Knight Diver Tours
30 Whangarei Heads Road
Whangarei, New Zealand
Tel: 64-9-436-2584
Fax: 64-9-436-2758
Email: knightdiver@poorknights.co.nz or
kevin@poorknights.co.nz
Travelling across to the Poor Knights Islands on 'Knight Diver' from Tutukaka,
we often encounter little blue penguins, various species of whales on their annual migrations,
pods of playful dolphins and orca, many different seabirds, sunfish and large schools of
pelagic fish.
The Poor Knights Islands stand near the edge of the continental shelf. They are the remnants of an ancient string of volcanoes. During the Ice Age, the surf pounded rocky beaches (now 20 - 40 metres below the surface) creating vast sea caves, tunnels and archways in the softer portions of the volcanic rock.
The Poor Knights rocky cliff faces soar hundreds of feet up in a vertical forest and plunge
sheer through the water to depths as great as 100 metres. Jacques Cousteau ranked the Poor
Knights as one of the top ten dive sites in the world and the islands are now the most
popular dive destination in New Zealand.
The Poor Knights Islands have well in excess of 50
exciting dive spots and lie in deep,
clear blue water 25 km off New Zealand's North East
coast. A nature reserve above the waterline and a marine reserve below allows the natural
inhabitants to flourish.
The Knights are a nursery area for sub-tropical fish species establishing themselves among the New Zealand fish life and adapting new colours and feeding habits in NZ waters. There is an amazingly colourful array of sponges, anemones, sea urchins, nudibranchs, kelp and seaweed as well as pelagic and reef fish (more than 100 species), great for photography.
About Us
Kevin Butler of 'Knight Diver Tours' has been diving since 1960 and has worked as
a Dive Instructor for 27 years. He has done in excess of 10,000 dives at the Poor Knights
Islands and knows the best dive sites for the conditions of the day.
Kevin is also a qualified Wreck Diving Instructor with numerous dives on wrecks all over the world. This ensures a safe, guided tour of the ex-naval vessel, Tui, that is located off the Tutukaka coast.
Kevin dives with you on each dive every day, personally guiding you on the dive and is the only
operator at the Poor Knights to do so. He is a fully qualified skipper with many years'
experience and is an excellent underwater guide. We believe our dive operation is unique because
we offer personal, guided tours, small groups of no more than ten and an unsurpassed knowledge
and love of the Poor Knights.
Trip Dates and Costs
Knight Diver Tours run trips to the Poor Knights on a daily basis througout the year.
Diving at the Poor Knights is rewarding at all times of the year but conditions do vary
considerably.
November to late April presents excellent all round diving. The water is a warm 20 to 23 degrees Celsius and the water is clear, averaging 20 metres visibility. This is the summer season so you can expect mild air temperatures, too.
Between late September and early January the water is warming, sometimes causing Plankton bloom, which can reduce visibility to as little as 5 - 10 metres at times. However, there is a great abundance of fish and bird activity during this time.
From May to early September the visibility is superb while the temperature falls to a winter low of 14 to 16 degrees Celsius. Often calm periods of weather occur over this time and visibility in excess of 30 metres can be encountered.
| Day Trip - 2 dives with own gear | NZ$ 90.00 | |
| Day Trip - 2 dives, we supply tanks and weights | NZ$ 110.00 | |
| Day Trip - 2 dives, we supply full equipment | NZ$ 155.00 | |
| Multi-Day Packages | Provided On Request |
Our Other Services
We have programmes for snorkellers and first-time divers. Knight Diver Tours can also organize
personalised charters or special requests. Contact us for more information or if you need
assistance with accommodations in Whangarei or Tutukaka.
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