Dive! Tutukaka

I had two tremendous dives at Poor Knights Islands with Dive! Tutukaka aboard the M/V Diversity. The experience was outstanding from beginning to end. The very helpful staff answered numerous questions that I emailed before I left home (US), and made us feel welcome as soon as we arrived. We checked in a day early and did the paperwork just to make sure we knew where the shop was. When we arrived on the day of the trip (8 JAN 2026), the staff was very well organized and got our gear assigned very quickly. We then went to the boat to await the crew and the rest of the divers. The crew transported our gear to the boat and stowed it for us. We had 8 divers and 1 snorkeler, so plenty of room on the boat. I cannot say enough about the very professional crew of Captain Carol, Divemasters Sharon, and Matt, and Crewmember Sian.... They were very helpful and friendly at all times. Safety was clearly the priority with this crew, and they made sure that everyone had a great time and dove safely. I regret that Matt had to spend so much time with me ... I did not want to be the unsafe diver that people avoid, but my excitement at diving on such a great site caused me to use air too quickly. I'm grateful that Matt watched me carefully and made sure both my dive buddy and I had two great dives! Strongly recommend Dive! Tutukaka!

First class staff and operation! So much marine life on this snorkel trip...it really was stunning (and I'm a diver). Saw soooo many fish since it is a reserve area...even a couple kings. Saw a couple sharks too(from the boat). Fresh food lunch, fruit, and hot teas. The boat even had hot water rinse after swimming. Take a beer for the ride back to the marina if its your thing ..like it is mine. Real solid trip and worth the money!

This is a very professional and friendly dive shop. I booked two days of diving with this company to see various places around Poor Knight’s island (one of Jacque Cousteau’s top 10 sites), with the first being a refresher course since it had been over 5 years for me. Also, these dives were more challenging than previous ones I had done (colder water, thicker wetsuits, and most had a current and/or tight spaces). They made sure I got it. There’s an opportunity to see many creatures- rays, eels, sharks, huge schools of fish, scorpion fish. We saw all of these, plus a pod of orca whales on the way out the second day (that’s not typical). Two actually came very close to the boat swimming along side it, I didn’t have my phone ready though. Overall it was a great experience with Dive! Tutukaka.

Fantastic dive shop & operation. Truly worthy of their 5-star rating from PADI. We were completely impressed. Personalized service when fixing you up with rental gear. Smooth journey to the Poor Knights & back. Lovely service-minded crew. Felt safe with the dive master during the dives & appreciated all the extras - hot drinks, education, fish identification, etc. Thanks for getting us off the wait list! So glad we could go!

My wife and I completed our advanced open water here and had the absolute best time. Amazing facility, boats and the crew were 12/10. Always willing to help out and were tons of fun. Huge shout out to Charlie for being an incredible instructor. Highly recommend!

I had a wonderful time on the Perfect Day. Equipment was great. The crew was outstanding. Wonderful safety practises. They fed us lunch, provided warm showers onboard, and took us through some amazing rock tunnels and caves on the return trip. They took pictures for us (still not clear on how we access them, but working on that). They were even flexible and accommodating with me just showing up a day early and changing my trip. I highly recommend this company.

Once again we visited Tutukaka and found an extremely professional partner in Dive Tutukaka for diving around the Poor Knight Islands. The base is super organized and the team is super friendly and helpful. There is good space on board the boats for equipment and to move around. We had a separate guide for our small group, which was perfect for being able to take photos in peace and yet experience a guided dive. We ordered a small lunch and were thrilled with the size and quality. Thanks for that. After each dive the captain took the boat between the islands and we were also in a large grotto. A great experience. Despite the fact that we were here in November, we saw eagle rays, stingrays, a small shark and a lot of fish. A great experience! We'll definitely be back! Thanks for the great service!

I took the Perfect Day boat tour of the Poor Knight islands marine reserve and it was spectacular!! We saw dolphins, manta rays, a seal, bait balls and more birds than I can remember. The crew was friendly and helpful, the boat afforded us great views, they served lunch, and the captain navigated with ease through natural arches and even into a cave!

Amazing dive operators in a stunning part of the world. I was paired in a small group of four divers. We did two fantastic dives around the Poor Knights Island marine reserve. I saw 4 different eel species, schools of blue & pink Mao Mao, lots of stingrays (a 1st for me) kelp beds & sea life. I always felt safe and was extremely well looked after: from them setting up my gear for each dive, to hot beverages & soups awaiting out return, to a prepared lunch. First class. I highly recommend.