New Zealand's Poor Knights

Alex Stammers · Issue 94, Jan/Feb 2017 · pp. 47–53

Products mentioned: Nikon D800, Nauticam Housing, Sigma 15mm 2.8, Ikelite 125 strobes, Nikon D200, Ikelite Housing, Tokina 10-17mm, Inon S2000, Nikon 105mm VR 2.8

At the bottom of the South Pacific lies a group of Islands that have been 4 million years in the making, they have resulted in the perfect dive site for underwater photographers and divers to explore and enjoy. The Poor Knight Islands Marine Reserve lies 23 kilometers off the North Eastern coast of New Zealand. It has been a Marine Reserve since 1981 and fully protected since 1998. Diving pioneer Wade Doak, who spent years exploring these Islands and naming the dive sites, recently stated that there is now more fish life at the Knights than when he first started diving them in the 1960’s and 70s. He also quoted that you just don’t dive the Poor Knights you dive in them. This becomes apparent as you approach the Islands. The high cliffs of volcanic rock descend vertically into the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean. Having been exposed to the open ocean over millennias, the constant battering…