New Zealand’s world class dive spots

Published on Wednesday, August 21st, 2013, under Media

 (click on the above image to watch video link)

Kiwi adventurer Ellis Emmett has been where no man has been before. An 18 month trip took him to some of the world’s remotest dive locations – many of which have only recently been discovered.

Ellis chronicles these travels as co-host of a new show, Descending on the Travel Channel. We’ll catch up with him each week about the destinations he’s been to.

Here he talks about New Zealand’s world class dive spots.

What dive sites did you visit in New Zealand?

We visited numerous sites throughout the country and at each site we dived multiple times in order to achieve the level of filming we required.

The spots we visited included Fiordland (Milford Sound), Riwaka Resurgence – inside Takaka Hill, the ship wreck Mikhail Lermontov at Port Gore, the sunken forest at Lake Waikaremoana and Poor Knights Marine Reserve. We also visited the ship wreck of the Rainbow Warrior, but this did not make the final cut as we had too much footage, so it will be in the deleted scenes.

How easy is it to get there?

It is never easy to get anywhere worth going. Most of these places are difficult at best to get there but this is why they are so special. I would recommending getting the guidance of local guides and diving experts in the region who can offer the best and safest options.

What’s the best time of year to go?

Each location has different times of year that are better than others, due to weather, sea temperatures and visibility. We shot the two NZ episodes in just over one month during February. Again, I would recommend guidance from local dive experts who can ensure you’re going in the best conditions with the best visibility.

Can a first timer dive at these locations?

Many of them can be dived by novice divers; access is usually the biggest issue. But each location has its challenges, so go with a local guide and dive within your ability.

What’s one thing every traveller should try there?

If you get your head beneath the surface of the water with a mask on, you are already doing what most people don’t do and already seeing a part of our planet that most people never experienced. Diving is a very special sport. Remember you can have just as much fun on a snorkel and mask too.

What should you avoid?

Drowning 🙂 But seriously, all sensible diving rules and regulations apply. Get sound local guidance around conditions, never dive without a buddy, check your equipment, and then check again. Everything that’s in your dive manual!

Are there any risks diving here?

Diving is an exciting sport – the excitement comes from risk! Ever dive and every location has its own risks and challenges and these can change day to day and sometimes hour to hour depending on weather, tide, access, aquatic life, etc

Did anything go wrong on the dive?

There are always unexpected things that can go wrong on a dive and we had more than our fair share. Diving is difficult enough, but filming a television show while diving is taking multi tasking to a whole new level. One particular experience was when we dived the Mikhail Lermontov (Port Gore). The shipwreck is so enthralling you lose track of time. Also, silt that has settled on the shipwreck gets disturbed which can seriously challenge visibility. Luckily our DOP, Andre Dupuis laid a line so we could find our way back up, out of the wreck. He really saved the day!

What’s the coolest thing you saw?

In NZ it would have to be the more than 2200-year-old trees at the bottom of Lake Waikaremoana. To think that they have been submerged since before the time of Christ is pretty mind-blowing. Do you have anything else to add? Not many people know how diverse NZ is in terms of its marine environment. I think as Kiwi’s we forget that we are but a couple of tiny islands in the middle of a big pool of water. There are so many different currents, climatic conditions and geographical anomalies around our coast lines and each creates its own unique marine habitat and ultimately the creatures that inhabit them.

Watch Descending, Wednesday, 8.30pm on the Travel Channel.