Noel’s Hole
Protected Area
Poor Knights Islands
Why dive here
With 79+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue sharks, dolphins, hammerhead sharks, humpback whales and orcas - Noel’s Hole offers some of Poor Knights Islands's richest reef diving. Water ranges 15-22°C, warmest January, February, March.
Noel’s Hole is one of those spots we always try to hit when the conditions are right. It’s not really a hole, more of a sheltered bay that just keeps giving. Drop in and you’re immediately enveloped by the kelp forest – the light filtering down through the fronds is something else, a dappled green glow you just have to feel. Head west and the wall drops away to some serious depth, but we usually stick to the 10-15m range. Here you find schools of demoiselles so thick they shimmer like a single organism, parting for you as you swim through. Keep an eye out for blue mao mao darting in and out of the crevices, and we’ve often seen eagle rays gliding gracefully past the sponges. Our favourite is spotting the banded cleaner shrimp busy at work. Visibility here averages a decent 19m, but on a good day, it stretches to over 25m, making the whole place feel even more expansive. It’s perfect for a relaxed dive, suitable for anyone comfortable with a bit of kelp, and offers a good range of depths if you want to poke around.
Nearest Dive Centres to Noel’s Hole
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Dive! Tutukaka
Northland Dive
Moana Futures Ltd
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Conditions
Ocean conditions, forecast and tides for Noel’s Hole
Noel’s Hole Ocean Conditions
Monthly averages for Noel’s Hole, 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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