Dispatch, South Pacific—A hammerhead shark greets us as we sail toward the Maomao Arch, a mammoth opening in the rocks that make up New Zealand’s Poor Knights Marine Preserve.
The legendary explorer Jaques Cousteau called it one of the best diving spots in the world.
Mountainous rock formations rise out of the sea, home to penguins, petrels, and gulls, and the only place where the magnificent Buller’s Shearwater will nest.
Below the waterline, lush kelp forests, warmed by the waters of the Coral Sea, host schools of maomao, kingfish, and snapper.
Moray eels peek out from under rocks covered by nudibranchs. Sponge gardens teem with urchins and anemones. A scorpion fish, motionless on its perch, affixes us with a grumpy stare.
We’re on the lookout for the killer whales drawn to preserve for its abundant manta rays, a delicacy to them, but were not lucky enough to make an encounter.
The rocky island chain was borne of ancient volcanoes, hollowed and shaped by the ocean into a web of caves, tunnels, and cliffs. Because of their remarkable formations and biodiversity, the islands have been protected as a marine reserve since 1981.
They were named by Captain James Cook in 1769, thinking their reddish cliffs and vegetation resembled Poor Knights Pudding, the crusty, fruit-topped dish favored by English sailors.
Up ahead, the submerged landscape becomes shaded.
We are in the Maomao tunnel. All around are hospitable creatures expressing the least bit of concern over the aliens bubbling through their space.
We observe in awe practically every one of the 125 species of fish known to frolic among the gorgonian fans, sea lettuce, and other vibrant flora of the sea bottom.
Nearing 500 bar on the air gauge, I start a slow ascent to the surface. There is no need to hurry from such vibrant waters.