The Story Behind the Wreck

Before she was a dive site, the Rainbow Warrior was Greenpeace’s flagship, and one of the most recognisable protest ships in the world. In July 1985, she was moored in Auckland Harbour, getting ready to lead a flotilla up to Moruroa Atoll to protest French nuclear testing in the Pacific.

She never made it. On the night of 10 July, French secret service agents planted two mines on her hull and sank her at the wharf. Photographer Fernando Pereira drowned trying to retrieve his camera gear after the first explosion. It was state-sponsored sabotage on New Zealand soil, and it made headlines around the world.

Two years later, in December 1987, she was towed north and given a second life. She was scuttled at Matauri Bay in the Cavalli Islands, and turned into a living memorial, and over time, into one of New Zealand’s best wreck dives.

Most divers know the history of the Rainbow Warrior. But it’s not until you’re out there in the Cavalli Islands, hanging on the line and staring down into that blue, that you really understand what she’s become. She isn’t just a piece of history sitting on the seabed, she’s a thriving, living reef, and I still get a buzz every time I drop down onto her.

The Descent

Before anyone gets in the water, we take a few minutes on the boat to run through her story, the bombing, the history, what she means to New Zealand. There’s no other wreck in the country with a story like hers.

She sits upright on the seabed at around 26 metres, with her highest point at about 18m. That’s the first thing that gets people: she’s not smashed to pieces or lying on her side like a lot of wrecks end up. She’s still got that full, imposing ship’s profile.

Watching that hull materialise out of the blue as you descend the line never gets old, no matter how many times I’ve done it. Because she’s upright and sitting in that shallower range, she’s a brilliant choice if you’re doing your first wreck dive. If you’re more into macro, she’s just as good, a genuine kaleidoscope of colour and life, and an absolute playground for a camera.

A Photographer’s Playground

I’ll put my hand up here, I love the macro life on this wreck, and I’ve spent more hours down there with a camera than I can count. The hull alone could keep you occupied for the whole dive; it’s carpeted in jewel anemones and encrusting life from top to bottom.

Then there’s everything hovering above the deck. Big schools of trevally and bigeye hang inside the wreck, the resident Golden Snapper are usually cruising around, and there are moray eels tucked into pretty much every nook and cranny. It’s a busy, living ecosystem, not just a rusting hull.

It’s Not Just About Showing Up

Here’s the part people don’t always think about: she’s out in the Cavalli Islands, which means different currents and surge to what you’d get diving inside the Bay of Islands.

A lot of people assume you just point a boat at her and jump in. In reality, we launch from Matauri Bay, which adds its own layer of adventure to the day. I’ve spent years reading that water and picking the right window to run out there. Get it right and it’s a world-class dive. Get it wrong and you’re just making hard work for yourself.

That’s why I keep our groups small. Safety comes first, always, but it’s also about giving people the time and the calm to actually take in what they’re looking at, instead of fighting the conditions the whole dive.

If the Rainbow Warrior’s on your bucket list, or you’re an experienced wreck diver keen to get back down there, come have a chat with us. I’d love to show you why she’s still my favourite dive in the North.