Globetrotters Monthly Challenge — June 2022

The Best Scuba Diving In the World Is In New Zealand’s Waters

Here’s the story of an unforgettable dive off Kapiti Island

One of my favorite feelings in the world is that moment when I lean back from the boat and plunge into the sea.

The water envelopes me, and while its physical texture is cool and refreshing, it’s as soothing to me as a warm blanket.

Watching the waves crash and the bubbles float to the surface, I take a deep breath underwater.

I have been scuba diving for the last 13 years and am a certified Divemaster. It’s a sport that I’ve done throughout the water world, including in the Philippines, the Galapagos Islands and Mexico.

Yet my favorite country for underwater diving has to be New Zealand, which seems like an odd choice to most. The waters may be cold, but they are crystal clear and full of wildlife.

One of my favorite dives was on Kapiti Island, which is located not too far from the capital, Wellington, and home to some of New Zealand’s most important marine and nature reserves.

We arrived early in the morning and geared up. To prepare for the chilly waters, most people had a dry suit, but I was a poor backpacker, so instead, I had on an 8 mm thick long john, jacket, booties, gloves and hoodie.

There’s nothing sexy about wetsuits. Difficult to put on, you’re often hopping around trying to get the neoprene over your hips, then you have to wiggle around to get them over your shoulders. Add a BCD, a tank and 12 lbs of weights around your waist and you feel like a clumsy, awkward walrus.

But that all changes the moment you lean back from the boat and into the water. There, as cheesy as it sounds, you turn into a mermaid.

When we first descended, the water was a light, clear blue and we could clearly see a small kelp forest. Continuing to glide through the water, we entered a cavern, where the water changed color, shifting to the deepest, darkest blue, yet still, crystal clear.

There is a peacefulness as you glide effortlessly through water, light as a feather. I become more aware of my body, of my breath. The experience is all-powerful and I am humbled that I am allowed to visit the water world.

Through the other side of the cavern, there is an opening, exposing a long shaft of light, which shimmers and sparkles as it refracts through the water.

Just then, as I swam towards the light shaft, I sensed something. Looking to my right, there was a seal lion swimming next to me. He turned to look at me too and I swear he smiled at me, before speeding up ahead.

Suddenly, another sea lion popped up and the two of them circled and danced around each other directly in the pale blues of the light shaft, right in front of me.

As my dive buddy and I ascended through the shaft of light and reached the surface, we laughed and playfully slapped at the water with joy.

“He was swimming behind you for several minutes, playfully nibbling at your fins,” she told me.

I leaned my body back into the water, letting it bathe the back of my head. Water surrounds us. It makes up 71% of our planet and is home to some of the most beautiful creatures. I love it and cannot live without it.

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