Navy Ship Turns Dive Site
New Zealand has added yet another temptation to its waters for dive enthusiasts.
The ex-HMNZS Canterbury has been sunk at Deep Water Cove in the Bay of Islands providing the region with a new tourist attraction.
30 metres of sparkling water is now the watery grave for the old frigate which had served the country for 35 years. The newly created artificial reef is expected to boost tourism by 15-20 per cent and become a divers' playground.
There are hundreds of dive sites along New Zealand's 18,000 kilometers of coastline, with options varying from coastal indents and harbours to deep, ancient fiords.
The Canterbury is one of several decommissioned navy ships that are now providing diving sites to explore. Other sites include the HMNZS Tui and Waikato which have been scuttled near the Tutukaka Heads, and the HMNZS Wellington which now lies beneath the ocean off the Wellington coast.
Sandwiched between three oceans of widely varying temperaments, New Zealand enjoys a unique blend of sub-tropical, temperate and sub-Antarctic marine conditions. Diving experiences in New Zealand are usually either coastal or island, however there are others including wreck, volcanic, freshwater spring and fiord dives, plus encounters with marine mammals and sharks.
Other diving sites include the Poor Knights in Northland, rated as one of the world's top ten dive sites, the Three Kings Islands, a group of 13 islands about 60 kilometers north west of Cape Reinga, Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf and The Alderman Islands in the Coromandel.
As well as exploring the sunken navy wrecks, there are several other wrecks worthy of note. The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior, which was blown up by French Secret Service Agents in 1985 whilst moored in Auckland is now a popular diving spot near Matauri Bay in Northland.
And in the Marlborough Sounds, at the top of the South Island lies the wreckage of the Russian Cruise liner Mikhail Lermontov. The massive ship lies on her side in 36 metres of water totally intact.
The best months for diving in New Zealand are February through to June when the water is clearest and warmest. Underwater visibility can extend for as much as 40 metres.
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