Northen Arch
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Northern Arch lies off Tawhiti Rahi Island in the Poor Knights Islands, a marine reserve off the Northland coast of New Zealand's North Island. The site is known for a large archway and cavern system cutting through the volcanic rock, formed from the same rhyolitic remnants that make up the Poor Knights group. It attracts subtropical and temperate species side by side, with schools of fish such as demoiselles and kingfish moving through the arch, along with stingrays and moray eels often sheltering in the crevices. Depths in the arch area commonly range from around 12 to 35 metres, with the swim-through itself well below the surface. The site is rated a beginner dive.
AI overviewMarine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
New Zealand DemoiselleChromis dispilaReported here · unconfirmed
Cook's ScorpionfishScorpaena cardinalisReported here · unconfirmed
Eastern King WrasseCoris sandeyeriReported here · unconfirmed
Clown DorisCeratosoma amoenumReported here · unconfirmed
Eastern PigfishBodianus unimaculatusReported here · unconfirmed
New Zealand Black AngelfishParma alboscapularisReported here · unconfirmed- Yellowtail KingfishSeriola lalandiReported here · unconfirmed
Grey MorayGymnothorax nubilusReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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