Scuba Diving - Dive Tutukaka
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May 2026
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Highlighted reviews
Everything was very professional, from the equipment distribution to the dive itself. Coffee, water, and tea were available. Lunch had to be paid for separately. The site is suitable for scuba diving and only partially for snorkeling. Restrictive diving practices are in place, which is understandable given the different levels. At the first dive site, there was plenty of seagrass and some stingrays. At the second dive site, there were schools of fish, nudibranchs, scorpionfish, and moray eels. Overall, a successful trip
Great teams (Captain, dicing instructor & skipper)! Historic story tells in between dives well animated by the captain Professionalism from tech team & responsable Great service on the boat! Reliable equipment! Warm welcome from the boutique and office people Cherry on the sunday: we git common daulphins visit upon return after second dive
What you can expect
If you keep up with diving trends, you have likely already heard of the Poor Knights Islands as being ‘the best sub-tropical diving in the world’. This amazing area is definitely on every diver’s bucket list and even famous sea explorer extraordinaire, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, ranked these Islands as one of the top ten sites in the world. Now it’s your turn to explore them!
Dive Tutukaka invites you on a once-in-a-lifetime underwater experience that will leave you with a grin from ear to ear. As New Zealand’s premier charter operator, Dive Tutukaka are dedicated to ensuring your safety and enjoyment with their professional crew, top notch equipment hire, world-class service and superior diving boats. They offer diving experiences for every skill level; from absolute beginner to dive master.
All year long, the diving experience at Poor Knights is excellent. The clear warm water is superior in mid January to late April, but you will be rewarded at any time with an abundance of fish and other marine life, as well as spectacular underwater terrain.
All of Dive Tutukaka’s boats cater to non-divers as well, by providing the option to kayak or snorkel, so everyone can explore the Islands!
Your Poor Knights Dive Day This full-day adventure begins at Tutukaka Marina at 8am, where – after a little bit of paperwork and gearing up – you will board your boat and meet your friendly crew for a comprehensive briefing. On the 40 to 60 minute journey out to the Poor Knights Islands or the Twin Wrecks, you may be lucky enough to spot some of the resident whales and dolphins, if you’re not too busy relaxing and making use of the excellent facilities on board!
Once you arrive at the carefully chosen dive site, you will receive another short briefing about the site and it’s marine inhabitants, before jumping in and experiencing this amazing place for yourself.
After a few hours of immersing yourself in this underwater wonderland, jump back on deck for a hot coffee, tea, soup or hot chocolate before tucking into a well-earned lunch. During your 1.5 hour lunch break (which provides the opportunity for other activities), you will be treated to a tour of some of the best Poor Knights locations. Then, it’s back in the water for the second fantastic dive of the day, before heading home.
Discover Scuba Try your hand at diving, guided by friendly professionals. This option includes instruction and all equipment for one dive; however, a second dive is available for an additional cost.
Refresher Options This option includes all equipment and two dives out at the Poor Knights. It is designed for divers who haven’t actively dived for over two years. You will have a refresher dive with an instructor who will refine your skills by running through some basic steps, as well as giving you some extra help. You will then have another dive in a normal guided group.
For Explorers (non divers) There is still plenty to do at Poor Knights Islands for non-divers! Why not jump in a kayak and explore the area, or enjoy the spectacular underwater views with a snorkel? There are a plethora of options for exploring the Islands, so bring along your adventurous spirit and let’s explore! Check out the Perfect Day trip
Location
What you need to know
- 2 dives
- Full gear hire
- Free guiding service
- Kayaking & snorkelling
- Allow 8 hours
- Check in at 8am (returns by 4.30pm)
- Departs from Tutukaka Dive Centre
- Operates daily all year
- I would like to go scuba diving at Poor Knights Islands but I have never been diving before. What are my options as a beginner? Dive Tutukaka offer a Discover Scuba option at Poor Knights Islands, which doesn't require you to have any diving experience! Simply select the Discover Scuba option when making your booking.
- Is there an option to go scuba diving at Poor Knights Islands without having a certificate? There is still plenty to do at Poor Knights Islands for non-divers! Check out the Perfect Day trip
- I saw that you have “Discover Scuba” as an option but i was wondering if you need a certificate for this activity?The Discover Scuba option at Poor Knights Islands is for non-certified divers who would like to try their hand a scuba diving, this is called an "intro to dive" and would be guided by the friendly professionals at Dive Tutukaka. This option includes instruction and all equipment for one dive; however, a second dive is available for an additional cost.
- I am a certified open-water diver and my parents want to snorkel. I am wondering if it is possible for us to stay together on the Poor Knights Islands trip? On the Scuba Diving tour with Dive Tutukaka, your parents can snorkel while you dive. So you can stay together on the tour, simply select the "Certified Diver" option for yourself and the "Non Divers" option for your parents in the booking form. This will ensure that you are booked on the same trip together on the day.
- Is the summer Perfect Day trip on the same boat as the Scuba Diving trips at Poor Knights Islands? On the Poor Knights Islands "Perfect Day" trip, this operates as a separate tour to the "Scuba Diving" trip. If you are travelling as a group of divers and non-divers, you can opt to stay together by selecting the Diver & Non Diver options in the booking form.
- Please email a copy of your dive certificate upon booking (not applicable if you choose Discover Scuba or Non Diver)
- Free guiding service, complimentary hot drinks, hot showers, free kayak use
- Prescription goggles available on request
- Two dives each day
- If you have your own gear you can just hire tanks & weight belt
- For non-divers, check out the Perfect Day trip
- Wreck diving and learn to dive courses also available, please contact us for more information
- Lunch is available for an extra cost on the day or you can bring your own
- Open every day except Christmas Day
- It is very important that you have no history of asthma, epilepsy, heart or lung conditions, or chronic sinus/ear conditions. If you have any of these we will need to see a doctor’s certificate stating that you are fit to dive.
- Lunch is available for an extra $15 on the day or you can bring your own.
- It is very important that you have no history of asthma, epilepsy, heart or lung conditions, or chronic sinus/ear conditions. If you have any of these we will need to see a doctor’s certificate stating that you are fit to dive.
- Open every day except Christmas Day
Recent reviews
Everything was very professional, from the equipment distribution to the dive itself. Coffee, water, and tea were available. Lunch had to be paid for separately. The site is suitable for scuba diving and only partially for snorkeling. Restrictive diving practices are in place, which is understandable given the different levels. At the first dive site, there was plenty of seagrass and some stingrays. At the second dive site, there were schools of fish, nudibranchs, scorpionfish, and moray eels. Overall, a successful trip
I am not satisfied with this diving experience for several reasons and I do not recommend novices to do their first dive here. Firstly, since I don't have the certification I had to pay more than the others. Ultimately, I can understand that. On the other hand, I was only allowed a 40-minute dive (while the others were allowed 3 dives around 45minutes / 1hour), including 20 minutes spent having to repeat the same gestures as the instructor (and therefore, not explore the seabed) even though it was not my first dive, I remembered the gestures and I was completely comfortable in the water. The other 20 minutes, he spent holding me and being behind my back (which made it difficult for me to swim 1 and 2, where did he think I was going to go?) rather than taking me to the prettiest places . So I paid a lot more than the others (even though the price is already super high), for a lot less diving time, and in the less prettier place (the 2nd spot was much richer in terms of marine life). I would point out though that the rest of the time, I was not made to wait but I was able to go snorkeling, in my own.
Great teams (Captain, dicing instructor & skipper)! Historic story tells in between dives well animated by the captain Professionalism from tech team & responsable Great service on the boat! Reliable equipment! Warm welcome from the boutique and office people Cherry on the sunday: we git common daulphins visit upon return after second dive
Need help?
- Email us at plan@everythingnewzealand.com
- Product ID: 25079
- This experience is supplied by Dive Tutukaka