Poor Knights Islands · New Zealand · Channel & pass · Reef
Blue Maomao Arch
Schools of blue maomao packed into an eight-metre arch
The arch sits in 7 to 8 metres of water and is open to divers of all levels, with the deepest water at the site at 18 metres. Blue maomao school here in the numbers that gave the site its name, with kingfish, snapper, moray eels and nudibranchs around them, and the summer months bring manta rays and turtles in.
Also known as Blue MaoMao Arch.
Where it is and how deep
35.4886° S, 174.7391° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Everything here happens shallow. The arch itself is in 7 to 8 metres of water, which makes for long bottom times and puts the site within reach of divers of all levels. Blue maomao fill the gap in massive schools, kingfish and snapper work around them, moray eels sit in the rock, and nudibranchs reward anyone diving with their nose close to the wall.
Away from the arch the site drops to 18 metres, and that is as deep as it gets. Visibility runs 10 to 20 metres. Water temperature is around 16C in November and about 22C by February and March, and the summer months are also when tropical species turn up - manta rays and turtles come through, and mola mola and orcas are always a possibility.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Trevally & jacks
- Nudibranchs
- Manta rays
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Poor Knights Islands: The East Auckland Current brings the warmest water and best visibility Jan–Apr; winter (Jul–Sep) is colder with more swell.
Know before you go
- The arch is a narrow gap, and gaps are where current at the Poor Knights runs hardest; at spring tides it can be too strong to swim against, and the skipper will move the dive if it is running.
Photos from Blue Maomao Arch
Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia · Public domain
Dive videos
Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve - Blue Maomao Arch Dive · Nadine Thomas on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Blue Maomao Arch?+
The arch is in 7 to 8 metres of water and the maximum depth anywhere on the site is 18 metres, so it is a long, shallow dive rather than a deep one.
Can beginners dive Blue Maomao Arch?+
Yes. PADI describes the arch as accessible to divers of all levels, and it sits in 7 to 8 metres of water. The one complication is current, which can run strongly through narrow gaps like this at spring tides.
Sources
- Blue MaoMao Arch dive site — PADI
- Diving the Poor Knights Islands — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- A natural rock arch known as The Tunnel cuts through Aorangaia Island, viewed from below looking out to open water. by Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Archway Island seen from the northeast, its rock arch entrance visible in silhouette on the left. by Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
- Aorangi Island and the smaller Archway Island together, seen from the water south of the main island. by Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Poor Knights Islands
Channel & pass
An underwater air bubble cave beside drop-offs past 40 metres
A 12-15 metre gap over a 40 metre bottom, stacked with stingrays
A large whale jaw bone on the sand at 12 metres, inside the cave
Similar dives elsewhere
A manta cleaning station at the mouth of a channel cut in 1908
A 9-metre reef cut, with nurse sharks and stingrays next door
Mantas and eagle rays in the outer reaches of a tidal cut
Every manta in or out passes through one narrow restriction