Dive Pacific 175 Dec2020 Jan 2021

Humpback whale breachings
been protected, becoming New
Zealand’s third, and still largest,
marine reserve in 1990. There’s
a lot to protect. In the desert
latitudes, the Kemedecs provide
a surprising hotspot of flora and
fauna.
Underwater
And diving is why we are here! On
first appearances, the reefs appear
relatively barren. Absent are the
lush kelp forests of temperate
coasts, and missing too are the
sprawling coral reefs of the tropics.
Nevertheless it’s quickly apparent
that most surfaces of boulder or
bedrock are covered with a blend
of delicate or turfing algae, and soft
and hard corals.
Fish fascinators
This fascinating mixture of
tropical and temperate is multiplied
by the fish life. Of the 175 or
so coastal fish species currently
known to live here, 42% are considered
tropical, 45% subtropical, and
…We anchored at the islands for a week and found it hard to
tire of the constant breaching and singing from these gentle
leviathans. Their vocalisations certainly added a unique
sensation to our night dives…
12% of temperate origin, showing
the mixed nature of their origins.
Fishes we seldom encounter
in New Zealand thrive here in
abundance; the likes of yellowbanded
perch, gold-ribbon grouper,
and painted moki. Also, given the
lack of kelp, there are a surprising
Spanish lobster & Sandagers wrasse
36 Dive New Zealand | Dive Pacific