Wreck Diving in New Zealand

The two wrecks we dive

HMNZS Canterbury. A Leander-class navy frigate, 113 metres long, sunk on purpose in Deep Water Cove on 3 November 2007. She served the Royal New Zealand Navy for 34 years, and in 1973 she sailed to Mururoa Atoll in protest against French nuclear testing. She lies in a sheltered cove where the local hapū, Ngāti Kuta and Patukeha, have held a rāhui since 2010, and the fish life shows it. Snapper, kingfish and schools of sweep hang over the decks, and bigeyes fill the inside. In winter there are hundreds of crayfish. Much of the hull is covered in encrusting sponges and jewel anemones. The top of the wreck is at 14 metres, the decks at 22 to 28 metres, and the seabed at 32 metres at the bow and 36 metres at the stern.

Read the full Canterbury wreck guide or see the Canterbury trip.

Rainbow Warrior. Greenpeace’s first ship, built in 1955 as the trawler Sir William Hardy. French agents bombed her in Auckland in 1985, and on 12 December 1987 she was laid to rest off Matauri Bay, near the Cavalli Islands. No other dive in New Zealand comes with a story like hers, and in April 2013 Lonely Planet included her in its list of the world’s top 10 dive sites. She is 45 metres long, smaller than the Canterbury, and every surface is a mix of colour: jewel anemones, bryozoans, ascidians and nudibranchs. A resident school of golden snapper lives inside the hull. John dory, snapper and kingfish are around the outside. The top of the wreck is at 18 metres and the sand at 26 metres.

Read the full Rainbow Warrior wreck guide or see the Rainbow Warrior trip.

Diving both wrecks

Most visiting divers dive the Canterbury and the Rainbow Warrior on separate days. Each trip includes a reef dive as well. You don’t need to be an Advanced diver, and you don’t need to bring a group. We take individual bookings.

Open Water divers dive both wrecks with one of our instructors as an SSI Deep Adventure Dive, which counts towards the SSI Advanced Open Water course. Divers who can show dives to 30 metres join the group without it. The Advanced Open Water course includes both wrecks. If the weather keeps us off the Rainbow Warrior, we dive the Canterbury and a reef instead.

Each wreck trip is $269 with your own gear, $309 with tanks and weights, or $369 with all equipment. Open Water divers add $50 for the Deep Adventure Dive. The full list is on our rates page.

Going inside the wrecks

How far inside you go depends on your training and experience.

• Open Water divers on a Deep Adventure Dive stay out of overhead environments. You dive around the outside of the wreck and can drop into areas open to the surface. On the Canterbury that means the bridge and the back of the hangar, and possibly the gun bay if you’re comfortable.
• Advanced divers, and divers with deep experience who aren’t on a training dive, can do swim-throughs within the light zone, staying within 40 metres of the surface in total. At 30 metres, that means up to 10 metres inside.
• Divers with wreck training dive within their certification and experience.

Other wreck dives around New Zealand

Four navy ships have been sunk on purpose as dive sites around the country, along with the Rainbow Warrior and the tug Taioma. Three of the navy ships, the Waikato, the Wellington and the Canterbury, are Leander-class frigates. A few historic wrecks can be dived too.

The Wellington broke into two sections in a storm a few months after she was sunk. The Mikhail Lermontov is one of the largest diveable wrecks in the world. She lies on her side, and anyone going inside should dive with a guide who knows her. The Wairarapa and the Elingamite were lost with 121 and 45 lives. They are places to dive with respect, and to leave everything as you find it.

Planning a wreck trip to Northland

When to come. Autumn usually brings the clearest water of the year, often 15 to 30 metres or more. Winter averages around 15 metres. Summer ranges from 8 to over 20 metres, and spring is the least reliable at around 8 to 12. Deep Water Cove is sheltered, so the Canterbury can often be dived when more exposed sites can’t. The Cavalli Islands need calmer weather.

Water and wetsuits. The water runs from about 16°C in late winter to about 22°C in February. A 7 mm wetsuit with a hood and gloves suits most of the year. In the height of summer, a 5 mm is fine.

Weather calls. We make the call on conditions, usually the day before. If we cancel, you get a full refund.

Out of practice? If it’s been a while since your last dive, our Refresher gets you back up to speed on a reef before you head to a wreck. Want to see where else we dive? Explore all our Bay of Islands and Cavalli Islands dive sites.

Common questions

Do I need to be an Advanced diver to dive the Canterbury or the Rainbow Warrior?
No. Open Water divers dive both wrecks with one of our instructors as an SSI Deep Adventure Dive, which counts towards the Advanced Open Water course. Divers who can show dives to 30 metres join the group at the standard rate.

Can I go inside the wrecks?
It depends on your training and experience. Open Water divers on a Deep Adventure Dive stay out of overhead environments, but can drop into areas open to the surface, such as the Canterbury’s bridge and the back of the hangar. Advanced divers can do swim-throughs within the light zone, staying within 40 metres of the surface in total. Divers with wreck training dive within their certification and experience.

Which wreck should I dive?
They’re very different. The Canterbury is a big frigate in a sheltered cove, full of fish because of the rāhui. The Rainbow Warrior is smaller and covered in colour, and she has the story. If you have two days, dive both.

How far are the wrecks from Paihia?
The Canterbury is about 30 minutes by boat from Paihia, in Deep Water Cove. The Rainbow Warrior is a full-day trip to the Cavalli Islands, off Matauri Bay.

When is the best time of year for wreck diving in Northland?
Autumn usually has the best visibility. The wrecks are dived all year, and winter brings the crayfish on the Canterbury.

Are there other wrecks to dive in New Zealand?
Yes. They include HMNZS Tui and HMNZS Waikato at Tutukākā, HMNZS Wellington in Wellington, the tug Taioma in the Bay of Plenty and the Mikhail Lermontov in the Marlborough Sounds.

Book a wreck dive

Press the Book Now button below to see dates for the Canterbury or the Rainbow Warrior and book online, or call the shop on 0800 107 551.