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NSW ROADTRIP

ADRIAN STACEY CONTINUES HIS DRIVE-N-DIVE EXPEDITION - THIS ISSUE, COFFS HARBOUR

Q&A: ARON ARNGRIMSSON

WE CHAT TO THE DIRTY DOZEN EXPEDITION FOUNDER ABOUT TRUK LAGOON AND BIKINI ATOLL

Q&A: WAYNE B BROWN

WE CHAT TO AGGRESSOR

VIVA MEXICO!ADVENTURES CEO ABOUT

WHY THE SEA OF CORTEZLIVEABOARD LIFE SHOULD BE ON YOUR DIVING

BUCKET LIST FOR 2020

SUDAN ODYSSEY

EXPLORING THE REMNANTS OF COUSTEAU’S PRECONTINENT II EXPERIMENT

GEAR GUIDE: MASKS

THE TEST TEAM RATE AND

MELBOURNE MAGIC NIGEL MARSH DIVES REVIEW A RANGE OF DIVING MASKS THE PIERS AROUND PORT PHILLIP BAY

TALKING SHARKS

INFORMATIVE QUESTION & ANSWER WITH GREAT WHITE EXPERT ANDREW FOX

TEST EXTRA SPECIAL

RETRA FLASH PRO AND DIVE RITE XT FINS RATED AND REVIEWED

DISCOVERING WHERE SMALL THINGS ROAM IN THE PHILIPPINES

Dive into

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Don Silcock waxes lyrical about Papua New Guinea’s underwater delights

Over the

RAINBOW

Exploring New Zealand’s Rainbow Warrior wreck SMALL, BUT BEAUTIFUL, MARINE LIFE CRITTERS ADRIAN STACEY HEADS OUT ON A DAYBOAT TO THE THE GREAT BARRIER REEF ICONIC REEF EXPLORING NEW ZEALAND’S POOR KNIGHT ISLANDS

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Get people used to collecting Scuba Diver from your store. Let them know when the latest issue is available via your social media, and drive more foot-traffic through your door – remember, every person stopping by to pick up a magazine is another potential course or equipment sale. Use the magazines to your advantage – include a few copies with every manual on courses, get them even more inspired and excited to go diving before even hitting the water.

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Nicolas and Lena Remy head into the Sudanese Red Sea to explore the remnants of Cousteau’s Precontinent II experiment, the Umbria shipwreck, and go in search of hammerheads

PHOTOGRAPHS BY NICOLAS AND LENA REMY/ WWW.NICOLASLENAREMY.COM

The vibrant Sudanese reef life is supposed to resemble what Egypt was like 30 years ago T he Egyptian Red Sea holds some of the world’s most-dived and photographed coral reefs and wrecks. Many divers would instantly recognize photos of the motorbikes inside the SS Thistlegorm, the shape of the Giannis D cargo ship, and some photographers affectionally name the colour of the water you get there ‘Red Sea blue’. This has to do with the ease and affordability of travel there. Egypt has long been a very touristic destination (think pyramids, romantic cruise on the Nile river…), no wonder they have been very good at welcoming another type of tourists - scuba divers.

Inevitably, with so many divers visiting, the reefs closest to shore aren’t as pristine as they once were, and in general, I had been hearing ‘Egypt nowadays isn’t as good diving as 30 years back’. I had also heard ‘but if you are able to travel to Sudan, you will see what Egyptian diving used to be like!’.

Extra research taught me that Sudan was great for spotting hammerheads, that the relics of Cousteau’s Précontinent II experiment could be visited by divers in the Sudanese Red Sea, and that the Umbria, one of the most-interesting wrecks to dive worldwide, was only a few miles away from Port Sudan. Needless to say, Sudan was high on my diving bucket list, and thankfully there are now a select few liveaboards which sail these rich waters. We started our cruise with some relaxed yet fascinating diving at Sha’ab Rumi reef, 35km away from our departure port (Port Sudan). This is the very place where the inventor of scuba regulators, Jacques Cousteau, submerged several scientific habitats and tools at various depths, creating a mini ‘underwater village’ to support the Précontinent II experiment in 1963. On the sandy plateau at 10m, Cousteau had installed a habitat called ‘the Starfish’, which slept five scientists for a month, featuring a living room and command centre, as well as four bedrooms and laboratories. Nearby there were the ‘Urchin’ (a garage, for the exploration submarine Denise), as well as a hangar to store tools and underwater scooters. Deeper down the reef, another plateau at 30m hosted the second human habitat, which housed two scientists for a week. Most of the village was removed at the end of the experiment, but fortunately a few relics can still be found - the ‘Urchin’ and underwater scooter hangar on the 10m plateau, as well as some shark cages deeper on the reef. Being able to dive this pioneer exploration of the underwater world was definitely a highlight. The ‘Urchin’ can be penetrated by divers and is in good shape, offering good photographic opportunities. Overall, the surrounding reef was very pleasant to dive too, and this part of Sha’ab Rumi was protected from currents. After these emotion-filled, historical dives, we went on to visit several reefs, with a focus on enjoying Sudan’s abundant marine life and especially… finding hammerheads. Being further south than Egypt, it is worth noting that the Red Sea off the Sudanese coast is also warmer. Mid-May, the

Deeper down the reef, another plateau at 30m hosted the second human habitat, which housed two scientists for a week

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU 49 It may be the winter months, but as Simone Caprodossi explains, there are plenty of reasons to get in the water, including some cool diving at Julian Rocks PHOTOGRAPHS BY SIMONE CAPRODOSSI B yron Bay is synonym with surfing and chilled beach life, but not everyone knows that under its waters lies one of the best dive sites in the world. Julian Rocks, a volcanic island just a few minutes by boat from Byron Bay’s main beach, was BYRON A Y Winter diving established as a marine reserve in 1982 and, thanks to the over-35 years of protected status, it is surrounded by thriving marine life. It recently made it to the National Geographic list of the top 20 dives sites in the world and was named among the top three snorkelling spots in Australia. Just off the most-easterly point of Australia, Julian Rocks has dramatic seasonal changes, with water temperatures ranging from 18-20 degrees C in Winter up to 26-27 degrees C in the peak of Summer. This creates a unique level of biodiversity year round, with over a thousand cold and warm water species found at the site. Summer diving is extremely popular, as Byron Bay gets packed with tourists and divers enjoying the lovely weather, gorgeous beaches and warm water. Julian Rocks thrives with marine life, featuring one of the largest aggregations of leopard sharks in the world, and frequent visits from iconic warm water species like manta rays.

18 WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU On a good day, you could just lay motionless at 15m for a whole dive and watch a train of grey nurse sharks swim past you non stop until 45 minutes have past and it’s time to get out

From the eerie stillness of Milford Sound to the worldrenowned Poor Knights, the diving experiences on offer are plentiful and varied. There are wrecks galore, including the infamous Rainbow Warrior and the huge Mikhail Lermontov. Animal encounters with seals, sharks, dolphins and a wide variety of unique sea creatures are commonplace, not to mention kelp forests, rugged coastlines and inspiring topography.

BAY OF ISLANDS The wrecks of the Rainbow Warrior and the HMNZS Canterbury are not the only reasons to dive in the bay of islands, but they are perhaps the main drawcards. The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior is in the Cavalli Islands. Originally sunk in Auckland harbour in 1985 by the French government, it was refloated, cleaned up and then resunk in 1987 as a memorial and dive site. Covered in jewel anemones and sponges and filled with fish life, it is now a world-class dive with a story like no other.

The ex HMNZS Canterbury is located in the Deep-Water Cove reserve, in the Bay of Islands. This Leander-class frigate was purpose-sunk in 2007 by divers for diving. It ranges in depth from 14m-36m, so suits a wide range of experience in divers. The Bay of Islands also has a vast number of reef sites to dive, ranging from shallow protected reefs to deep walls, caves and archways. It’s well worth spending a few days in this area exploring.

Paihia Dive (www.divenz.com) offer diving trips to the spectacular Rainbow Warrior and HMNZS Canterbury and the stunning local reefs. New Zealand is famous for its stunning landscapes, rugby and The Lord of the Rings. However, the world beneath the surface of this rich and diverse country is every bit as spectacular as anything that J.R.R. Tolkien could imagine

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITED AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE

WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU The oceans in Kaikoura are full of a huge range of incredible marine life. Huge whales, dolphins, seals, stingrays, octopus, crayfish and many more

33

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TECHNICAL

www.narkedat90.com

We design, manufacture and retail scuba and rebreather equipment. We have fully equipped test and certification labs, and can pressure test large items in our vacuum chambers, as well as run fully automated leak test and dive simulations down to 400m. Our EMC and EMF lab is filled with state-ofthe-art equipment for testing electromagnetic compatibility and electromagnetic fields. We also have a large in-house laser for cutting and engraving on plastics and metals. www.narkedat90.com

SULAWESI’S I ndonesia is well known for some of the best ocean diving in the world. I know, I have been fortunate enough to log numerous dives from East to West. But in Southeast Sulawesi, this little cave diver had her experience of a lifetime, searching for caves in dense jungle, swampy mosquito ponds, and inside local villages. Equipped with the absolute A-team as dive buddies and surface interval entertainment, it was hard, sweaty work, but worth every second! Over the years, I have spent much time cave diving in Florida and Mexico. All my training has been done in these SECRET caves that, between the two countries, are diverse and challenging in their own ways. Once my initial cave training was concluded, I had the pleasure of joining my husband Rasmus Dysted when he was travelling with his groups of cave diving students. And when we went for our own private ‘leisure trips’, I had the joy of joining shorter expeditions, scouting for new caves in the jungles of Mexico. I loved every dive, and every challenge the caves would hand me. And then, after eight years as a smitten cave diver, the ultimate challenge presented itself - a cave exploration expedition in Southeast Sulawesi. It all started when a Malaysian friend invited us to come cave diving with him in Indonesia. Neither Rasmus or I had heard of any cave diving worth travelling for in Indo, but we were assured that they were ‘highly decorated, but yet, still vastly unexplored’. He said this casually, almost apologetically. It didn’t take long before we were in contact with the instructor of our Malaysian friend, who was indeed cave diving on mainland Sulawesi and out on the island of Wakatobi. It turned out that Robin Cuesta, a French dive instructor and cave explorer, had been setting up his base on Wakatobi, and sporadically over the last few years, explored a vast number of caves that were found in the apparent area.

A crack team of cave divers embarks on an epic adventure to seek out the cave systems beneath Sulawesi in Indonesia, but as Maria Bollerup explains, just getting to the potential caves was an experience in itself

PHOTOGRAPHS BY PETE MESLEY, RASMUS DYSTED AND MARIA BOLLERUP

49 F lying into Roatan off the coast of Honduras, the reasoning behind the name of the country becomes clear. Honduras means ‘the depths’ in Spanish, and there is deep blue water everywhere you look. Roatan and the other Bay Islands of Guanaja and Utila are part of Honduras and less than an hour from the mainland. Roatan, once the territory of Spanish conquistadors and pirates, sits on the southernmost point of the second largest barrier reef in the world. These extensive reef systems draw in divers from all across the globe, and the islands are bustling with dive activity.

After organizing gear and getting a good night’s sleep on board the Roatan Aggressor, we made our first dive off

Roatan’s far western point at a location called Eel Reef. Upon arrival at the site, I was surprised to observe a platform surrounded by several small boats. The Honduran flag was flying above the few people who were clearly preparing for an event. When I asked about what was taking place, I learned it was the Freediving World Championship. Teams and individuals from five continents were on this small island to participate in a sport that pushes the limits of the human body. I cannot imagine what it would be like to freedive to depths over 100m without fins and hold my breath for over four minutes. There is nothing like the thought of that to make me feel grateful to have a tank of air on my back and scuba gear at the ready. It made me smile to know that I would be able to take my time to truly soak in the reef scenes and marine life below.

WALLS, WRECKS AND REEFS Depending on the weather conditions, the Roatan Aggressor’s itinerary includes well-known sites around the island of Roatan, and then crosses to Utila, Cayos Cochinos and an extraordinary seamount just off this small island. Over the two weeks I was aboard the boat, we dodged two big bullets – Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The weather was still respectable

42 WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU Michele Westmorland was captivated by the underwater delights around Roatan, in the Bay Islands of Honduras

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHELE WESTMORLAND

Downbelow Marine & Wildlife Adventures’ Joanne Swann explores the waters of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park in Sabah, Borneo, handily located close to the capital Kota Kinabalu

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICHARD SWANN / WWW.DOWNBELOWADVENTURES.COM

MEETS

reef

Less than two minutes after take off from Kota Kinabalu International Airport in Sabah, the plane makes a sharp left-hand turn and the wing dips to reveal a bird’s eye view of Gaya Island and the surrounding sloping coral reefs of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. The occasional small speedboat can be seen transferring island day trippers and scuba divers between the five tropical islands. Vibrant green jungle rainforest meets brilliant turquoise water - it’s quite a sight and I can’t wait to return.

There are not many places in the world that offer a bustling city full of modern facilities and then right on the doorstep, just ten minutes by speedboat from the central entertainment district, a stunning tropical marine paradise with 50 dive sites to choose from. Sabah’s capital, Kota Kinabalu, is such a place, and the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, locally known as the TARP, offers some excellent scuba diving year round. Named after Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, covering an area of 50km², the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park was gazetted as a national park in 1974. Consequently, the area’s fauna, flora and marine eco-systems enjoy the protection of the government appointed body, Sabah Parks.

Five islands make up the landmass with Gaya Island the largest and arguably the most interesting. Site of the British North Borneo company harbour and razed by the rebel Mat Salleh in 1881, nowadays the 15 square km island is mainly uninhabited other than the eastern shore, which is home to a community of stilt villagers.

For the past 12 years, our PADI five-star IDC Career Development Centre Downbelow Marine and Wildlife Adventures has been based here as the only operator. Abundant wildlife thrives on the island, including the endemic proboscis monkey, macaques, hornbills, wild boars, snakes, lizards and many other tropical birds and insects. ABOUT THE DIVE SITES The remarkable biodiversity of Borneo’s flora and fauna is visible above and below water. Dive sites within the park offer some great scuba diving for beginners and experienced divers alike. Inner and outer coral reefs slope to 30m depths, while mangrove areas and sand flats provide lots of opportunity for macro enthusiasts and underwater photographers. The park is also ideal for conducting PADI dive courses of all levels from beginner to professional qualifications. With a good amount of local divers, there is a great vibe around diving, but it’s not too busy. We’re often the only dive boat on a dive site, and our guide-to-diver ratios are four divers per group.

THE INNER REEFS Sheltered from the prevailing northeast or southwest winds, the inner reefs offer year-round diving and are a haven for macro critters. Nudibranchs are very common with many rare and varied species regularly encountered. Seahorses, ghost pipefish, frogfish, flounders, stargazers, mandarinfish, moray eels, lionfish, and many crustacean species are among the usual suspects and divers can frequently interact with cephalopods as they slowly pulse along the reef. Although referred to as ‘muck diving’, many of these sites are in fact very pretty, with visibility ranging from eight to 20 metres.

Mid Reef is a great example. Situated in the centre of all the islands, this independent reef was probably once an island of its own. The shallow top reef, only 4m at low tide, is relatively barren with a handful of artificial coral blocks. On the eastern side the slope descends to 20m and meets the remains of a small fishing wreck. Fish schools gather around the debris which attracts a variety of critters such as stonefish, scorpionfish and lionfish. Shrimps and crustaceans are plentiful. Moving away from the wreck and following the reef slope divers can find stick pipefish, spotted stingrays and an array of creatures confident in their cryptic ability.

A few minutes swim away and a wonderful section of shallow reef begins; layers of acropora coral bathed in filtered sunshine form a beautiful reef area at 12m. Here seahorses, cockatoo waspfish, razor fishes, moray eels, yellow-lipped banded sea krait and swaying anemones with their clownfish are often found. Surrounded by this beauty, it’s a challenge to end the safety stop and return to topside reality.

44 WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU

NEWS • HINTS AND ADVICE • IN-DEPTH TRAVEL • INTERVIEWS • GEAR • PHOTOGRAPHY

AUSTRALIA NEW SOUTH WALES

DIVE EDEN

t: 04 1002 6990 e: diveeden@gmail.com Guided dives of the wrecks, vibrant wharves and shoreline in Eden, Merimbula and Tathra. Scuba and Freediving courses are available. www.diveeden.com.au

FEET FIRST DIVE

t: 02 4984 2092 e: enquiries@feetfirstdive.com.au a: 97 Stockton St, Nelson Bay, NSW, 2315 SDI/TDI SCUBA, Snorkelling, & Spearfishing Retail & Training Centre. Shore dives in marine sanctuary, grey nurse shark double boat dives. www.feetfirstdive.com.au

LETS GO ADVENTURES

t: 02 4981 4331 e: fun@letsgoadventures.com.au a: Shop 8W, d’Albora Marina, Teramby Rd, Nelson Bay, NSW, 2315 PADI facility Introductory dives through to Instructor Courses. Guided shore & boat trips for divers & snorkellers. Retail Sales & Servicing. www.letsgoadventures.com.au

SCUBA HAVEN

t: 0407 457 542 e: info@scubahaven.com.au a: 20 Merrigal Rd, Port Macquarie, NSW, 2444 SCUBA Diving Port Macquarie and Laurieton Areas. Offering Dive trips, Courses, Introductory dives, Sales and services. www.scubahaven.com.au

SOUTH WEST ROCKS DIVE CENTRE

t: +612 6566 6474 e: info@swrdive.com.au a: 98 Gregory Street, South West Rocks, NSW Australia’s best Shark and Cave dive. Family owned and operated for over 40 Years. swrdive.com.au

ST GEORGE UNDERWATER CENTRE

t: 61 2 9502 2221 e: info@stgeorgeunderwater.com.au a: 1/148 Bellevue Parade, Carlton, NSW, 2218 We have been in the industry for over 62 years. We are a TDI SDI 5 star training centre. We service, train and travel. www.stgeorgeunderwater.com.au

WINDANG DIVE & SPEARFISHING

t: 02 4296 4215 e: info@windangdive.com.au a: Shop 1, 239 Windang Road, Windang, NSW, 2528 Scuba Diving Courses to Instructor. Spearfishing needs and servicing of all brands of scuba and spearfishing. www.windangdive.com.au

QUEENSLAND

BUNDABERG AQUA SCUBA

t: 07 4153 5761 e: Julian@aquascuba.com.au a: 17 Walla Street, Bundaberg, QLD, 4670 Bundaberg has world class wreck diving sites, access to the Southern Great Barrier Reef and the best coral reef shore diving in Queensland. www.aquascuba.com.au

LADY ELLIOT ISLAND ECO RESORT

t: +61 7 5536 3644 e: reservations@ladyelliot.com.au a: Lady Elliot Island, Southern Great Barrier Reef, QLD Lady Elliot Island ‘Home of the Manta Ray’ boasts 20 incredible dive sites and is renowned for amazing marine encounters. www.ladyelliot.com.au

MANTA LODGE AND SCUBA CENTRE

t: 07 34098888 e: info@mantalodge.com.au a: 132 Dickson way, Point Lookout, QLD 4183 Amazing diving all year round. Manta Rays, Sharks, turtles and whales along with a huge variety of marine life. www.mantalodge.com.au

OZAQUATEC SCUBA SERVICE CENTRE

t: 07 3399 1413 e: admin@ozaquatec.com a: 4/89 Gosport St, Hemmant QLD 4171 Brisbane’s largest SCUBA servicing centre. Servicing all brands of SCUBA gear, Air/Nitrox fills and SAI Global accredited Test Station for all your tank hydro needs. www.ozaquatec.com.au

PASSIONS OF PARADISE

t: 07 4041 1600 e: Reservations@passions.com.au a: Reef Fleet Terminal, 1 Spence Street, Cairns, QLD Dive, snorkel and sail the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns onboard a sailing catamaran with locally owned Passions of Paradise. www.passions.com.au

SCUBA WORLD

t: 07 5444 8595 e: info@scubaworld.com.au a: 207 Brisbane Road, Mooloolaba, 4557 QLD, Australia We create safe, comfortable, enthusiastic divers who always have a fun, personal and enjoyable experience at Scuba World. scubaworld.com.au

TASMANIA

EAGLEHAWK DIVE CENTRE

t: 0417013518 e: info@eaglehawkdive.com.au a: 178 Pirates Bay Drive, Eaglehawk Neck, TAS, 7179 We have world-class temperate water diving, with sites suitable for divers with skill levels from novice to advanced technical. www.eaglehawkdive.com.au

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

RODNEY FOX SHARK EXPEDITIONS

t: 08 8363 1788 e: expeditions@rodneyfox.com.au a: 107 Henley Beach Road, Mile End, SA, 5031 Great white sharks, SCUBA, Ocean Floor Cage, Surface Cage, Australian Sea Lions and our own wine all on the 32m liveaboard MV Rodney Fox! www.rodneyfox.com.au

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

OCTOPUS GARDEN DIVE CHARTERS

t: 0438925011 e: kimroyce@gateway.net.au a: Casuarina Boat Harbour, Bunbury, Western Australia, 6230 Wreck & reef diving (small groups, min 2/max 11). Photographers paradise. Hire gear available. Prolific fish life. 10-18 metres. www.octopusgardendivecharters.com.au

SOUTHCOAST DIVING SUPPLIES

t: 08 98417176 e: whale@divealbany.com.au a: 84b Serpentine Road, Albany, Western Australia, 6330 Diving Albany means diving anything from wrecks to reef, plunging drop offs to awesome canyons with unbelievable colours and fishlife. www.divealbany.com.au

VICTORIA

ALL ABOUT SCUBA

t: (03) 9939 4913 e: info@allaboutscuba.com.au a: Unit 17/30-34 Maffra Street, Coolaroo, Victoria, 3048 A fully equipped SCUBA service centre with a passion for servicing so we can safely explore the underwater world! www.allaboutscuba.com.au

DIVE GEAR AUSTRALIA

t: 03 9702 3694 e: sales@divegearaustralia.com.au a: 11/53-57 Rimfire Drive, Hallam, Victoria, 3803 DGA is a PADI 5 star training dive store with a huge range of scuba diving, snorkelling and spearfishing gear. www.divegearaustralia.com.au

SCUBA CULTURE PTY LTD

t: 03 9808 0033 e: info@scubaculture.com.au a: 117 Highbury Road, Burwood, Victoria 3125 Full service dive shop providing equipment sales, service, hire, training, dive club, dive travel and air/ nitrox fills. www.scubaculture.com.au

WARRNAMBOOL DIVING

t: 03 5562 1685 e: scubaone@live.com.au a: 179A Fairy Street, Warrnambool VIC 3280 Warrnambool offer some of the best shore dives along the great ocean road with access to the ship wreck coast. www.divingandfirearms.com.au

NEW ZEALAND AUCKLAND

AQUATECH

t: +64 2156 3563 e: servicing1@yahoo.com a: 4 WOULDBANK Way, Welcome Bay Aquatech is a scuba service centre. We service scuba regulators / full face masks / oxygen regulators. Underwater Scooters. www.aquatech.kiwi.nz

DIVE DOCTOR

t: +09 530 8117 e: info@divedoctor.co.nz a: 20R Sylvia Park Rd, Mt Wellington. (1 min off the M’way) Scuba servicing centre – all brands. Wide range of products and hard to find items instore and online. 300 Bar fills, NITROX, O2. Quality dive training. www.divedoctor.co.nz

DIVING ACADEMY LTD (AUCKLAND SCUBA)

t: +64 9478 2814 e: info@aucklandscuba.co.nz a: 49B Arrenway Drive, Auckland 5* PADI centre, beginner to Instructor courses (student loan approved), quality equipment retail, rebreathers, scooters, dive trips, servicing, air fills. www.aucklandscuba.co.nz

GLOBAL DIVE

t: +64 9920 5200 e: info@globaldive.net a: 132 Beaumont Street, Westhaven, Auckland, 1010, New Zealand NZ’s Premium Dive Store. Leaders in Training, Servicing and Travel. Home of Fourth Element, OMS, Shearwater, XDeep, Light&Motion, DUI, Cinebags. www.globaldive.net

KIWI DIVERS NZ LTD

t: 09 426 9834 e: info@kiwiscubadivers.co.nz a: 8 Keith Hay Court, Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand Air, Nitrox & Trimix fills. SSI & TDI Rec, Tech & Rebreather courses. 2 dive boats. Brands: Hollis, Oceanic, Zeagle, Atomic, Bare/Stahlsac service centre. www.kiwiscubadivers.co.nz

NEW ZEALAND DIVING

t: 00 64 9422 3599 e: dive@nzdiving.co.nz a: Unit 2, 23 Morrison Drive, Warkworth, New Zealand Leading dive centre offering training and charters. Tank testing, air/nitrox fills, gear sales, service, hire. SCUBA and Freediving/Spearfishing. www.nzdiving.co.nz

WAIHEKE DIVE & SNORKEL

t: +64 9217 4892 e: info@waihekedive.com a: 110 Ocean View Road, Oneroa, Waiheke Island, Auckland, NZ, 1081 NZ’s most fun little dive shop! We’re your choice for online retail, diving & snorkeling adventures – just 35 mins from Auckland CBD! www.waihekedive.com

CANTERBURY

DIVE HQ CHRISTCHURCH

t: +64 3379 5804 e: sales@divehqscuba.co.nz a: 103 Durham Street South, Sydenham, Christchurch South Island’s Premium Dive Centre, Specialists in Scuba Diving, Spearfishing & Freediving. Brands: Hollis, Oceanic, Atomic, Zeagle, Beuchat, Bare & Rob Allen. www.divehqscuba.co.nz

MARLBOROUGH

GO DIVE PACIFIC

t: 0274 344 874 e: info@godivepacific.nz a: 66 Wellington Street, Picton, Marlborough, New Zealand Dive one of the biggest cruise ship wrecks in the world, the Mikhail Lermontov, suitable for recreational to advanced technical divers. www.godivepacific.co.nz

NORTHLAND

DIVE NOW

t: 09 438 1075 e: info@divenow.co.nz a: 41 Clyde St, Whangarei We’re Northland’s largest SCUBA, Spearfishing & Freedive retail store offering great deals on gear along with SCUBA and Freedive courses. www.divenow.co.nz

PAIHIA DIVE

t: +64 9402 7551 e: info@divenz.com a: 7 Williams Rd, Paihia 0247, New Zealand We run daily trips to the Canterbury wreck, The Rainbow Warrior wreck and reef sites in the Bay of Islands. www.divenz.com

SUBAQUA DIVE CENTRE

t: 09 988 9508 e: subaquadivecentrenz@gmail.com a: 108 Cameron Street, Whangarei, NZ Friendliest dive shop in town. Stocker of Hollis, Ratio Dive computers, Atomic Aquatics, Bare, Oceanic and Zeagle. www.facebook.com/subaquadivewhangarei

SOUTHLAND

DESCEND NZ – MILFORD SOUND

t: +64 (0)27 337 2363 e: info@descend.co.nz a: Deepwater Basin Milford Sound –bookings essential Dive in the majestic and unique Milford Sound where deepwater species such as black coral live in diveable depths. www.descend.co.nz

WAIKATO

DIVE ZONE WHITIANGA

t: +64 7867 1580 e: info@divethecoromandel.co.nz a: 10 Campbell Street, Whitianga 3510, New Zealand Dive charters, training, service and retail store. Many and varied dive spots. Beautiful coastal town location. Offshore islands & Marine Reserve. www.divezonewhitianga.co.nz

WELLINGTON

DIVE WELLINGTON

t: 04 939 3483 e: dive@divewellington.co.nz a: 432 The Esplanade Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand Wellington’s Padi 5 Star Centre, right across the road from Taputeranga Marine Reserve. Come and dive or snorkel with us. www.divewellington.co.nz

ROTTNEST IS CALLING

WHY ROTTNEST ISLAND HAS PLENTY TO OFFER THE VISITING DIVER

GEAR GUIDE GROUP TEST

TOP-OF-THE-RANGE REGS RATED AND REVIEWED BY THE TEST TEAM

Q&A: WAYNE B BROWN

ADVENTURE IN OMAN ADRIAN STACEY WAXES WE CHAT TO AGGRESSOR ADVENTURES CEO ABOUT

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