Goat Island
Protected Area
Cape Rodney-Okakari Point
Why dive here
With 79+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue sharks, dolphins, hammerhead sharks, humpback whales and orcas - Goat Island offers some of Poor Knights Islands's richest wreck diving. Water ranges 15-22°C, warmest January, February, March.
Goat Island, or more accurately, the waters around the Goat Island marine reserve, is a special kind of dive. Forget deep, blue encounters – here, we’re talking about an intimate exploration, maxing out at a mere 7 meters. It's an excellent spot for photographers, especially those keen on macro or wide-angle shots of the landscape, and it's perfect for snorkelers or newer divers building confidence. Our favourite thing about Goat Island is how much life packs into such a shallow space. You’re often drifting over kelp forests, the light filtering down in shimmering greens and golds. Look closely and you’ll find yellow-and-black triplefins doing their little headstands on the rocks, and those striking purple sunset clams wedged into crevices. We’ve had incredible luck spotting sleek black stingrays gliding over the sandy patches – they're less skittish here than in other places. Keep an eye out for banded morwong poking out from under ledges. It’s a gentle, unhurried dive, letting you truly soak in the details. Visibility averages around 7 meters, which is plenty for this kind of close-up exploration. Go in the morning before any wind picks up for the calmest surface conditions.
Safety Notes
Wreck site - avoid penetration without wreck diving certification. Watch for sharp metal and entanglement hazards.
Nearest Dive Centres to Goat Island
Dive shops near Goat Island
GOAT ISLAND DIVE and SNORKEL
NEW ZEALAND DIVING
Auckland Scuba - Silverdale
Reviews for Goat Island
Conditions
Ocean conditions, forecast and tides for Goat Island
Goat Island Ocean Conditions
Monthly averages for Goat Island, sourced from Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU) - nearest station: Open-Meteo marine grid (-35.84, 174.61) (14km away)
October Averages
Sea Temperature
16°C
60°F · Range: 14.8–17.1°C
Current Speed
11.4 cm/s
Direction: SE (142.1°)
Chlorophyll-a
0.388 mg/m³
Moderate productivity
Salinity
35.44 PSU
Based on 4 years of monitoring data · Data sources: Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU)
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