish. After that our eyes are used to the special colors and the circumstances we see a large scorpionfish. And when I say large, I also means large. We estimate the size of the fish to forty centimeter; this is amazing.

We reach the arch without problems and dive inside. They warned there could be some current here, but that would be mild, can’t really be described as current actually. And then Timo sees the first nudibranch, and then another one and another one. Once we’ve seen the first one we see more and also different species, not always the same but in total four different ones. The one is mainly white with orange dots and dark red feelers, the other one looks exactly like a rock and the third one is a combination of number 2 and 4 and the last one is really beautiful. The main color is green and blue and a bit black, really thé species of New Zealand. We see some blennies in different places and also different kinds. A specific feature is that the eyes of the triplefin are beautifully blue.

We see everywhere the jellyfish and the scorpionfish and the kelp. Between the kelp-plats there is also a yellow moray, also very beautiful. We see some of the other buddy teams and it also seems like they’re having fun. We turn back via the same route and after 56 minutes we also return to the surface. That was enough and it gets colder, even with a double 7. The temperature at the bottom is only 15°, which is pretty cold and they especially asked upfront if we were used to dive in cold waters. I would say yes. So the first dive is over and it has been really a great experience. We take a surface interval to get warmed up and then go for the second; hopefully that one is as good as the first. We have our lunch that we brought from home (the camper that is, because it is our home for a week already). Bread with cheese, choco and marmalade. We get coffee and other hot drinks on the boat for free and we can really use that right now. The second hot drink is soup, not fresh one, but out of sacks. It does well, especially for Eef, because she was shaking all the time.

After lunch the two skippers take us to the biggest sea cave in the world. At least that is what they say, because nobody seems to know the exact dimensions of the cave. The acoustics are really good and we all need to demonstrate that by yelling very loudly. Then we drive ten more minutes to the second dive spot. The first was Middle Arch, the second is Jans Tunnel. First we need to get back into the wet wetsuits, which is not pleasant, but then sun is there and has warmed everything up a bit. We use the same plan for the dive, but now the other way around, we dive to the right. Everything OK and now we’re the second buddy team in the water. We see the same fish, the same kelp and also two nudibranches. During this dive we spot less things than during the first one, but it still is quite nice. Then suddenly we see a large white tube coming from a rock, it is about four meters long and 40 centimeter wide. Later they tell us this is a colony of animals that have assembled into one shape. It’s very special and looks funny. We dive through the kelp forest and again see many scorpionfish, one moray and beautiful anemones on the rocks.

Suddenly a yell goes through the water. Timo has seen the most beautiful anemone. Till recently we’ve not spotted this species, but in 2010 once in The Netherlands and now once in New Zealand, small difference. We dive through the caves and swim troughs and see plenty of beautiful things, also coral that’s hanging from the wall over the depth. Everything has beautiful colors here, from brown over orange, blue, green, red, purple: we see all colors of the rainbow. It’s much colder than the first dive and now we stop after 46 minutes. We end up very close to the boat, so Timo has really learnt from his specialty course navigation. He really paid attention to a big crack in the side of the wall opposite to the boat and new he had to swim away from the wall there. Back on board take all the gear and put everything away, then dry up and then there is still an hour back on the boat to Tutukaka. After a beautiful day of diving we drink something at SchnappaRock, the restaurant and bar next to the dive shop. Then we return to the camping: Eef tot take a shower, Timo to write the report and to load all the pictures to the laptop.

Then we still have time to return to the bar, because we can use the wireless for free. After many problems Timo manages to connect to the wireless. We send a few mails with some picture to Linda, Patrik, Jurgen, Roel, Maurits, Leentje, Aagje, Veerle (the most loyal website-fan) and let them know everything is OK. We have two beers and then return for the last time back to the camping. While Timo takes a shower, Eef prepares a meal: spaghetti with tomato-sauce. It’s a bit spicy, but really good. After that it’s time to go to sleep. Eef is down at 21:30 and Timo finishes the report and after ten sleeps too. A very exhausting day comes to an end. Tomorrow we dive two more times here and then we head further south.

 

Monday November 8, 2010: Dive the Poor Knights Islands

Today is our second dive day on The Poor Knights. We get up at 06:30 and have a small breakfast and drink some coffee. We prepare again everything to go diving: computers, cameras, under water housing and masks and snorkels. We have time enough today, because we left the diving equipment inside the bags and we only need to be at the dive center at 08:30. That’s much easier. A few minutes after eight we leave to Tutukaka Harbor and there it looks like a beehive again. A bit less than yesterday, because today there is only one boat: Calypso. We wait for the boat and we should leave at about 08:30. They are very punctual here and that is very nice.

A few minutes late the boat leaves the harbor. This one is even bigger than the one from yesterday, we think that there are 15 divers here and then a few snorkelers in addition, but more about that later. Off we go and the sea is much calmer than yesterday, which on itself is nice. Firstly for the ride there and secondly because we might spot a whale now. Going there we don’t succeed. Timo looks for a spout from the upper deck, but sees nothing that looks like a whale. Bad luck, but we mainly came here to dive. Everything is better, because now we arrive there within an hour. Timo had been chatting with a lady (Ann) from Hawaii and was talking about diving and snorkeling. She even says she heard this was the most beautiful spot to dive in the whole world. The dives of yesterday were good, but to say the best: that’s something else.

We receive the briefing together with another buddy team first. We’re at a dive site with four rocks. We need to find the first rock on the surface and then dive to the other ones. We quickly find the first one at about twenty meters from the boat. Here we start or dive and we see the environment is the same as yesterday. The kelp plants rock with the current and then rocks are covered with colorful plants and anemones. Very beautiful. We dive around the rock and when we reach the other side, we need to dive 5 meters away from the rock and then need to see the next one. We stop on the way for a hug scorpionfish and a few nudibranches. They are really big and measure 8 to 10 centimeter. And in addition they have beautiful colors. One of them has a kind of veil with brown, green and blue parts in it. Because they’re so big you can clearly see the antennae and the feathers that are on the antennae. The animals are really magnificent.

We see a mosaic moray and it looks very dangerous with its big teeth. Its body lies on the rocks and is dark brown with lighter spots, a magnificent animal. Right next to it we see a scorpionfish and they are also amazing (can’t call them pretty) and they almost don’t move. They are so convinced you can’t see them that you can get very close to them, but we don’t come too close. We turn around the next rock and see more nudibranches, a white with orange spots. The feelers are purple-red and also the plumes at the back of the body. The number of fish is larges, but the variety of species is not that big and the water here is still too cold to see the real tropical species. After half an hour  - the camera-batteries are dead – we turn back and there we enjoy in shallow waters the beautiful views under water.

After 56 minutes we’re finished, because it starts to get cold. We climb on board, receive a hot drink and set ourselves to dry in the sun. Eef is shaking the first twenty minutes, but in de sun this is over soon. Timo is used to the cold water and it does not bother him. Yesterday he was cold during the second dive, but today all is well.

Everybody is back n board within half an hour. Everybody? No, not really, apparently they are missing a snorkeler. Nobody is worried, until Luke (instructor) has searched the whole bay with a zodiac and has not found the girl. He even searches outside the bay and finds nobody. Even the large boat takes part in the search and another boat from another dive center is checking too. The search lasts for about an hour and then they go to a different bay and then on to the canal between the two main islands: nobody can swim that far? Apparently someone did, because way south of the most northern island Luke finally recovers Bianca. What do you think you’re doing? Swimming back to the boat. You’re swimming away from the boat. In the end everyone is happy she’s found and we can go to the second dive site.

This time we get the briefing from another instructor, Sam and that briefing is really very thorough. We dive through a tunnel, then keep a left, maximum depth 1à to 12 meters and then follow the wall ad then back to the boat. In theory you should be able to do this within ten minutes, but they advice to dive very calm and then you can reach a long divetime, since maximum depth is only 15 meters. We enter the water first, because in the tunnel/cave you can see millions of blue mao mao. We go down, dive into the tunnel under a big boulder that keeps the light out, but once through that we reach a huge hall where the light comes from everywhere. There is a beautiful play of light coming down from the holes in the cave and then the blue color of the mao mao: a simple fish, but it’s great because the numbers are so huge.

When we come to the end of the tunnel there are a few boulders and rocks and we follow the wall at our left side. The jellyfish are always present; they flow in and out and over and under everything here. They don’t move a lot, but they are present in that huge numbers that is gets annoying sometimes. When you try to take a picture of a fish or of your buddy, they’re always in the way. Can get annoying. We see a mosaic moray again and a few large scorpionfish and a couple of big pigfish. They are red and beautifully contrast with the dark background inside the tunnel, because we don’t see them outside. Also the nudibranches are here again. The blue-green one with a plume and also the white one with the orange stripes. Timo has plenty of fun taking pictures. We followed the briefing very well, so we arrive at the boat. The dive was really easy. We see the anchor line and stay close, but after forty-five minutes we’re getting too cold. At our maximum depth it’s only 15° and that is comparable to the last dives back home.

We end our forth and last dive with beautiful memories and nice pictures, so this mission is accomplished. We take everything off and then get warm with coffee and tea. A cigarette in the sun on the smoke deck is nice. After about fifteen minutes Eef stops shivering and then the rest of the different buddy-teams return also. Nobody is missing now like earlier today. Then the girl had been swimming for over two miles; that is really far. We prepare for our journey back and hope to see whales, but we’re not lucky today. In Kaikoura we might see whales, who knows. The return goes well and in less than an hour we back at the harbor. A couple of gannets join us on our way back and then we can go back on land. We drink a beer, eat some fries with mayo, ketchup and onion and then go back to the camping for a shower. Eef cleans the camper and Timo takes a shower and then it’s her turn. One hour later we return to SchnappaRock and the dive center and have a drink and use the wireless Internet.

We freely use the Internet and the best one is SchnappaRock; Timo can’t connect to the wireless of the dive shop. We check out the pictures of the dives and are very happy with the nudibranches, morays, fish, tunnels and caves. Most of them are pretty good. We see that some triplefins are beautiful and we recognize about three different species. After a beer at about eight we go back to the camping and have another beer, some chips and Timo finishes the report and at about nine we’re tired enough to go to sleep. The days we dive are always tiring, so also today and we’ll need our rest, because tomorrow is another day, when we need to cover a lot of kilometers. We also need to stop for some sightseeing, but we’ll see where we can go tomorrow. Sleep tight!