You know it is going to be a great dive trip when you descend to find an octopus hanging out on the mooring line. This was the first sight that greeted us on our second day of diving! The marine life around the sunken Lermontov was spectacular – blue cod, perch, sea cucumbers etc… it is distinctly different from marine life you expect to see when diving in the North Island.

Brent from Go Dive is the host of the Lermontov Lodge. The stories he told during surface intervals gave us more insight into the mysterious sinking of the Russian cruiser, Mikhail Lermontov. Having dived the wreck for years, Brent knows every single corner of the Lermontov. He is an excellent dive guide, and always willing to give you tips when you are ready to venture further into the bowels of the Lermontov. The wreck is only a 10 minute boat ride from the lodge, thus it is an excellent set up for people who get seasick easily, like me! It is a dream set up for a diver… wake up in the morning, breakfast, go out for a dive, come back to dry out, lunch, and out to dive again! No sitting around in your wetsuit!

The Lermontov was a huge Russian cruise ship, measuring 176m long. Presently she is lying on her starboard side, at a depth of 15m – 38m. Due to this, diving inside the wreck can be quite disorienting, especially when you see stairs… you have to go right in order to go down a level in the Lermontov. Some parts of the wreck can be quite silty, so proper buoyancy and finning techniques are required when you decide to penetrate into the wreck. However, there are certain areas such as the swimming pool and Neptune’s Bar that can be quite easy to access, not a lot of silt, and are still an amazing sight. Imagine swimming in a swimming pool, but in the wreck the swimming pool is sideways!

After the first day of just taking a look outside the wreck; surveying the 4m long gash that sank the cruiser, the propeller, etc. Hannah and I decided it would be too ambitious to try to cover every single corner of the wreck… thus we chose the pub crawl option! We would be just diving the Lounge deck where most of the bars were located. We visited Neptune’s Bar, Bolshoy Lounge, Nevsky Bar, and along the way we checked out the swimming pool, the games room, the cinema, and the Winter Garden. On the third day, with more experience on the wreck, Hannah, Nicole and I decided we wanted to check out the reception area and the infamous spiral staircase. This area is deep within the wreck, and Brent warned us about the visibility of the place being obscured by silt. He was right! The moment we entered the doorway that led to the corridor, silt started pouring down on us, dislodged by our exhaust bubbles. (Remember: you have to go deeper in order to get to the centre of the wreck). Within minutes, we could no longer see the daylight coming from the door that we entered! Luckily, we took Brent’s warning seriously and had run a reel into the reception area. Thus, we calmly took a quick peek around the reception area and the confusing spiral staircase, and we simply followed the line to exit the room.

This dive trip, in a nutshell, was legendary – great company from Botany Bottom Scratchers, great dives, excellent set up at the Lermontov Lodge and beautiful South Island scenery. We even had fresh mussels that we collected from a nearby mussel farm after the dive for lunch. At the end of the dive trip, every diver had a little souvenir from the wreck. Brent had told us we were allowed to take a small souvenir from the Lermontov, so long as it is not part of the wreck’s fixtures, didn’t detract from the wreck for the average recreational diver, and finally, do not be greedy! I found a small storybook printed in USSR floating around, and Kristen got a stack of plates from the restaurant, which she graciously shared with everyone.

Until the next time, Rusty Rusky.

© All photos courtesy of Ken Lonie of Botany Bottom Scratchers (BBS).

A joint club trip from AUUC (Hannah, Sonny, Stacey, Kirsten), Botany Bottom Scratchers (Ken, Tony, Blair, Brent) and Wellington Underwater Club (Nicole).

I wasn’t sure at all what to expect from a weekend of wreck diving on a Russian cruise liner that sank in NZ waters in 1986. However, the chance to go on a trip with other divers from the Auckland University Underwater Club (AUUC) and Botany Bottom Scratchers (BBS) seemed like a perfect chance to explore the unknown in the beautiful setting of the South Island Marlborough Sounds, which is still a backyard dive for Wellington divers.

Looking at the deck plans the night before and then following Brent from Go Dive Marlborough on the wreck was a bit of an eye opener. The wreck is huge and it was quite difficult to match reef artefacts to ship structures and 3D ship structures to the 2D deck plans and that on close to a 90 degree angle – I was lost and happy to follow… We spent most of our first lunch time sitting down over maps and drawings and slowly images from the dive started to match real structures. Lucky enough Brent, Stacey and I went out with Brent again on the second dive. This time we did a descent close to the mooring line and on the same deck down into the Bolshoi Lounge along tables and the dance floor. A right turn got us up one floor and past the chandeliers we went, through and out the Panorama Deck. On the way back to the mooring line I came across a nudibranch and a barracuda was checking us out just at the edge of visibility.

A bit more confident about where we were, we went on exploring the Lounge Deck on the next day. Following the windows along the Bolshoi Lounge we explored the Nevsky Bar, came up through the Games Room and then explored the Funnel (down a bit meant we went up some decks – it was still a bit confusing). The second dive of the day I buddied up with Hannah and Sonny who had explored the stern area first. So I was leading the dive on the bow side into the Winter Garden, pointing out the Cinema. Hannah had a look in there first, Sonny and me followed and we went back through the Nevsky Bar, up and out and back into the Bolshoi Lounge where I went around staircases and out, starting my ascent while Sonny and Hannah had a good look around the Panorama Deck.

The Saturday had a cracking forecast predicted and we decided to dive the wreck of the Lastingham closer to Cape Jackson. Unfortunately none of the hunters and gatherers came up with treasure or some lunch so we went back for the second dive at the Lermontov.

The plan was to drop down to the middle staircase and reception area. So we went the usual way along the Lounge Deck, past the Game Room to the lobby entrance, up and around and in through the stairs from the deck above. Sonny was leading and attached a line, followed by Hannah and me. We did a slow descent down to the reception area trying to stir up silt as least as possible. Mission impossible, I stopped at the corner to the stairs, Sonny and Hannah had a more detailed look a bit further down and slowly silt started to build up from above where we were descending and stirred up by our bubbles. After a slow ascent Hannah was leading through the Winter Garden into the Neptune Bar and Swimming Pool. A short tour along the Pool and back along the top finished off this great dive day.

Sunday morning was my last dive of the weekend with Brent and Stacey who planned to go with Brent on a tour through the Engine Room. Hannah and Sonny planned for a longer dive on their twin sets. Off we went over the decks to the funnel, down to the skylights of the Engine Room and through the lower hatch of the skylight into the wreck. Following Brent and his line we got deeper into the wreck (but stayed on the same depth). Around some corners and we were facing the top of the engines, pipes, drums and railings. What a view. The way out went through the bunker doors towards ambient light past some great reef life. Back on top of the hull we turned towards the stern and followed the window rows. One level up got us back to the pool. A last look into the Neptune Bar and back we went through the Winter Garden and Stairs.

Different buddy teams explored different areas of the wreck over the weekend and everyone got to see the most accessible places on the wreck. A great weekend and definitely a place to go back with a bit more experience in setting lines and penetrating a wreck!

Watch this space and keep an eye out for another trip to the Lermontov in 2012 and other joint club dives!

It is always difficult being the younger sibling of a high achieving individual. The constant comparisons to those that have gone before you makes you yearn to yell out “I AM NOT MY BROTHER!!!” I have a feeling the second annual Matai Bay trip felt this way. Last years trip was a perfect example in dive/camping awesomeness, with great weather, flat seas, perfect viz and abundant fish. This created high expectations for this time around.

Matai Bay - Photo by Jonathan Paul

With people flooding in periodically over Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the first Grade Raider trip headed out on Friday into a rolling ocean. That f*&^ing wind that has been around for the last month was most definitely present in the winter-less north with two metre rolling swells cruising in. This provided everyone with a case of holy-crap-I’m-going-to-throw-up-itus (Matt being the most spectacular of these by reproducing his fine form from Matauri two years ago and throwing up for two hours straight). Under the surface however, the wild life was pretty darn cool. For those of you who have dived Matai Pinnacle then you will remember the awesome encrusting stuff and the cool fish life romping around. Unfortunately the water was teeming with salps making visibility rather impaired and that awkward feeling when you accidentally kiss one.

On Saturday we tested the other side of the Karikari Peninsula and despite what was now turning into chop, were rewarded with some pretty sweet kelp forests. Kat and I were followed by a small leatherjacket for most of the dive. We called him Pete. Due to the bush fire and subsequent death in a helicopter crash, a rahui was placed on the area which we fully respected, even outside of the designated area (that’s the excuse the spearos are sticking to at least).

Despite the diving not being the top quality remembered from last year, this was a camping trip so there was lots of fun to be had. The commando boat was put to good use in the surf and the communal cooking/hanging area was a great central hub of activity, or inactivity really. Even if the paddling pool never quite reached its potential.

Open Air Dive - Matai Bay 2011. Photo by Roz Simpson

And then Sunday happened. There is nothing quite like that feeling of waking up in the morning when camping to the pitter patter of rain drops on your tent and the deathly realisation that you had to pack up and leave that day. The pitter patter turned into light rain, which turned into heavy rain, which turned into a deluge, which eventually turned into a solid mass of water for which dive gear was nearly required. Some managed to pack up before it got to this point, others hoped it would get better and waited, much to their detriment. Some just stripped off and gave up on the pretence of keeping dry and ran about half naked (I think they win in the ingenuity department). I ditched about midday but apparently there was one trip that ran. I can only imagine what the ride out and back was like.

Well done to Donald for organising, Nick for getting crays, Darren for being generally awesome, Andre at A to Z Diving for filling our tanks and providing excellent advice and to everyone else who came. You guys made the slightly inadequate younger sibling a child to be proud of.

Ka Pai!

5:30 AM Wednesday Nov 9, 2011

Paul Watson. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson believes whaling in the Antarctic is at a tipping point, but no thanks to the “useless” New Zealand Government.

The outspoken, uncompromising eco-warrior will soon hoist his ship’s Jolly Roger for conservation group Sea Shepherd’s eighth voyage to the Southern Ocean to chase and harass Japanese whalers.

This summer’s battle is expected to be fiercer than usual because the Japanese are sending a strengthened fleet with armed guards to the Antarctic for the first time in three years.

Watson, 60, is in Auckland to attend the New Zealand premiere of a biographical documentary Eco-Pirate.

Read Full Article at NZ Herald

8:37 AM Thursday Nov 10, 2011

Underwater Association president Shane Wasik will ask the owners of the stricken Rena to leave part of the ship on Astrolabe Reef as a diving wreck. Photo / Alan Gibson

The container ship that brought an environmental tragedy to the Bay of Plenty could become a tourist-pulling underwater wonder, says a national marine group.

which is sponsoring a national divers’ conference in Tauranga this weekend, wants part of the crippled MV Rena to remain as a shipwreck and will approach Greek owners Costamare Shipping with the plan.

The bid comes as a new nationwide campaign backed by 5000 people puts fresh pressure on Costamare to cover the disaster’s entire damage bill, saving millions of taxpayer dollars.

Pumping of heavy fuel oil from the submerged number five starboard wing tank on the Rena began last night.

Operations were hampered yesterday, as salvors had to purge air from the vessel’s last full oil tank before pumping could begin.

Read Entire Article at NZ Herald 

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 6:10p.m.

The grounding of the Rena and the oil leak has huge environmental implications.

There is the reef it now sits on, marine life, and birds.

Tony Reid reports on the damage so far. Watch the full video.

New Zealand has a coastline of over 15,000 km, and its marine shore and seascape extends from subtropical waters in the north to cold subantarctic waters in the south. This nutrient rich mix of waters supports a high diversity of marine life. Rocky reefs and kelp beds support many species which are recreationally and commercially fished, such as snapper, blue cod, lobster, kina and paua.

New Zealand is an isolated country in the south-west of the Pacific which means there is a high proportion of marine species only found here.

Changes to the marine environment are caused by (over) fishing, land-based sources of pollution, sedimentation and introduction of marine pests. Only 1% of New Zealand’s marine environment has been surveyed.

A dedicated group of volunteers in Nelson is setting up Reef Check New Zealand as a non-profit environmental organisation with the aim to protect and help restore the marine environment. EcoDiver Trainer Jesus Ruiz Lopez is training the first 8 volunteers, with the aid of marine biologist Meagan Carter, tailoring the tropical Reef Check protocol to fit the unique New Zealand marine ecosystem.

If you would like to get involved with this new program, please contact reefchecknz@gmail.com. Volunteer opportunities are available for both divers (PADI Advanced Diver or equivalent) and non-divers throughout the year.

Visit the Reef Check website.