Poor Knights Barren Arch
DESCRIPTION
Dive Site Review by Anna Clague
Photos by Andrew Simpson
Located on the seaward side of the islands near the northern end of Tawhiti Rahi. This site can be dived in many different ways.
The arch itself is worth spending a good amount of time in. The shallower entrance is closer into the enclosed back of the bay and the deeper entrance is towards the open end of the bay. You can either snorkel over to the opening and drop straight down into the arch to start your dive or there is an underwater reef lip which separates the arch from the bay which levels up at about 2/3 metres underwater so you could swim in from the bay side. The arch is good shelter for schooling fish including blue and pink Maomao, Demoiselles, Koheru and Mado who try - unsuccessfully - to blend into the schools. The walls are fully encrusted with wildlife including sponges, bryozoans, hydroids and corals which hide and feed, crabs, eels, shrimps and nudis - including regular sightings of the endemic Jason Mirabilis.
Once you reach the end of the arch - which slopes from 10m down to 35m - you can then follow the wall on your right shoulder back round into the bay. Tech divers have the option of staying straight and heading out into deeper water from here instead. The entrance to the bay is made up of large kelp covered boulders. As you head back into the bay it gently slopes up with large patches of big pebble meadows which are covered with layers of sea lettuce in season. I have found all sorts of triple fins and blennys in these patches and there are numerous reports of Octopus being found in the bay. Towards the back left corner there is a open crack that takes you back into the island. You can find stingrays resting in here and often you will find Maomao using the smooth boulders as rubbing stones for cleaning parasites off themselves. As you come out of here and carry on round there is a ledge up at the 5m mark which is ideal for doing your safety stops.
The bay is very sheltered and is a great pooling point for salps and jellies when they bloom as well as occasional visits from seal pups in season.
