New Zealand
Best Time to Dive in Poor Knights
35.47°S 174.73°E
Go January to April for shortfin mako. 53% of days see seas over 1.5 m then. The calmest water is October to December.
- Best time
- Jan–Apr
- Water
- 16–22 °C
- Visibility
- 15–30 m
- Dived from
- day boat
- Tidal range
- 1.3–2.1 m
- Species logged
- 14
Worth knowing: 53% of days see seas over 1.5 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in Poor Knights — monthly breakdown
A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 21 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 20 |
| Visibility (m) | 15–25 | 20–30 | 20–30 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 | 15–25 |
| Marine life | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady | Steady |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season Jan–Apr
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The Poor Knights diving season
January to April · Peak season
4 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 21–22 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 7 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains less.
Marine lifeShortfin mako (near-guaranteed), Striped marlin (near-guaranteed), Oceanic manta (likely), Bronze whaler (likely) peak at Poor Knights in these months.
May to December · Off season
8 monthsJFMAMJJASOND
- Water temperature
- 16–20 °C
- Visibility
- 15–25 m
- Rain
- 10 days a month
Diving conditionsIt rains more. The wind is up.
Marine lifeSardine (hit-or-miss) peaks at Poor Knights in these months.
- Spring tides run 2.1 m against 1.3 m on neaps, so currents build around the full and new moon.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
Poor Knights water temperature and weather
2,039 underwater observation records · 31 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
Poor Knights water temperature by month
The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.
10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean
16
rough days a month
Seas top 1.5 m on 52% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat
7
blowy days a month
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
9
wet days a month
3 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.2 m | 16% | 7 | 2 | 21 °C | 14.1 h |
| February | 2.5 m | 12% | 7 | 2 | 22 °C | 13.3 h |
| March | 2.4 m | 13% | 7 | 2 | 21 °C | 12.3 h |
| April | 3.5 m | 24% | 9 | 3 | 20 °C | 11.1 h |
| May | 2.9 m | 33% | 10 | 3 | 18 °C | 10.1 h |
| June | 3.2 m | 40% | 13 | 4 | 17 °C | 9.6 h |
| July | 3.3 m | 38% | 12 | 4 | 16 °C | 9.8 h |
| August | 3.0 m | 33% | 12 | 3 | 15 °C | 10.7 h |
| September | 2.3 m | 30% | 11 | 2 | 16 °C | 11.8 h |
| October | 2.5 m | 25% | 9 | 2 | 17 °C | 12.9 h |
| November | 2.4 m | 20% | 8 | 2 | 18 °C | 13.9 h |
| December | 2.7 m | 14% | 8 | 1 | 20 °C | 14.4 h |
Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.
Pick your week
48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.
| Week 1 | January week 1: Good | February week 1: Good | March week 1: Excellent | April week 1: Excellent | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Poor | July week 1: Poor | August week 1: Poor | September week 1: Poor | October week 1: Poor | November week 1: Poor | December week 1: Moderate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Good | February week 2: Excellent | March week 2: Good | April week 2: Good | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Poor | July week 2: Poor | August week 2: Poor | September week 2: Poor | October week 2: Moderate | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Excellent | February week 3: Excellent | March week 3: Excellent | April week 3: Good | May week 3: Moderate | June week 3: Poor | July week 3: Poor | August week 3: Poor | September week 3: Poor | October week 3: Poor | November week 3: Moderate | December week 3: Moderate |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Excellent | February week 4: Excellent | March week 4: Excellent | April week 4: Good | May week 4: Poor | June week 4: Poor | July week 4: Moderate | August week 4: Moderate | September week 4: Poor | October week 4: Moderate | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Poor |
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: fourth of February
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 20 °C | 3.4 m | 29 km/h | 20% |
| Week 2 | Good | 20 °C | 3.5 m | 28 km/h | 23% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 21 °C | 3.0 m | 28 km/h | 23% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 21 °C | 2.8 m | 27 km/h | 19% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 21 °C | 2.6 m | 28 km/h | 24% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 22 °C | 3.3 m | 28 km/h | 27% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 22 °C | 3.1 m | 26 km/h | 22% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 22 °C | 2.4 m | 26 km/h | 19% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 22 °C | 2.6 m | 29 km/h | 22% |
| Week 2 | Good | 22 °C | 2.6 m | 30 km/h | 22% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 21 °C | 2.3 m | 29 km/h | 25% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 21 °C | 2.1 m | 28 km/h | 26% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 21 °C | 2.6 m | 30 km/h | 30% |
| Week 2 | Good | 21 °C | 3.6 m | 33 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Good | 20 °C | 3.6 m | 33 km/h | 28% |
| Week 4 | Good | 20 °C | 3.2 m | 32 km/h | 28% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 20 °C | 3.0 m | 31 km/h | 30% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 19 °C | 2.9 m | 32 km/h | 28% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 19 °C | 2.5 m | 35 km/h | 32% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 18 °C | 2.9 m | 38 km/h | 42% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 18 °C | 3.2 m | 40 km/h | 47% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 18 °C | 3.0 m | 33 km/h | 41% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 17 °C | 3.3 m | 33 km/h | 42% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 17 °C | 3.5 m | 37 km/h | 43% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 17 °C | 3.1 m | 37 km/h | 38% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 17 °C | 3.1 m | 38 km/h | 42% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 16 °C | 3.3 m | 37 km/h | 39% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 16 °C | 3.3 m | 36 km/h | 32% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 16 °C | 3.1 m | 37 km/h | 35% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 16 °C | 3.1 m | 36 km/h | 40% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 16 °C | 3.1 m | 36 km/h | 41% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 16 °C | 2.8 m | 34 km/h | 40% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.5 m | 34 km/h | 38% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.1 m | 35 km/h | 34% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.3 m | 34 km/h | 32% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.4 m | 32 km/h | 36% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.3 m | 32 km/h | 35% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 16 °C | 2.3 m | 33 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 17 °C | 2.5 m | 32 km/h | 26% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 17 °C | 2.4 m | 31 km/h | 27% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 17 °C | 2.7 m | 30 km/h | 30% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 18 °C | 2.4 m | 31 km/h | 30% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 18 °C | 2.5 m | 31 km/h | 30% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 18 °C | 2.2 m | 28 km/h | 26% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 19 °C | 2.3 m | 28 km/h | 26% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 19 °C | 2.8 m | 28 km/h | 26% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 20 °C | 2.2 m | 29 km/h | 25% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 20 °C | 2.7 m | 30 km/h | 23% |
10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.
Gear & storms
What to wear
Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suit | January: 5 mm + | February: 5 mm + | March: 5 mm + | April: 5 mm + | May: 5 mm + | June: 7 mm | July: 7 mm | August: 7 mm | September: 7 mm | October: 7 mm | November: 7 mm | December: 5 mm + |
- Dec–May5 mm with hood and gloves
- Jun–Nov7 mm semi-dry
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.5 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
1 of the last 30 Januarys saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. Anything has been recorded Dec–Feb.
Share of the last 30 years with a storm that month.
- NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
- ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
- OBISMarine species records within 60 km
- IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025
Poor Knights marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shortfin mako | Feb–Apr | Near-guaranteed | 788 | ||
| Striped marlin | Feb–Mar | Near-guaranteed | 739 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | All year | Near-guaranteed | 89 | ||
| Smooth hammerhead | Jan, Mar–Apr | Likely | 76 | ||
| Common dolphin | All year | Likely | 41 | ||
| Oceanic manta | Feb–Mar | Likely | 30 | ||
| Bronze whaler | Jan–Feb | Likely | 41 | ||
| Blue shark | Jan–Feb, Apr | Hit-or-miss | 112 | ||
| Orca | Jul, Sep | Hit-or-miss | 25 | ||
| Yellowfin tuna | Jan–Mar | Hit-or-miss | 15 | ||
| Sardine | Sep–Oct, Dec | Hit-or-miss | 8 | ||
| Humpback whale | Apr, Aug, Oct–Nov | Hit-or-miss | 17 | ||
| Green turtle | Apr–May, Aug | Hit-or-miss | 15 | ||
| Common thresher | Jan, Apr–May, Aug–Sep | Hit-or-miss | 11 |
Peak Present
- Observed window
- Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
- Reliability
- Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
- Likely 30% to 60%
- Hit-or-miss under 30%
- Evidence
- Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
- Records
- OBIS sightings within 60 km.
These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.
Diving Poor Knights — common questions
- When is the best time to dive Poor Knights?
- Go January to April for shortfin mako. 53% of days see seas over 1.5 m then. The calmest water is October to December.
- When is the diving season in Poor Knights?
- Conditions are good October to December, but most divers come January to April for the marine life.
- Is the diving in Poor Knights good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in Poor Knights?
- Between 16 and 22 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in August and warmest in February. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in Poor Knights?
- A 7 mm semi-dry covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 5 mm with hood and gloves is enough.
- What is the visibility like in Poor Knights?
- Roughly 15 to 30 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving Poor Knights?
- The most consistently recorded species are Shortfin mako (near-guaranteed), Striped marlin (near-guaranteed) and Bottlenose dolphin (near-guaranteed), from 2,039 records within 60 km.
- Does Poor Knights get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Dec–Feb, most often in January at 1 of 30 years.
- Is there current in Poor Knights?
- The tide rises and falls 2.1 m around the full and new moon, against 1.3 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid Poor Knights?
- May–December are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive Poor Knights?
- Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, Oct–Dec.