Come and dive the Poor Knights Islands with us!
The boat we use for the Poor Knights Liveaboard is MV Pacific Hideaway.
Most people drive up to the boat on Friday night and stay onboard in the marina that night. You can drive up on the Saturday morning as the boat will not be leaving the marina for the Poor Knights until approx 9am.
We can help out with arranging car pooling if needed.
The ride out to the Knights takes about an hour as the boat cruises at 12 knots and the islands are about 12 nautical miles from the mainland.
There is the opportunity to do up three daylight dives and one night dive on the Saturday and then three day dives on the Sunday (weather permitting one of these is the wreck of the HMNZS Waikato).
Divers can opt in or out of as many dives as they wish to do.
If someone would rather lie in the sun on the deck and read magazines or a good book they can. There are also kayaks available for the guests to use.
Between dives there is around an hour and 20mins surface interval as your tanks are filled. Plenty of time to off gas, log dives, relax and have another
meal.
The trip includes all meals from Saturday breakfast until Sunday lunch, and includes morning tea (freshly baked scones from the skippers secret recipe, yummy), afternoon tea and 1st and 2nd breakfast on Sunday!!
If any one has any special dietary requirements or is a veggie let us know in advance so that they can be catered for.
We limit the number of divers on board to a maximum of 12 so that there is plenty of space for all, both in and out of the water. There are 4 cubbyhole cabins which couples get first dibs at and ladies get second dibs. This leaves lots of room for the remaining passengers to bunk down in the main cabin at night. It is recommended that you bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper as there is usually a good chance of at least one snorer being on board.
The boat is back at the Tutukaka marina between 4 -5pm on Sunday afternoon.
Things to bring:
Dive gear including torches and two tanks
Sleeping bag or blanket (there are pillows on board but if you have a favorite lavender scented pillow that you can’t sleep without then bring it along)
Water (the water onboard is drinkable but from the bore water on the mainland so can have an ‘unusual’ flavor)
Snacks (you are fed generously but some folk just can’t live without their treats)
Bottle of wine or a few beers for enjoying at the end of the days diving
The trip costs $450 which includes the boat trip sight-seeing around the Poor Knights, accommodation Friday and Saturday on board, all meals from Saturday breakfast until Sunday lunch. To secure your space on the trip there is a minimum deposit of $150.
Full gear hire is $140 for the weekend (mask, fins, snorkel, wetsuit, boots, BCD, Regs, and 2 tanks). Just 2 tanks for the weekend are $60. The tanks are filled on board the boat and you pay for the number of fills that you have over the weekend direct to the boat. These are $8 each.
This trip is aimed at the Intermediate to Experienced diver as there is the opportunity to do night, wreck and deep diving. We run the Advanced Open Water course on this trip.
Photographs by Andrew Simpson
YS02 strobe Eel with Shrimp
Global Dive customer Glenn Smith has sent us an example of what you can shoot with a YSo2 strobe
Strobe Review by Tom Crisp
Usually I am the diver in front of the camera, posing for photographers, recently this has changed. In July I took the plunge and bought my first camera.
After all, we do have a lot of talk about photography around the shop and I was starting to feel left behind.
Buying a camera system is no easy task as there are so many options and opinions out there. You have to consider the camera itself, lenses, housings, ports and finally strobes, each with their own sub categories to make the decisions harder.
After finally deciding on which camera and housing to get with a lot of help from both Andrew and Bonnie (thanks guys) I set my heart on a Sony NEX5 camera with fish eye lens and Nauticam housing.
This system is small, light and very high quality so I needed strobes to match.
The search began for a strobe (or two) which would complement the size of my housing whilst maintaining build quality. I have had little previous experience with strobes. In fact about the extent of my experience was being blinded by them.
So once again I turned to Andrew for some expert guidance. He told me to borrow the shop’s rental strobe which was a Sea and Sea YS27 so I took it to the pool along with my new setup and started to fire away.
It was almost exactly what I was looking for. A week later we had a new strobe in the Sea and Sea range dropped in to us so we could have a look, the YS01. This was the newest model in the range so naturally, I had to have it.
Munching mollusc / Photograph by Tom Crisp
With little persuasion I ended up making the YS01 the latest addition to my equipment, and I have not looked back since.
There are two strobes to choose from in the new YS series, the YS01 and YS02.
Both have the same features except the YS02 does not have TTL function or a built in focus light.
The focus light was the deciding factor for me as I bought it with the intention of getting some cave diving shots, making it a necessity.
The strobe itself weighs only 500g keeping it in line with my lightweight rig. It uses a fiber optic cable allowing the unit to be used with almost every camera and housing on the market. The controls are extremely simple, off, pre flash, normal flash and power adjustment. They are also very easy to use when wearing thick gloves.
I was overwhelmed by the power output of the YS01 and found myself dialing down the power on some of my shots in open water. Sea and Sea have clearly improved on the YS27 by making the unit smaller, lighter and brighter. At the moment I still have only one strobe so I am still borrowing more for my trip to Mexico (the camera was bought specifically for this trip).
As soon as I get back I will definitely be taking the next step to obtaining the younger brother, the YS02. As I will already have a focus light and rarely use the TTL function this seems the logical choice to accompany my existing kit.
All up I think the newest editions to the Sea and Sea YS series are a winner for entry level to advanced photographers alike.
They will also make a great travel set of strobes and really don’t hurt the wallet as much as some others on the market.
You get a hell of a lot for your money with this package and I can’t wait to start shooting with two of them.
Open water photos shot with YS01 and YS27 strobes
Pool photos shot with YS27 only
As promised here at the Cave photos I took on my recent trip to Mexico.
If you want to learn to scuba dive, the first step is to do a PADI Open Water Diver course.
Within a few days, you can be enjoying the underwater world. And what could be simpler than learning right in the centre of Auckland!
We run Open Water dive courses in central Auckland most weeks.
Courses are run in small groups over three weeks, giving plenty of time for you to become comfortable with diving concepts and to master the necessary skills as an open water diver.
There are two course options to choose from:
Training is conducted over a series of classroom and pool sessions, followed by your open-water dives.
Your course includes four open water dives.
It is important that as part of your training you get to dive in a number of different situations, as once you are certified there are many options as to where you can dive. Because of this we conduct two of your open water dives in fresh water (in a local lake) and two in salt water (at a local marine reserve).
The price of this course is $549.
All of your scuba equipment is supplied, but you will need to supply your own snorkelling equipment (mask, snorkel and fins).
If you decide to buy a mask/snorkel/fin/boot set from us we will give you 15% discount off your purchase, or you can hire them for the duration of your course for $50!
On completion of your course you will graduate with an internationally recognised PADI Open Water Diver qualification that will enable you to dive the world over.
If you’re busy, or just prefer to study at your own pace, it is now also possible to do the theory part of your open water course online, and join us for the pool and open water dives.
For more information on eLearning – click here
If you would prefer to do a private course with your own instructor we can put together a customised training programme to suit your availability.
On completion of your course you will graduate with an internationally recognised PADI Open Water Diver qualification that will enable you to dive the world over.
Before booking any learn to dive course, make sure you have the following questions (on our Frequently Asked Questions page, answered.
The only other additional item is a dive medical (see below) which will cost you the price of a doctor’s visit.
Click here for detailed course information.
Not sure if a full-blown course is for you? Come down to the pool and try scuba with one of our instructors.
Stop putting it off – you know you want to do it!
Contact us NOW!!!
| Theory sessions | Auckland – Global Dive shop |
| Pool sessions | Auckland – Olympic Newmarket Pool |
| Dive location | Lake Pupuke and Goat Island Marine Reserve Note that dive locations may change if weather is not suitable |
| Course schedule | Week 1:
Week 2:
Week 3:
|
| Price | $549 |
| Discount off equipment if you buy a mask, snorkel, fin and boot set from Global Dive | 15% |
| What’s included? | Course price includes all your tuition, scuba equipment hire, manual and certification fees. |
| What you need to supply | All your scuba equipment will be provided, along with classroom materials. But please bring with you:
|
| Course start date | Pool and Theory sessions | Diving |
| 24 January 2012 | Tues 24 January – 6pm-9pm Thurs 26 January – 6pm-9pm Tues 31 January – 6pm-9pm Thurs 2 February – 6pm-9pm Tues 7 February – 6pm-9pm Thurs 9 February – 6pm-9pm |
Sat 11 and Sun 12 February – 9am-5pm |
| 7 February 2012 | Tues 7 February – 6pm-9pm Thurs 9 February - 6pm-9pm Tues 14 February - 6pm-9pm Thurs 16 February – 6pm-9pm Tues 21 February – 6pm-9pm Thurs 23 February – 6pm-9pm |
Sat 25 and Sun 26 February – 9am-5pm |
| 21 February 2012 | Tues 21 February – 6pm-9pm Thurs 23 February - 6pm-9pm Tues 28 February - 6pm-9pm Thurs 1 March- 6pm-9pm Tues 6 March - 6pm-9pm Thurs 8 March – 6pm-9pm |
Sat 10 and Sun 11 March – 9am-5pm |
| 6 March 2012 | Tues 6 March – 6pm-9pm Thurs 8 March – 6pm-9pm Tues 13 March – 6pm-9pm Thurs 15 March – 6pm-9pm Tues 20 March - 6pm-9pm Thurs 22 March – 6pm-9pm |
Sat 24 and Sun 25 March – 9am-5pm |
| 13 March 2012 | Tues 13 March – 6pm-9pm Thurs 15 March – 6pm-9pm Tues 20 March – 6pm-9pm Thurs 22 March – 6pm-9pm Tues 27 March – 6pm-9pm Thurs 29 March – 6pm-9pm |
Sat 31 March and Sun 1 April – 9am-5pm |
| 3 April 2012 | Tues 3 April – 6pm-9pm Thurs 5 April- 6pm-9pm Tues 10 April – 6pm-9pm Thurs 12 April – 6pm-9pm Tues 17 April – 6pm-9pm Thurs 19 April – 6pm-9pm |
Sat 21 and Sun 22 April – 9am-5pm |
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Global Dive customer Glenn Smith has sent us an example of what you can shoot with a YSo2 strobe Strobe Review by Tom Crisp Usually I am the diver in front of the camera, posing for photographers, recently this has changed. In July I took the plunge and bought my first camera. After all, we [...]
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