Poor Knights Island or Goat Island in Dec?

[jmhron]

Hello,

My husband and I will be flying into Auckland on December 11. We are looking to start off our trip with one day of diving and are not sure which location to pick. Right now our top contenders are Poor Knights Island and Goat Island, but we also know there are several dive sites in the Bay of Plenty.

We are relatively novice divers with 12 dives under our belt.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions!
Jen

 

[alijtaylor]

I'd say the Knights, it is a leauge or two better than Goat Island and if you dive with an operator like Dive! Tutakaka they will offer you diving ideally suited to your experience level.
Alison

Oh: I've just noticed, it is my 1,000th post and your first - welcome to ScubaBoard

 

[Down-under]

You could dive both, Goat Island is on the way up to Tutakaka!
Goat Island you can dive of the beach, no boat required.

 

[AndyNZ]

I would second the option to do both, though it would kinda of depend on your previous diving. Even though December is summer here, the water is still quite cool. I would expect it to be around 18-19 degreesC. It's still 7mm wetsuit temperature - if you're used to thicker suits and heavier weightbelts, then a shore dive at Goat Island is a nice introduction to the local environment. You can rent gear from Goat Island Dive, who are just a couple of kms up the road.

If you're not used to cooler water, then Alison's suggestion of Dive! Tutukaka is a good one. They provide complementary dive guides on all their boats who are used to helping people transition from warm to cooler water. Because it's offshore, you will find that the Poor Knights is more robust in terms of conditions - for example, heavy rain will destroy the vis at Goat Island, but it doesn't make a difference at the Knights. The Knights also has much more diverse marine life and is a better dive.

As you head further north, you have places like Northland Dive and Paihia Dive, both of which are good options.