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MAMONA BAY

Mamona Bay, sitting pretty in the Goat Island marine reserve, is one of those spots we love for a relaxed afternoon. It’s never going to blow your mind with dramatic drops, but for easy diving, especially if you're new to the game or just fancy a chilled out bimble, it's perfect. The maximum depth hovers around 12 metres, keeping things nice and shallow, so your bottom time stretches out. We often kick off our dives here near the reef's edge, letting the gentle current (if there is one) nudge us along a broken reef line, then out over the sand. This is where the magic happens, or at least, the genuine charm of Mamona Bay reveals itself. We’ve seen more eagle rays cruising over this sandy bottom than almost anywhere else in the Gulf. They just glide, ghost-like, often barely ten metres from shore. Keep your eyes peeled for southern reef squid too, sometimes hanging motionless in the water column, watching you back. Sure, it's a breeding ground for smaller stuff – we've spotted clown nudibranchs, little post horn squid, and countless triplefins darting between the kelp fronds. It's a great spot to practice buoyancy, to just hang and observe the smaller intricacies of the ecosystem. It's our pick for a post-lunch dip when you’re not chasing big pelagics but want to feel the cool water and see some good old New Zealand marine life.