Part I – Muck diving under Orakei Wharf – 25 April 2008

Rising fuel prices are making the already expensive sport of scuba diving even less affordable. It’s time to branch out, try something new. NOOOOooooooooo, I don’t mean give up diving! We need to find a way to keep diving as often as possible, but more cheaply.

Where can you dive and enjoy this spectacular view of the Auckland skyline?

With that in mind, Cameron and I headed for the Orakei Wharf, in front of Kelly Tarlton’s, off Tamaki Drive. I had long been keen to dive there. I’d heard you could see Seahorses, Pipers and Stargazers, and that seemed like reason enough for me. With bad weather approaching, Anzac Day was it! The timing was great for us. High tide was at 10:33am, which meant we could sleep in, go dive, and still be home in time for lunch!

The Orakei Wharf. Looks like a promising dive site. And a good way to combine tramping and diving!

We opted to enter the water from some concrete steps off the street east of the jetty. This made for an easy entry but a pretty decent swim to the jetty pylons. We picked a pylon and descended. I was thankful for the extra weight I had put in my weight belt. With the current, small chop on the surface and lack of visibility, I was able to descend quickly to the bottom.

Green-lipped mussels stood erectly from the pylons.

Each pylon was a self-standing encrusted ecosystem of sponges, tube worms, green-lipped mussels, oysters, crabs, triplefins, sea stars, butterfly chitons, algae, sponges, anemones and much, much more! We quickly discovered the difficulties of navigating from pylon to pylon. We couldn’t see our own fins, let alone the next pylon, and the current didn’t help. We opted to pick a couple of pylons and examine them intently, before heading back to shore.

A triplefin perched on oyster shells. The triplefins let me get pretty close. Maybe they were struggling with the viz too and couldn’t see me coming!

If you own or can borrow dive gear and have your own car, then this is a really cheap dive. For the cost of an air fill and the fuel from your house to the wharf, you’re in the water. This probably won’t be the most exciting dive you ever do, but I genuinely enjoyed it. It was a terrific way to spend half a day and have time left over for other stuff.

A brilliant red sea star nestled on the shelly bottom.

Next time I dive the Orakei Wharf (yes, there will be a next time!) I’ll tough out the long walk to the end of the pier with my scuba gear and enter from the end. There is a fence-free section which has a ladder down to the water. You’re looking at a 2½ metre stride jump at high tide. I expect that the macro life under the end of the wharf, in slightly deeper water and with the greater cover provided by the end of the pier, will be even more spectacular. I bet that’s where all the Seahorses, Pipers and Stargazers are!

The ladder at the end of the Orakei Wharf.

You don’t have to travel to the Bay of Islands, Poor Knights Islands or Goat Island to go diving. Those sites are spectacular and I do recommend you get out to them as often as you can. But in between, dive sites like the Orakei Wharf are worth a bash, and provide a cheap diving option close to home.

Evidence courtesy of a fisherman…there are Pipers near the wharf. Apparently you can eat these little fellas!

The work has begun and you are all welcome to help me complete it: Auckland’s Top 10 Dive Sites with visibility under 2 feet! A friend described it well. Muck diving! The Orakei Wharf provided some great muck diving.

Dive Stats:

• Max depth – 4 metres
• Visibility – 2 feet
• Water temperature – 17°C
• Bottom time – 29 minutes
• Nearest loo – Okahu Bay
• Backup in bad weather – Kelly Tarlton’s

Do:

• Dive at high tide for the closest thing to a slack current.
• Look out for a neap tide (moon at first or third quarter), when the difference between high and low tide is less and therefore the current may be a little less.
• Take a compass. The jetty is a single line of pylons and it’s difficult to navigate from one pylon to the next in such poor viz.
• Wear gloves. The pylons are covered in shellfish with jagged edges.
• Watch out for numerous cyclists, rollerbladers, prams and joggers on the sidewalk when you’re gearing up.
• Contact Ali if you plan on trying out this dive and she’ll pass on some extra tips.

You won’t get any sand in your regs gearing up for this dive, but watch out for cyclists.

Do not:

• Attempt this dive in anything other than a calm sea.
• Get sucked out by the current or you’ll get stuck in a shipping lane with some massive container ships!
• Spend a fortune renting gear to do this dive, unless you’re as mad about macro life or diving as I am.

Highs:

• Some of the worst visibility you’ll experience short of diving with your eyes closed. Looking up, and not being able to see the surface when your computer reads 1 metre, is really novel.
• Loads of macro life.
• Beautiful views of the Auckland skyline from your dive site.
• If you’re new to diving, you can sand plough all you like and your buddy will hardly notice.
• If you like being the centre of attention, you’ll have every man and his dog show an interest in you while you’re gearing up.

This crab was barely visible, crouched amongst the encrusting life on the pylon.

Lows:

• Some of the worst visibility you’ll ever experience short of diving with your eyes closed.
• A ripping current (which is okay on the bottom but roaring on the surface!).
• A lot of fishermen on the wharf – try not to get hooked!
• If you don’t like being the centre of attention, you’ll have every man and his dog show an interest in you while you’re gearing up.

Why?

• For the chance to see Pipers, Seahorses and Stargazers.
• For the challenge of diving in poor visibility and currents.
• For diving that’s practically free.
• For the chance to p!ss off the local fishermen.
• Why not? It was fun!

Filed under: Ali Perkins, Diving New Zealand, Trip Reports