6 of us opened the ocean diving season with a little boat trip around Kawau Island with a quick detour to the Flat Rock reef a few kilometers offshore.
The weather cooperated with only light winds and minimal swell. It took us about 30 minutes to get to the first dive spot near Challenger Island. We moved on along the coast to find a better vis, but it was a somewhat depressing sight - a few red moki cruising over kina barrens.
The highlight of the trip was our quick visit to the Flat Rock reef.
It's a small patch of land surrounded by underwater cliffs and terraces in the middle of nowhere. A scary place for a novice with the wind and the current and schools of fish all around you.
Josh, our boatie, was herding us like cats and at some point we were worried about Ash because he was the only one without a float. It's easy to loose sight of a diver in that chop.
All in all, we spend good 3 hrs in not so warm water. My suggestion to check out the Fairchild reef on the way back drew no enthusiasm. It was too murky there anyway.
The trip cost $90 per person, which included hiring a boat, 30L of fuel and a gear wash on the way back. Tangaroa was kind to us and everyone had a blast.
