Diving in New Zealand in Winter

Let’s talk about Winter Diving. Most people get shivers just thinking about taking a plunge in water 12 to 15 degrees Celsius, but in all honesty this has to be one of the best times to explore. With colder water, we get better visibility. While fish numbers are down this time of year, there are still some cool sights.

Among my favorite dive spots are the Poor Knights Islands, the Alderman Islands, and shipwrecks like the former HMNZS Canterbury at Deep Water Cove in the Bay of Islands. And don’t forget Rainbow Warrior up in the Cavalli Islands. Information about these and other dive sites around New Zealand. These dive sites are on video we’ve taken.

According to me and other divers, winter is the best time for underwater photographers and videographers. I love taking macro shots of Nudibranchs and Tripplefins in the clear water. The video footage I have shows how magical moments can be filmed, making for extraordinary viewing.

Here in NZ most divers still wear wetsuits all year round, with only a handful wearing dry suits. As I’m filming a documentary with Animal Planet about Great White Sharks in South Australia, I’m wearing a 7.5mm titanium compressed wetsuit that 2001 Wetsuits made for me. The suit keeps me warm for at least two dives, but by dive three I’m starting to get a little chilled. Now I’m about to try out a Wettie wetsuit to see how it compares to my normal Scuba diving suit. According to other divers, I’m in for a surprise at how warm this wetsuit will be. After I dive deep in this suit, I’ll write a full article about it.

Back to the diving, sharks are less common in the winter months here in NZ but they’re a big deal in the summer when we have hundreds cruising our coastline. Most sharks sighted in NZ waters are Bronze Whalers, which give the Spearo a run for their money when it comes to catching. On occasion, Great White Sharks are spotted, but no one has been attacked since mine in 2005. A few Great Whites have come in close to look at Spearo and scuba divers. I have video footage of these encounters on my site.