Poor Knights
Rikoriko Cave (Aorangi)
- Max depth26 m
- CertificationOpen water / no overhead
- Water temperature≈ 14–23 °C, varies with the seasonestimated, no reports yet
Diving and fills
Dive here with
What it looks like
Rikoriko Cave on SCUBA the sounds of Rikoriko Cave with Yukon Dive Charters Diving Rikoriko Cave Scuba Diving at RikoRiko Cave, Poor Knights Islands, N.Z.
All 4 videos and posts
Videos and posts
From other divers, via YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. They only load when you click; after that, Google's or Meta's privacy rules apply.
Rikoriko Cave on SCUBA the sounds of Rikoriko Cave with Yukon Dive Charters Diving Rikoriko Cave Scuba Diving at RikoRiko Cave, Poor Knights Islands, N.Z.
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Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.
The dive
At the back, in low light, live sponges and animals you would otherwise only see at great depth; the water there is usually clear. At 8 m lies a jaw bone of a sperm whale that washed in in 2010.
Profile and sections
At the back, in low light, live sponges and animals you would otherwise only see at great depth; the water there is usually clear. At 8 m lies a jaw bone of a sperm whale that washed in in 2010.
According to the dive centres this is the largest sea cave (by volume) in the southern hemisphere.
- Depth and profile
- A huge sea cave of ~130 × 80 m with a ceiling up to ~35 m high. Over 20 m deep at the entrance (~26 m at the pinnacle beside it), ~8 m at the back; outside the floor slopes to well over 40 m.
- Configuration
- Open to the sea, with some daylight to the back: recreational gear with a torch (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 26 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
In Maroro Bay (the Gardens) on Aorangi, ~1 hour by boat from Tutukaka. The entrance is big enough for the dive boats to sail in; the dive centres go in between dives when the weather allows.
Around Rikoriko Cave (Aorangi)
FillsNo fill station known nearby
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