It was no surprise to discover that Jacques Yves Costeau declared the Poor Knights Islands as one of the world's top 10 dive sites with the lofty mantle of "the best sub-tropical diving in the world" following his visit here.
You don't even need to be a scuba diver to get twisted up in a school of koheru or glanced sideways at by a leatherjacket or grandaddy snapper.
Showing us this national treasure is Dive! Tutukaka owner, Kate Malcolm, and Demi Poynter, who has been diving here since she was 12. Kate's dad founded the company as a reitrement business in 1999 and Kate has been involved since 2002, buying her dad out last year. Behind her on the wall of the dive headquarters in Tutukaka there is a manifesto declaring her belief in "following your heart, doing what you love and being happy". She's a happy lady. Around her, her team is also happy ... and positive. They have a lot to be happy about – they're growing organcially and, in line with their philosophy, every single one of their 12,000-14,000 divers each year gets a personal, hands-on experience with the Poor Knights.
"We work really hard to maintain that small company feel ... we keep the groups small, the dives personalised and our crew ratio is really well-balanced."
"The Poor Knights are very special – they are a taonga for the area and that is something that is shared by everyone on the coast," she smiles.
"No matter how many times you have been to the Poor Knights Islands you always get this spine-tingle when you get close to them. There is an X-Factor out there that's for sure – they are definitely my turangawaewae."
The islands became a nature reserve in 1975 and were declared a marine reserve in 1981 with full-protection kicking in by the end of 1998. Now they're a cauldron of life and energy beneath the surface – a true testament to the value of marine reserves in this country. The day before we got there a manta ray had drifted through the shallows. It's common to see squadrons of stingrays and sometimes even the orca that prey on them. It's no wonder that the late Costeau was so taken by them.
Lots of swell on the south coast this week and some westerlies forecast – get out there and make the most of the long days.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS If you haven't heard of My Baby before then check them out at Queens Bar in Dunedin on Saturday night. They're a pretty amazing trio ... have a listen here.
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