I know as a Pom, I’ll be accused of whinging, but damn it was hard work! And not because I’m new to instructing and had no idea what to expect – I’d been a dive instructor with various agencies for over 12 years. It’s simply that GUE is different and proudly so. It all started in 2001, […]
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Poor Knights April 2016

Part of the joy of dive travel is meeting new marine life as you explore new dive sites. So armed with Marine ID books and cameras we were keen to get underwater and start exploring on our recent Poor Knights trip. We ticked off a number of new species on the very first dive including […]
The Auckland Islands – Marine Mammal Sanctuary & Marine Re

Having an understanding of the importance of marine reserves and how we look after our unique marine environment, is an important part of being a Scuba Diver. The Diploma of Scuba Instruction students at Dive HQ Christchurch, gain an appreciation the role of marine reserves through their studies and today, Diploma student Rhiannon Tuatini provides […]
Scuba Diving for NASA – Zero Gravity Training

Scuba Diving is one of the closest experiences we have on earth that we can liken to floating in space. NASA has recognised the value of training their astronauts to operate in a neutrally buoyant underwater environment, in order to prepare them for zero-gravity in space. Dive operation specialists such as Chris Peterman have the […]
Police National Dive Squad – Water Safety Presentation

Due to a series of unfortunate diving incidents in Wellington & around the Country the Police National Dive Squad were keen to talk to all divers about what we can do to stay safe in the water. With 9 deaths in the last 4 months, the issues surrounding diver safety are foremost in the minds […]
But I don’t want to be a Dive Master

So you took the plunge and learned to dive. You took your first breath underwater and started to explore the seven tenths of the world that had previously been hidden from you. Your local dive shop then introduced you to a range of other underwater activities – night diving, wreck diving, search and recovery. Maybe […]
Mana Island – Jan 30th 2016

Mana Island lies just 3km west of Porirua and yet after many years of diving and 100’s of local dives yesterday was my first dive experience off the island. The island itself is 3km long and just over 2km wide. With steep cliffs and a plateau it was cleared in the early 1800’s for sheep […]
Diving in Bali – Batu Bolong!

We arrived at the dive site, Batu Bolong which above the water just looks like a pile of rocks coming out of the water. Under water it is the best dive I have done so far. Batu Bolong is in Komodo National Park. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were told we could […]
Fabulous Canterbury Dive Sites

Dive HQ Christchurch and Canterbury Divers have plenty to enjoy in the region. Canterbury dive sites are centered off Kaikoura coast and Banks Peninsula with visibility often only 2-3 meters but on occasions you will get up to 15 meter. The poor visibility can put a lot of divers off. But when you have some of […]
The Mikhail Lermontov – to take or not to take?

I did my original dive qualification here in NZ, but where I really learned to become a diver was in the colder, darker and more tidal waters of the English Channel. That was 20 years ago now and at the time it was common place to see divers wearing nothing but tools instead of a […]