New Zealand
In the mid-1980s, Jessica discovered that a distant relative lived in Auckland, had a boat and wanted See & Sea to bring groups. We did an exploratory, and found that the Poor Knights Islands off the coast of Tutukaka had some cold but intensely colorful diving.
Overnight, the captain would actually anchor the dive boat inside a giant cavern (third picture, top row and first picture, second row), where would cook our meals and have perfect shelter.
The 'reefs' were rocky walls covered with low-growing kelp, infested with countless sea urchins and moral eels. Anywhere there was an open bottom we would find monstrous scorpionfish sitting in plain sight.
The growth on the rocks was intense, with entire walls filled with cup corals in iridescent colors that had nudibranchs munching on them.
There were unusual cold-water fish species like the Pink Mau-Mau and the Pigfish. While our clientele liked warm-water diving and the destination eventually reach the popularity of places like Palau and Fiji, I will always remember how plentiful and colorful the marine life was in these rich waters. Here’s a story.
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