Freedive, SCUBA and Spearfishing, we have it covered at

DIVE NOW, Whangarei's largest dedicated dive store. 

 

We are proud to be one of New Zealand's premier dive training, retail and servicing facilities.  Learning to dive with us means instruction and equipment of the highest standard.  All of our servicing of regulators, BCD's and cylinders is completed on-site.

We love being underwater ... if we are not in the shop, we are probably diving, either training divers or having fun taking photos, making videos, collecting seafood or just happy being wet exploring a reef or a wreck.

With our on-site pool, with full changing facilities, not only is your comfort and convenience assured when you are training with us, if you are shopping you can try out new equipment before you commit to buying.  Our staff and instructors have an extensive knowledge of diving, the marine environment and, of course, diver safety.

In store we stock what we believe to be the best freedive and scuba equipment available by some of the biggest and most-trusted brands - Apeks, Aqualung, Beuchat, Fourth Element, Light & Motion, Mares, OMS, Rob Allen, Scubapro and Shearwater. We have access to many more brands, so if there's something specific you want, just ask us.

Situated in Whangarei, Northland, where we are lucky enough to have a healthy harbour and stunning coastline on our door step.   We are 30 minutes' drive from Tutukaka, the gateway to the beautiful Poor Knights Islands - rated by Jacques Cousteau as one of the world's top ten diving destinations - while 60 minutes' drive will have you in the Bay of Islands, known for its undeveloped beaches and game fishing.  We are proud to offer you the opportunity to discover what we have made a part of our lives!

Dive Now is owned by local girl Jamie-Lee, who is a born and bred Whangarei Girl, (Whangarei Girls High) and Simon from London, UK who has always had the travel bug and finally made it to New Zealand in 2011.  Since then almost every second weekend has been spent in Whangarei either with family or diving the Poor Knights, Bay of Islands and other local Northland dive spots.  In March 2018, the oppertunity to take over and improve Whangarei's oldest dedicated dive store came up.  Since then we have been dedicated to making it into the one stop shop for dive.

Dive Courses

DIVE COURSES

Dive Now Whangarei is a PADI 5 Star Dive Centre. This means we can offer courses from beginner up to Techincal diving!

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Dive Trips

DIVE TRIPS

From wreck diving, to the Poor Knights, to local dive sites around Whangarei we offer some amazing diving trips.

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Online Store

DIVE GEAR RENTAL

We offer full diver rental gear, tanks, servicing and testing at amazing prices. We will even throw in a coffee as well!

Read More

Freedive, SCUBA and Spearfishing, we have it covered at

DIVE NOW, Whangarei's largest dedicated dive store. 

 

We are proud to be one of New Zealand's premier dive training, retail and servicing facilities.  Learning to dive with us means instruction and equipment of the highest standard.  All of our servicing of regulators, BCD's and cylinders is completed on-site.

We love being underwater ... if we are not in the shop, we are probably diving, either training divers or having fun taking photos, making videos, collecting seafood or just happy being wet exploring a reef or a wreck.

With our on-site pool, with full changing facilities, not only is your comfort and convenience assured when you are training with us, if you are shopping you can try out new equipment before you commit to buying.  Our staff and instructors have an extensive knowledge of diving, the marine environment and, of course, diver safety.

In store we stock what we believe to be the best freedive and scuba equipment available by some of the biggest and most-trusted brands - Apeks, Aqualung, Beuchat, Fourth Element, Light & Motion, Mares, OMS, Rob Allen, Scubapro and Shearwater. We have access to many more brands, so if there's something specific you want, just ask us.

Situated in Whangarei, Northland, where we are lucky enough to have a healthy harbour and stunning coastline on our door step.   We are 30 minutes' drive from Tutukaka, the gateway to the beautiful Poor Knights Islands - rated by Jacques Cousteau as one of the world's top ten diving destinations - while 60 minutes' drive will have you in the Bay of Islands, known for its undeveloped beaches and game fishing.  We are proud to offer you the opportunity to discover what we have made a part of our lives!

Dive Now is owned by local girl Jamie-Lee, who is a born and bred Whangarei Girl, (Whangarei Girls High) and Simon from London, UK who has always had the travel bug and finally made it to New Zealand in 2011.  Since then almost every second weekend has been spent in Whangarei either with family or diving the Poor Knights, Bay of Islands and other local Northland dive spots.  In March 2018, the oppertunity to take over and improve Whangarei's oldest dedicated dive store came up.  Since then we have been dedicated to making it into the one stop shop for dive.

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Trip Dates

Published: Tuesday, 19 March 2019 17:43
If you would like to book a trip to the Poor Knights or to the Canterbury Wreck on a day that isn't specified below
then give us a call or send us an email and we can arrange this for you.
BOOK A TRIP
 
 
Upcoming Trips
Saturday 7th December Local Shore Dive
Sunday 8th December Poor Knights Day Trip
Saturday 14th December Local Shore Dive
Sunday 15th December Poor Knights Day Trip
Wedneasday 18th December - Evening Local Shore Dive
Thursday 19th December Local Shore Dive
Friday 20th December Poor Knights Day Trip
Saturday 21st December Local Shore Diving
Sunday 22th December Waikato Wreck Weather permitting or Poor Knights
Monday 6th January - Evening Local Shore Diving
Saturday 11th January Local Shore Diving
Sunday 12th January Poor Knights Day Trip
Saturday 18th January Local Shore Diving
Sunday 19th January Waikato Wreck Weather permitting or Poor Knights
Monday 20th January - Evening Local Shore Diving
16th May to 31st May The Philippines - More information coming shortly
8-18th May 2021 Cocos Islands, Costa Rica

PLEASE NOTE

Your trip deposit or full payment secures your space. Any outstanding balances are due a week before departure.

If you cancel your space on a trip within 7 days or less of departure you will incur a 100% cancellation fee. Generally trip payments once made are non-refundable, but most trips have a waiting list and we will do our best to find someone to take your space in the event you need to pull out. You can help us, and improve your chance of a refund, by finding your own replacement.

If a trip is cancelled by us due to weather or for safety reasons, a full refund or store credit will be given. Trip pricing does not include transport. You will need to make your own way to the vessel departure point.

Dive Tank Testing

Published: Tuesday, 19 March 2019 16:59

Cylinder Testing

How often do we need to test cylinders in New Zealand?

All SCUBA cylinders require a yearly Visual inspection  to check for cracks and other defects and every two years a Hydrostatic test (hydrostatic) which tests for metal fatigue and Visual inspection.

Dive Now Whangarei is a Worksafe NZ Approved Test Station under the New Zealand Underwater SCAP (Scuba Cylinder Audit Programme) covering Scuba, BA and Paint Ball cylinders.

HYDRO $44 | VISUAL $24 

This price is excluding the air fill as concession card holders may want to use their cards.

Please do not be offended if we cannot test your cylinder.

In August 2017, some older types of Aluminium cylinders were deemed unsafe and removed from service by Worksafe due to the alloy used.  These are tanks that are over 25 years old. There have been catastrophic failures of these tanks worldwide at the filling stage that have resulted in the death and serious maiming of dive shop staff.

https://worksafe.govt.nz/about-us/news-and-media/cylinder-design-approvals-withdrawn/

Dive Cylinder Fills - Air and Enriched Air Nitrox

Published: Tuesday, 19 March 2019 16:56

Cylinders are filled on site at our premises in Clyde Street and can generally be filled with air (21% O2) and Nitrox 32% while you wait.  

AIR is $10.00 per fill or buy a concession card of 10 fills for $75 during October and November - Normally $85.

(save $35, that's 3.3 fills for free for October and November!!!).  

Enriched Air Nitrox fills for Enriched Air Nitrox certified divers.

Enriched Air Nitrox to 32% is $16 per fill or buy an EANx concession card of 10 for $150.

Enriched Air Nitrox to 40% is $18 per fill.  

 

We are able to offer a quicker turnaround time for our Nitrox customers than in the past with our brand new dedicated compressor. Our qualified Gas Blender must be on site.

We are also in the process of trialing our Oxygen Booster system for O2 clean partial pressure filling.

O2 is $0.03 per Litre plus a $5 fill charge for Partial Pressure Blending.

 

Pure Air:  Our air is tested quarterly by NZUA, a third party EPA sanctioned test body in line with the Worksafe regulations to ensure we comply and supply you with air safe for breathing underwater.  Our compressor's air filtration systems exceed the minimum requirements, giving you air that you can trust and ensure we help your cylinders last for years.

Scuba cylinders and valves each have a working pressure, we have to fill to the lowest of these pressures.  In New Zealand all our cylinders have to have a LAB number or an ISO number, our valves need a burst disc.  This means overseas cylinders usually cannot be used.

We do prefer you give us more time to fill your cylinders as the process creates heat.  If you give us an hour or so, the gas in your cylinder can cool down, so when you come to collect it, we can top it up to the cylinders and valves working pressure rating.  

Why does this happen?  As gas is transfered into your cylinder, the gas molecules are moving around quite fast and create friction as they bounce off of each other and the internal walls of the cylinder, this creates heat and therefore a higher pressure.  Allow the gas in your cylinder to sit for an hour and the molecules slow down and cool down, the result is a drop in pressure in your cylinder.  So a tank filled to 207 bar may drop to about 180 bar after an hour or so.

Now you go for a dive and the water is colder than the air temperature, the pressure in the cylinder will drop even more before you even breathe it.  So your 207 bar at 20 degrees C may drop to 190 bar in 18 degrees C water.

 

 

Please note that any tank that is completely empty will have to be opened and inspected at the owner's cost before filling for safety reasons.  There is a labour charge of $5 for this.

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