Hole in the Rock - Bay of Islands
Diving the Hole in the Rock is mostly about the structure itself. You descend along the rocky walls, exploring crevices where we've often spotted crayfish and moray eels. It’s a pretty straightforward dive, great for anyone who enjoys interesting topography and a bit of a current push through the archway itself. Visibility can vary, but on a good day, the light filtering through the "hole" is quite something.
- Location
- Bay of Islands, New Zealand, Australasia
- Coordinates
- -35.165707, 174.340000
- Type
- cave
- Maximum Depth
- 5-20m
Marine Protected Area: Oke Bay
Nearby Dive Sites in Bay of Islands
- 3 ways (reef)
- 3 ways (reef)
- Big Eyes Lair (cave)
- Big Eyes Lair (reef)
- Bird Rock (reef)
- Bird Rock (drift)
- Blue Maomao Arch (Bay of Islands) (reef)
- Blue Maomao Arch (Bay of Islands) (reef)
- Boulder Garden (reef)
- Boulder Garden (reef)
- Bowling Alley (reef)
- Bowling Alley (drift)
- Cathedral Cave (cave)
- Cooks Cove (reef)
- Danger Rock (reef)
Nearest Dive Centres to Hole in the Rock
Marine Life in Bay of Islands
Home to 172 recorded species including 100 reef fish, 22 sharks & rays, 11 whales & dolphins, 10 other, 6 crabs & lobsters, 4 seagrass & algae.
Notable Species
- Snapper (Pagrus auratus) - Reef Fish
- Red Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Striped Marlin (Kajikia audax) - Reef Fish
- California Yellowtail (Seriola lalandi) - Reef Fish
- Shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) - Sharks & Rays
- European fan-worm (Sabella spallanzanii) - Worms
- Asian paddle crab (Charybdis (Charybdis) japonica) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Bluefin Gurnard (Chelidonichthys kumu) - Reef Fish
- dory (Zeus faber) - Reef Fish
- Blue-eyed Triplefin (Notoclinops segmentatus) - Reef Fish
- Oblique-swimming Triplefin (Forsterygion maryannae) - Reef Fish
- Striped Triplefin (Forsterygion varium) - Reef Fish
- Spotty (Notolabrus celidotus) - Reef Fish
- Ranger (Pseudocaranx dentex) - Reef Fish
- Species code: Zc (Zostera muelleri) - Seagrass & Algae
- Blue Shark (Prionace glauca) - Sharks & Rays
- banded morwong (Chirodactylus spectabilis) - Reef Fish
- Southern Eagle Ray (Myliobatis tenuicaudatus) - Sharks & Rays
- Crested Blenny (Parablennius laticlavius) - Reef Fish
- Eastern king wrasse (Coris sandeyeri) - Reef Fish