Home Point - Bay of Islands
Maccallum Girls always delivers, especially if you’re into the smaller stuff. This isn’t a deep dive, topping out around 19 metres, but it’s packed. We love drifting along the reef wall, spotting those easily missed creatures. Keep an eye out for Lyre Gobies darting between the coral heads, and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch a glimpse of a sleepy Broad Shad tucked away. We’ve had some fantastic encounters here, from schools of Schoolmaster snapper shimmering in the sun to the occasional Tarpon Snook ghosting by. The hard and soft corals are impressive, particularly the large sea fans and corky sea fingers. Visibility often hovers around 10 metres, which is decent for close-up photography. Our favourite time to dive Maccallum Girls is in the morning, before the dive boats from West End arrive. It’s perfect for divers who appreciate a slow pace and the thrill of discovery.
- Location
- Bay of Islands, New Zealand, Australasia
- Coordinates
- -35.319400, 174.379100
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Tamateatai Point
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 Home Point
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