Rikoriko Cave
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
Rikoriko Cave sits within the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve, off Aorangi Island near Matapouri on New Zealand's Northland coast. It is regarded as one of the largest sea caves in the world by volume, with a wide, high-ceilinged chamber that boats can enter and divers can explore around its edges. Light drops off quickly past the cave mouth, giving the interior a distinct, dim character compared to open water diving in the reserve, and the dive is rated advanced, reaching depths to around 30 metres. The surrounding Poor Knights waters are known for subtropical fish life carried down by the East Auckland Current, mixing temperate and warmer-water species.
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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