Butterfish Bay and Maomao Arch: deep
but the steep sides are interesting. A night dive and snorkelling is possible
around Butterfish Cove on the southern wall.
Twelve Fathom Reef: an isolated knoll
that begins deep and goes deeper still.
Skull Bay: often sheltered, close to schooling
fish, and a good night dive.
The Canyon: a small canyon descends from 15m
to 40m depth
Mid-northern quarter of the Poor Knights Islands.
Note that the first three depth contours are for 10, 20 and 30m depth.
Boarfish Reef A staircase reef extends from the promontory
westward, ending in a wide reef top at 22m, named Boarfish Reef (35º27.869S
174º44.022W). It is a wide barren pinnacle, dominated by large purple
urchins and sponges (mainly Polymastia spp). From here the reef
descends rapidly to undivable depths, through a zone of stalked kelp. One
can anchor safely on the top of the hard and barren rock, as there are
no boulders to snatch the anchor. Following the reef into the shallows,
one can surface again at the main island. Around the reef one encounters
the normal reef fish and semi-pelagics like pink maomao, demoiselles and
koheru.
Sombre Forest As its name suggests, Sombre Forest is usually
in the dark because of high cliffs to the east and north blocking direct
sunlight. Under water the cliffs extend into a monotonous kelp forest.
It is also sheltered from storms, reason why a good dive can still be had,
exploring the walls at shallow depths. For photographers there are good
opportunities to photograph cathedral light in the morning hours.
The Giant Staircase
and Landing Bay Pinnacle The giant staircase is an underwater ridge extending
from a tip of the island to Landing Bay Pinnacle (35º28.05S 174º44.11W)
and is often dived in combination. Boats usually anchor on it, as surrounding
waters are rather deep. This is a nice dive because it provides a good
mix of medium to deep diving opportunities. In the shallows one encounters
pelagic fish like jack mackerel and koheru, and in the deep pink maomao.
It is mainly stalked kelp habitat.
f024704: a diver is surrounded by inquisitive koheru (Decapterus
koheru).
f023630: lots and lots of two-spot demoiselles taking an
interest in the diver.
f023625: pink maomao often come right to the top of Landing
Bay Pinnacle.
f023620: a school of pink maomao resting in divable depths.
Taravana Cave Taravana Cave is one of the World's large natural
wonders, unknown to many because it is so inaccessible. At Butterfish Bay
it has two entrances: the main entrance at 32m depth and the 'rat hole'
at 26m depth, which is much smaller. To begin here, many would say that
the rat hole is a very large underwater cave leading into a large tunnel
which soon goes completely dark. But just as one would like to turn back,
on the left, the main entrance becomes just visible as a spooky blue halo,
guiding the return trip. This dive can be done safely on a single tank,
provided one is completely at ease not being able to surface during the
entire dive. It is definitely not for beginners!
The main entrance to Taravana Cave is very large, with a white sandy
beach at its bottom. From one side one cannot see the other, even in very
clear conditions. The top of the entrance is at a convenient diving depth
(15m), but its bottom (32m) would soon limit your dive time. Miraculously,
the beach teeters over a rocky drop to 40m depth, while the sand stays
above.
The problem with this cave is that is so deep and so dark. Only very
experienced divers could swim it on a single dive tank, but other problems
arise. Already one fifth down the aisle, it is completely dark and one
needs a powerful underwater torch to proceed, and a spare in case the main
light fails. One cannot see either side when swimming in the middle, even
with a powerful 50W quartz-halogen light (a car head light). So one can
easily swim in circles. Fortunately the compass keeps working in this underground
trap, as it needs consulting all the time.
After a very long swim in the eerie dark, inside a sound shell that
reflects all breathing sounds to ridiculous levels, one finds the end,
a small dome at convenient diving depth. In most of the tunnel there is
no life growing on its walls. Along the northern wall, runs a thin rope
placed there by previous explorers. Should things go wrong, this rope could
guide you home again, but it runs near the bottom, where dive time runs
out quickly.
Read more about this cave in The awesome
Taravana Cave.
Phil's Knob Named after dive veteran and charter boat owner Phil Bendle.
awaiting more information
Butterfish Bay and Maomao
Arch Butterfish Bay is deep with a divable edge all
around, of which its southern wall is the most interesting. Here one finds
Maomao Arch, a small opening between east and west, through which usually
a stiff current flows. Make sure you can make it back again, because swimming
all around is not an option. Maomao Arch usually has a dense school of
demoiselles swimming in the shade, just with their noses touching the light
curtain. For them this is a prime spot where food arrives plentifully,
while staying sheltered from marauding gannets and shags.
In this southern wall is a small cove, which we call Butterfish Cove,
just enough to park a small boat in for a night dive. Big boulders all
around, and fish find this a good spot for bedding down. I've always been
surprised at its high biodiversity, and none of the night dives was ever
disappointing. This wall and cove must be very sheltered because one finds
the coastal flexible weed (Carpophyllum flexuosum) here, as forests of
over 4m tall.
f048314: a large scorpion fish finds food galore as demoiselles
find this cove a preferred spot for nesting. Note the flexible weed (Carpophyllum
flexuosum) in the background.
f048330: there are always schools of young fish around. These
are coastal jack mackerels finding security in the tall forest of flexible
weeds.
f048309: a forest of flexible weeds (Carpophyllum flexuosum)
clings to the wall, refuge for small fish by day and night.
f033127: a sheltered wall harbours surprises, even in the
kinds of seaweed encountered. This is a red seaweed on a rock smothered
in sponges.
f032935: pink maomao find plenty of resting places on small
ledges and the few recesses and small caves.
Twelve Fathom Reef awaiting more information
Skull Bay Skull Bay, named after a whale skull once resting
in its shallows, provides a large area of shallow and safe diving (and
anchoring over rocks). It is covered in boulders that are in turn covered
in seaweeds, alternated by bare sea urchin patches. The walls around are
steep and dark, with a good variety of life. This spot is also excellent
for night diving. Skull Bay is the preferred bunkroom for pelagic schools
of blue maomao and trevally that roam the large area around.
f026013: a diver herds a large leatherjacket gently towards
the photographer. Notice the bottom of Skull Bay is strewn with boulders,
covered by seaweed, with plenty of hidden nooks and crannies.
f041118: one of the trevally schools frequenting Skull Bay,
but it requires much patience and being prepared to swim distances and
an ability to free-dive down to 10m.
The Canyon Just north of Motu Kapiti is a small unnamed
shallow patch at 18m depth (Canyon Reef 35º28.27S 174º43.986W),
where boats can safely anchor. This barren pinnacle descends steeply on
all sides, but towards the island it dips into a 5m wide canyon that runs
parallel with the island. This canyon has one dark and one sunlit wall,
and descends to 35m where it joins the slope to the undivable abyss. One
finds quite a selection of small fish here, like half-banded perches and
at the deep end even splendid perch. This is also suitable for night diving,
but requires experience because of the depth of the dive.
f029115: a red scorpionfish (Scorpaena cardinalis)
never sleeps and also hunts at night. When a diver disturbs fish nearby,
it may provide it with unsuspecting prey.
f032822: zoanthid anemones have invaded a gorgonian tree,
as if it created the branches itself. By night all polyps are wide open,
but they close when catching bugs attracted by the diver's light.
f048109: a half-banded perch tucked away in a recess.
Diadema Reef Wade Doak's description: "Diadema Reef is
between Serpent Rock and the adjacent promontory. I would find it
on clear days by descending the promontory to the sand and then heading
west until I saw it loom up out on the sand: Diadema urchins side by side
in a row under the ledge at sand level. I have never seen so many
in one place. Long-finned boarfish in schools. After exploring
the reef, its long axis at right angle to the promontory, I would
head over to Serpent Rock, just visible, and ascend there. A very
nice dive with a good cliff wall to decoke on, rather than ascend
directly from the reef in open water. That way I could be taking pix
at all stages of the dive."
Serpent Rock Serpent Rock juts out from the sand shelf to
the steep abyss. It looks like a serpent when viewed from Rikoriko cave.
On its southern side, the sand gently slopes away, then fast, to merge
into a sloping rock with a garden of beadlet corals (Primnoides sp.)
beginning at around 30m deep. On its north-eastern side, it drops away
fast into the deep, and at its tip there is a sheer drop to over 50m deep.
Here was once a beautiful black coral tree at 36m depth, admired and visited
by many divers. But in 1983 it died, when also most demoiselles died. Perhaps
one day another tree may emerge?
Most divers will be tempted to do a full circle around Serpent Rock, which
is a dive well worth its while. On the west end, there is a shallow shelf
with a pinnacle and some caves and shafts. This is a place full of fish
of all kind, and one can find pink maomao sleeping upside down under overhangs.
It is worthy of a dive on its own merits.
f040636: this female green wrasse lives at the northern face
of Serpent Rock and has been there for at least two decades. Whenever I
visit the rock, I make a point of looking for her, as she always stays
inquisitively nearby. In the meantime she has become a male.
f009936: looking up through a shaft at the deep end of
Serpent Rock, with in the foreground a firebrick star. These shafts are
very sheltered during storms and are therefore a perfect sleep-out for
schooling fish like pink maomao.
Kamikaze Drop-off Kamikaze Drop-off is a sheer vertical drop from 20 to 80m at the NW
corner of Serpent rock. It was a favoured dive to see a large black coral
tree, now dead.
Gorgonian Plain The Gorgonian Plain is found from 40m and deeper at the SW corner of
Serpent Rock, where the sandy slope suddenly dips into undivable depths.
The gorgonians in question are mainly the beadlet coral (Primoides sp.).
Dutch Cove Dutch cove is a lovely bowl outside the main
currents, with a sandy patch in the middle. It joins a passageway for small
boats, in the corner of which is a small shallow cave which goes surprisingly
deep over a sandy bottom. A dive here offers a great variety of opportunities,
and is also a great night dive. It is favoured by nesting demoiselles and
of course their predators. A boat can conveniently be anchored over the
sandy patch at about 15m depth.
Hope Point and Airbubble
Cave In the early days of diving, Hope Point was where
you followed the ridge down to 50m to find spotted black groupers and large
slimy trumpet sponges. This side of the Poor Knights is well lit and fully
exposed to storm waves, and can often not be dived upon. In the shallows
one finds a small air bubble cave of no repute, but always visited when
you are there anyway and have to make a long decompression stop on the
way back.
Rocklilly Bay When westerly winds send a nasty chop onto the
west side of the island, the east side can become divable if also the easterly
swell subsides. In those conditions, Rocklilly Bay is a place without wind.
The bay is wide and affords a shipload of divers, but there is not so much
to see apart from monotonous kelp. The bay at Maomao Arch has in this respect
more surprises. One can do some snorkelling in the shallows of the bay.
