Snorkelling Leigh

Snorkeling at Goat Island is one of the top 10 things to do in Auckland.
If you've never tried it before. Our Guided Snorkel Tour is the perfect introduction to exploring the ocean - even non-swimmers can join in the fun!
Join our team of passionate instructors for an adventure at the Goat Islands Marine Reserve!
Allow between 2 - 2.5 hours. Bookings are essential. Allow plenty of extra time for travel (especially weekends). Traffic is often held up at Johnstone Hill Tunnel and going through Matakana. Your meeting place is at Goat Island Dive & Snorkel shop not the beach (just above the Leigh Sawmill Cafe) at the scheduled time (please don't be late as it holds the rest of the snorkelers up). Our friendly team will fit you with comfortable snorkel equipment. You will then drive your own vehicle 2 km down to the Marine Reserve where you will meet your Guide. The experience starts with tips on basic (or advanced) snorkel techniques. We share the history of Goat Island and introduce you to the marine life you are likely to meet at New Zealand's first marine reserve. Under the supervision of your Dive Professional, you're soon off snorkeling in the Goat Island Marine Reserve. Your guide will ensure that you stay safe and comfortable at all times, whatever level of experience you have. You will be part of a natural aquarium, myriads of colourful fish and marine life including blue maomao, huge Snapper, eagle and stingrays, blue cod, octopus, kahawai and crayfish. Sometimes dolphins or orca visit the reserve and will play with the snorkelers, this might be your day! You can pick up a smartphone waterproof cases or hire a GoPro from the Goat Island Dive & Snorkel shop to take pictures during your adventure.

Night snorkel is the activity if you want to experience the ocean in a whole new light and take your snorkeling to the next level! You will see the ocean transform and species not seen during day. This is an adrenaline filled activity from start to finish! We will show you the beauty the ocean offers at night, snorkeling with the fish under a star filled sky, watch the ocean sparkle with bio-luminescence and see how the marine environment changes and comes to life at night. This is an activity few get to do and it will be a night to remember!

Practical information: We meet at sunset (time will depend on when the sun is setting). We provide underwater torches for everyone. Everyone will also get glow sticks (so your guide can easily see you). Bring towels, swimwear and a warm change of clothes. (You can buy our awesome hooded towels to keep you warm after) Please allow 3 hours for the activity. Meet at 142A Pakiri Road, 0985 Leigh for gearing up, and make your way down to the reserve.
Pre-requisites Must know swimming and have snorkeled before. If you have not snorkeled before, check out our Beginner Snorkeling Tour Minimum age is 12 years Under 14 must be accompanied by an adult

You will meet in the Dive shop - 142a Pakiri Road, 0947 Leigh. We will get you suited up and into your gear, then transport you to the reserve. The reserve is beautiful, full of life, and you'll get to explore it with some incredibly friendly fish. Snapper, Red Moki, Goatfish, Triple fins, and schooling fish, such as Parore, Kahawai, Sweep, Silver drummers and Trevally.. to name but a few!! We have some huge crayfish hiding down in the reserve as well as octopuses, Stingrays, Eagleray. Sometimes we even get both dolphins or Orcas popping in to say hello!
This dive will show you how amazing and critically important marine reserves are for our oceans, and really helps you to appreciate our underwater world.
This package includes:
Dive instructor/ Divemaster as a guide. All our guides are certified professional divers, with unique knowledge of the marine reserve and its residents. They will teach you about the reserve, the fish species you will encounter and make sure you are comfortable and safe for your dive. 1 Long dive. Since this is a shallow reserve we can stay down for one really long dive! We try to spend 70-90 minutes underwater to give you the opportunity to really explore the reserve (and avoid too much surface swimming!). High quality gear hire. Should you choose to hire any of our gear, you can do so knowing we have high quality, trusted equipment that is thoroughly washed after each use. We have a range of wetsuits (7.5mm or 3mm) plus vests and hoods, mask, snorkel, fins (with booties), BCD, regulator, and the tanks required for the dive.

Night Diving is the activity for those who want to experience the ocean in a whole new light - it will be a night to remember! You will see the ocean transform and heaps of species not seen during the day. We will show you the beauty our ocean offers at night, snorkeling with the fish under a star-filled sky, watch the ocean sparkle with bio-luminescence and show them how the marine life changes at night. You´ll get to see big eyes coming out, crayfish wander on the sand, Stingrays being active, and see how a lot of our fish put on "pajamas". This is an activity few get to do.

Practical information: We meet at sunset (time will depend on when the sun is setting). We provide torches for everyone. Everyone will also get glow sticks (so your instructor can easily see you). Bring towels and a warm change of clothes. Please allow 3 hours for the activity.
This Package includes:
Dive Professional as a guide. All our guides are certified professional divers, with unique knowledge of the marine reserve and its residents. They will teach you about the reserve, the fish species you will encounter and make sure you are comfortable and safe for your dive. 1 Long Dive. Since this is a shallow reserve we can stay down for longer. You get to go for 1 x 70-90 min long dive. This gives you more time to explore the underwater world and go deeper into the reserve.
Eco dive. You'll learn about the fish life and marine conservation. All Gear is included. You´ll get a wetsuit suitable for the water temperature(7 mm, 5 mm or 3 mm), mask, snorkel, fins (with booties), BCD, regulator, torches, glow stick and the tank required for the dive.

Come and dive the wonderful Leigh coast. Our half day dive trips are an awesome way to explore the areas not reachable by shore diving. If you are confident and have a sense of adventure join our trip for an epic adventure. The unguided trips are great for those who have more experience and are happy to navigate their own dive.
You will meet at our Dive Center - 142a Pakiri Road, 0947 Leigh. We will get you suited up and into your gear, then head down to the boat ramp and begin our journey. The Leigh coast has a beautiful, rugged coastline with cascading cliffs and hidden coves. The Ocean is full of life, and you'll get to explore it with some incredibly friendly fish. Snapper, blue Maomao, Red Moki, Goatfish, John Dory, and schooling fish, such as Parore, Kahawai, Kingfish, Sweep, Silver drummers, and Trevally. To name but a few!! We have some huge crayfish hiding down in the reserves as well as Octopuses, Sting Rays, Eagle Ray. Sometimes we even get both dolphins or Orcas popping in to say hello!
On our Way to the dive site, you get to zoom around in our black Rib, looking at some of the best Kiwi Nature! See our white beaching, native bush and rocky cliffs from while racing through our blue Moana.
We have access to some of New Zealand's best coastal diving and some incredible dive sites for all levels of divers. This package includes:
1 Boat Dive. We will board our dive boat Ocean Tales and head out to the dive site. Skipper. The skipper will brief you on the dive site giving recommendations and for navigation and points of interest.
High quality gear hire. Should you choose to hire any of our gear, you can do so knowing we have high quality,
trusted equipment that is thoroughly washed after each use and well maintained. We have a range of
wetsuits (7.5mm or 3mm) plus vests and hoods, mask, snorkel, fins (with
booties), BCD, regulator, and the tanks for the best dive experience.
Please note that this Dive does not come with an instructor or Guide, and you have to be confident enough to plan and execute the dive without much assistance. Site Briefing will be completed prior to the dive.


If booking on alone, you will be put into a buddy pair.
All charters are strictly no take/no hunting. Take only photos, leave only bubbles.

You will meet at our Dive Center - 142a Pakiri Road, 0947 Leigh.
We will get you suited up and into your gear, then head down
to the boat ramp and begin our journey. The Leigh coast has a beautiful rugged
Coast line with cascading cliffs and hidden coves. The Ocean is full of life,
and you'll get to explore it with some incredibly friendly fish. Snapper, Red
Moki, Goatfish, Triple fins, and schooling fish, such as Parore, Kahawai,
Kingfish, Sweep, Silver drummers, Blue Mao Mao and Trevally, to name but a
few!! We have some huge crayfish hiding down in the reserves as well as
octopus, Stingrays, Eagle Ray. Sometimes we even get both dolphins or Orcas
popping in to say hello!
We have access to some of New Zealand's best
coastal diving and some incredible dive sites for all levels of divers.

This package includes:

Dive instructor/ Divemaster as
a guide. All our guides are certified professional divers, with unique
knowledge of the marine reserve and its residents. They will teach you about
the marine environment, the fish species you will encounter and make sure you
are comfortable and safe for your dive. 1 Boat Dive. We will board our dive boat Ocean Tales and head out to the dive site. High quality gear hire. Should you choose to hire any of our gear, you can do so knowing we have high quality,
trusted equipment that is thoroughly washed after each use. We have a range of
wetsuits (7.5mm or 3mm) plus vests and hoods, mask, snorkel, fins (with
booties), BCD, regulator, and the tanks required for the dive.

You will meet at our Dive Center - 142a Pakiri Road, 0947 Leigh. You will meet your instructor, we will then get you suited up and into your gear, then head down
to the boat ramp and begin our journey. The Leigh coast has a beautiful rugged Coast line with cascading cliffs and hidden coves. The Ocean is full of life,
and you'll get to explore it with some incredibly friendly fish. Snapper, Red
Moki, Goatfish, Triple fins, and schooling fish, such as Parore, Kahawai,
Kingfish, Sweep, Silver drummers, and Trevally.. to name but a
few!!
We have access to some of New Zealand's best coastal snorkeling with some incredible snorkeling sites for all levels of swimmers.

This package includes:
Divemaster. All our guides are certified professional divers, with unique knowledge of the marine reserve and its residents. They will teach you about the marine environment, the fish species you will encounter and make sure you are comfortable and safe while out on the water. The dive master will teach you snorkeling skills and how to stay safe. 1 Boat trip. We will board our dive boat Ocean Tales and head out around the coast to the dive site. High quality gear hire. Should you choose to hire any of our gear, you can do so knowing we have high quality, trusted equipment that is thoroughly washed after each use.