Dive sites in New Zealand

Off the Coromandel Peninsula, the Aldermen Islands form the eroded remnants of an ancient rhyolitic volcanic complex. Submerged pinnacles, vertical drop-offs, swim-throughs, and cavernous arches carve out the seascape. Open Pacific currents sweep nutrient-rich water through the gullies, drawing schools of pelagic fish alongside resident reef species sheltered in kelp forests and deep crevices.

Offshore in the Mercury Islands group, Danger Rocks forms a rocky reef system exposed to open-ocean swells. Steep volcanic rock faces drop into boulder fields draped in brown kelp, where oceanic currents draw schooling pelagic fish to the pinnacle.

Offshore from Hahei on the Coromandel Peninsula, Mahurangi Island drops into rocky reefs, dense kelp cover, sandy patches, and boulder gutters. Both the exposed seaward side and sheltered leeward margins draw temperate reef fish and foraging rays.

Off the eastern Coromandel Peninsula near Mercury Bay, Ohinau Island drops into rocky reefs and dense kelp forests. Jumbled seabed boulders form swim-throughs and overhangs washed by oceanic currents that draw pelagic predators alongside schools of coastal fish.

Off Great Mercury Island in the Coromandel region, The Bookcase takes its name from columnar volcanic rock formations that fracture into horizontal ledges resembling book stacks. Divers navigate stepped rock shelves, kelp-covered boulder fields, and swim-throughs carved by fallen slabs. These rocky features shelter temperate fish and reef invertebrates along the exposed coast.