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Log This Dive

Lake Rotoma

Okay, Lake Rotoma. Forget the ocean for a bit and reset your expectations for something completely different. We love this spot for its sheer calm and the unusual thrill of diving a freshwater lake. Your objective here is the sunken dinghy, resting at a comfortable 11 metres. It’s not some grand old freighter, just a small, humble boat, but it's genuinely charming, cloaked in a fine silt that shimmers in your torch beam. We’d suggest going early, before any surface activity stirs the already delicate visibility; six metres is average, sometimes better, sometimes worse, but always a gentle kind of murky. Keep your eyes peeled for the resident koura, New Zealand’s freshwater crayfish. They grow surprisingly large here, bigger than we’ve seen anywhere else, and they're often found scuttling around the dinghy or tucked into crevices. You'll also likely encounter brown and rainbow trout, sleek and fast, darting through the water. It’s a wonderfully quiet dive, a chance to really slow down and appreciate a unique piece of New Zealand’s geology and its submerged life.