Joeys’ Maze - Bay of Islands
An hour's boat ride from Soul Scuba Divers, the trip out to Mayhem often starts with dolphins and pilot whales putting on a show. The reef itself kicks off shallow, around 5-7 meters, before sloping down to a maximum advised depth of 23 meters. Keep an eye out for wobbegongs tucked under ledges, and we’ve seen white tip and black tip reef sharks cruising past. Large schools of fusiliers, jacks, and barracuda often gather here, and the chocolate chip sea stars are usually easy to spot on the sandy patches. Mayhem's a solid mid-range dive, good for divers who appreciate a consistent reef with reliable big fish action without needing extreme depths.
- Location
- Bay of Islands, New Zealand, Australasia
- Coordinates
- -35.327000, 174.375600
- 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 Joeys’ Maze
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