Poor Knights
Barren Arch (Tawhiti Rahi)
- Max depth35 m
- CertificationOpen water / no overhead
- Water temperature≈ 14–23 °C, varies with the seasonestimated, no reports yet
Diving and fills
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The dive
The walls of the arch are densely covered in sponges, bryozoans, hydroids and corals, with schools of maomao, demoiselles, koheru and mado.
Profile and sections
The walls of the arch are densely covered in sponges, bryozoans, hydroids and corals, with schools of maomao, demoiselles, koheru and mado. The walls show vertical shafts in the volcanic rock, and the light inside is moody. At the back left of the bay a crack leads into the island, where stingrays often rest; in season you sometimes see seal pups.
Tec divers swim out to sea from the anchorage over a reef that drops in steps, return through large boulders and do their deco inside the arch.
- Depth and profile
- The arch slopes from ~10 m to 35 m, with a shallow entrance at the back of the bay and a deeper one towards the open sea. A ledge at ~5 m serves for the safety stop. Outside the arch the reef drops in steps to 60 m and a sand floor at 65–68 m.
- Configuration
- Open arch with daylight: recreational gear within your no-deco time, or tec gear with deco for the deep reef outside (estimate).
Who can dive where
- At least Open water / no overhead
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 35 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.
How to get there
Boat dive on the seaward side of Tawhiti Rahi, near its northern end, with a local dive centre. The boat anchors north-east of the arch.
Around Barren Arch (Tawhiti Rahi)
FillsNo fill station known nearby
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