Barren Arch - Poor Knights Islands
Corridors has that classic BVI feel, a gentle slope of coral fingers reaching out towards the sand. We usually drop in around the ten-foot mark, letting the soft corals and sea fans just sway us down. It’s not a deep dive, maxing out around 16m, which means plenty of bottom time to really look for things. Our favourite part has to be the sandy patches where we often find stingrays just chilling, sometimes even an eagle ray gliding past in the blue. Keep an eye out for lobsters tucked away under coral heads and the sheer volume of staghorn coral on the way back towards the boat. It’s some of the healthiest we’ve seen in the area. Visibility averages around 11m, which is decent enough to appreciate the intricate coral structures and the schools of small reef fish flitting about. This site is brilliant for newer divers or those who just want a relaxing dive without strong currents. It’s a great spot to practice buoyancy and really enjoy the smaller stuff.
- Location
- Poor Knights Islands, New Zealand, Australasia
- Coordinates
- -35.449300, 174.740000
- Type
- reef
Marine Protected Area: Poor Knights Islands
Best Time to Dive in Poor Knights Islands
The warmest water temperatures in Poor Knights Islands occur in February, averaging 21.9°C. The coolest conditions are in August at 15.8°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 21.4°C
- February: 21.9°C
- March: 21.7°C
- April: 20.6°C
- May: 19.1°C
- June: 17.6°C
- July: 16.5°C
- August: 15.8°C
- September: 15.9°C
- October: 16.6°C
- November: 18.2°C
- December: 19.8°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Poor Knights Islands
- ABC Bay (wall)
- ABC Bay (reef)
- Alice A. Leigh /Rewa ShipWreck (wreck)
- Alice A. Leigh /Rewa ShipWreck (cenote)
- Ann's Rock / Astrid's Wall (wall)
- Bartle Bay (drift)
- Bartle Bay (wreck)
- Blue MaoMao Arch (cave)
- Blue MaoMao Arch (drift)
- Boarfish Reef Poor Knights (reef)
- Boarfish Reef Poor Knights (reef)
- Brady’s Corner (Shark Fin Cave) (cave)
- Brady’s Corner (Shark Fin Cave) - 10-25m (cave)
- Bream Rock
- Bream Rock (drift)
Nearest Dive Centres to Barren Arch
- Auckland Scuba - Silverdale - ["PADI"]
- DIVE NOW - SSI
- Dive! Tutukaka - ["PADI"]
- Dive Zone
- GOAT ISLAND DIVE and SNORKEL - SSI
- Moana Futures Ltd
Marine Life in Poor Knights Islands
Home to 84 recorded species including 53 reef fish, 11 sharks & rays, 4 whales & dolphins, 4 other, 3 crabs & lobsters, 2 sea urchins.
Notable Species
- Snapper (Pagrus auratus) - Reef Fish
- Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) - Whales & Dolphins
- Red Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Striped Marlin (Kajikia audax) - Reef Fish
- California Yellowtail (Seriola lalandi) - Reef Fish
- European fan-worm (Sabella spallanzanii) - Worms
- Shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) - Sharks & Rays
- Smooth hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena) - Sharks & Rays
- Bluefin Gurnard (Chelidonichthys kumu) - Reef Fish
- Asian paddle crab (Charybdis (Charybdis) japonica) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Bronze whaler (Carcharhinus brachyurus) - Sharks & Rays
- dory (Zeus faber) - Reef Fish
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Blue mackerel (Scomber australasicus) - Reef Fish
- Striped Triplefin (Forsterygion varium) - Reef Fish
- Blue-eyed Triplefin (Notoclinops segmentatus) - Reef Fish
- Spotty (Notolabrus celidotus) - Reef Fish
- Southern Eagle Ray (Myliobatis tenuicaudatus) - Sharks & Rays
- Ranger (Pseudocaranx dentex) - Reef Fish
- Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei) - Whales & Dolphins
Recommended Packing List for Barren Arch
Based on average water temperature of 18.8°C, currents 12 cm/s.
- Wetsuit (3-5mm) - comfortable for 19°C water
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories