DiveTripPlanner

Poor Knights

Taravana Cave

Max depth40 m
CertificationFull cave
Water temperature≈ 14–23 °C, varies with the seasonestimated, no reports yet
SpecialExperienced divers

Diving and fills

Dive here with

No dive centre guides here yet. Do you dive here with guests? Add your centre for free →

What it looks like

Poor Knights Taravana Cave and Blue Maomao ArchPatrick Burke · 2018
Taravana Cave (360 3D 8K) | Insta360 Pro 2 | Mantis Sub housingMantis Sub · 2021
Taravana Cave (360 2D 8K) | Insta360 Pro 2 | Mantis Sub housingMantis Sub · 2021
cutout-dive "thai/nz mix" (taravana cave, NZ)abaraba123 · 2008

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.

Poor Knights Taravana Cave and Blue Maomao ArchPatrick Burke · 2018
Taravana Cave (360 3D 8K) | Insta360 Pro 2 | Mantis Sub housingMantis Sub · 2021
Taravana Cave (360 2D 8K) | Insta360 Pro 2 | Mantis Sub housingMantis Sub · 2021
cutout-dive "thai/nz mix" (taravana cave, NZ)abaraba123 · 2008

Search for more onYouTube ↗Instagram ↗Facebook ↗

Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.

The dive

Per Seafriends this is one of the world's great natural wonders, but little known because it is so hard to reach.

Only a fifth of the way in it is completely dark, and in the middle you can't see the walls, even with a strong light: it's easy to swim in circles. A rope along the northern wall runs low, where your bottom time runs out quickly. Only for qualified cave divers.

Source: Seafriends – Poor Knights, the mid-northern quarter (2007) ↗Source: Dive Now – A land of arches, caves and swim throughs ↗

Deep: the entrances are at 26–32 m and inside it goes to ~40 m. Plan gas and deco for the whole cave.

Source: Seafriends – Poor Knights, the mid-northern quarter (2007) ↗

Profile and sections

Per Seafriends this is one of the world's great natural wonders, but little known because it is so hard to reach.

Source: Seafriends – Poor Knights, the mid-northern quarter (2007) ↗Source: Dive Now – A land of arches, caves and swim throughs ↗Source: Dive Now – Dive sites of the Poor Knights ↗Source: Skip's Underwater Image Gallery – Poor Knights 2 (2008) ↗

Depth and profile: Two entrances: the main entrance (top ~15 m, floor ~32 m) and the narrow 'rat hole' at ~26 m. Inside, a sand slope drops to ~40 m. A huge, dark chamber; divers have gone several hundred metres to the back.
Configuration: Deep and dark: cave gear with a strong primary light and backup lights, and your own line or reel (estimate).

Who can dive where

CaveAt least Full cave
Whole caveConfigurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR
Whole caveGoes down to 40 m (trimix or deco may be needed) · doesn't decide who may dive
Whole caveExperienced divers only · doesn't decide who may dive

Experienced diversThrough a dive centre or guide

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.

Source: Seafriends – Poor Knights, the mid-northern quarter (2007) ↗Source: Dive Now – A land of arches, caves and swim throughs ↗Source: Dive Now – Dive sites of the Poor Knights ↗Source: Skip's Underwater Image Gallery – Poor Knights 2 (2008) ↗

How to get there

Boat dive in Butterfish Bay. Beyond daylight only as a qualified cave diver with the right equipment; ask a dive centre whether it will take your team there.

Plan your route ↗

Around Taravana Cave

FillsNo fill station known nearby

Other sites6

Going to Poor Knights with your team?

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