Northern Arch
Perhaps the signature dive of the Poor Knights: an arch floored at 37 m beside one of the finest vertical wall descents at the islands.
- Experienced
- Rock formations
- Stingrays
Open Water≤18 m
Blue Maomao Arch
Dive site in Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand
- Max depth
- 18 m
- Level
- Open Water
- Best months
- Dec–Apr
- Entry
- By boat
The dive
A rock formations dive from a boat. Known for stingrays, yellowtail kingfish and blue maomao.
Who it's for
Open Water≤18 mSource: travel.padi.com
Recommended minimum: Open Water (PADI Open Water, CMAS/FFESSM N1).
Conditions
- Dive type
- Rock formations
- Entry
- By boat
- Estimated
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Stingrays
- Yellowtail kingfish
- Blue maomao
- Nudibranchs
- Scorpionfish
- Moray eels
- Snappers
Why divers come
- Light shafts
- Marine reserve
Season in Poor Knights Islands
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: Dec–Apr.
Source: diving.co.nzWhere is the Poor Knights Islands?
The point shows the Poor Knights Islands area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Poor Knights Islands
Hidden gem
Rikoriko Cave
Dive inside the largest sea cave by volume in the southern hemisphere, where schools of blue and pink maomao gather in the shade.
- Advanced
- Cavern
- Stingrays
Rock formations
down to 25 m
Tie Dye Arch
A cathedral-like cavern at 25 m beneath The Pinnacles, wallpapered in colourful sponges and choked with fish and rays.
- Advanced
- Seals
down to 68 m
Barren Arch
A seaward arch sloping from 10 m to 35 m, busy with blue and pink maomao, demoiselles and koheru.
- Experienced
- Stingrays
down to 70 m
Middle Arch
- Open Water
- Stingrays
Wall
down to 60 m
Landing Bay Pinnacle
- Experienced
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.
Photo credits
- Diver at the Northern Arch, Poor Knights Islands, Anna Barnett, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Entrance of Rikoriko Cave, Poor Knights Islands, Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
