Hi Chris, and welcome to the forum.

I've been diving over in raro a couple of times recently - which dive operation did you do your training with?

...also are you Auckland based? if so, there's a few of us planning to do a photo fishing competition up at Goat Island, which makes for a fun and easy shore dive. Should be a fun day...

Thanks for the welcome Flipper.

Went with Pacific Divers based at Muri Lagoon. We went just outside the reef on the southside through the Papua passage.

Yup we're Auckland based and we're off the weekend of the 17th so we'll definitely go up to Goat Island for the diving but not the comp.

Yeah - I dived with Pacific when last over. Good little operation they've got;; was it Ian that taught you??

Wellington??????? Pah, move to Northland and really start to enjoy diving.

Wellington South coast= 20km of consistently excellent shore diving all within 2-30 min drive of my house, viz today, 10-15m.... And I think 3 dives today will cost about $4 for diesel...

Hope to be out on ya boat mid Feb Martin, let me know if ya want a hops delivery.

No they had a new instructor from another op on the island, called Darren, who taught us.

hi all. im chris. i am 31 living in hamilton. i try to dive at any given oppertunity. my last dive was on boxing day, where i saw my first octopus. i fell in love with the water before i could talk. i just cant understand why it took me so long to do my open water. maybe it was the money. now i want to live in the water. i have 15 dives (yes only 15) under my belt and at the first oppertunity i will be doing my AOW. i bought my own gear while still doing my OW. i have my own boat but it is only suitable for two divers and a boatman. not ideal, so i am tryin to find a bigger boat that will serve my purpose. i have dived three notable spots. slipper island, jacksons reef and the poor knights. always looking for buddies to go out with. not much diving here in hamilton so it can be a bit tough. i really want to do the great barrier reef, but i have a complete phobia of flying. i have a plan to go into business for myself. i have found a hole in a market and i want to try and fill it. my other interests apart from diving include soccer (huge fan). fishing, and dare i say it, model railway.

and i'm tara. blonde, bitchy, buxom and a maneater.

went to fiji with a friend in 2006 - she bought me a divecourse and i spent then entire flight thinking of ways to get out of it. came back to new zealand and she booked us on a liveaboard at the poor knights and suddenly i was advanced.
they said do rescue - i said no way. i just received my PADI divemaster number yesterday.

when i dont dive, i drive. fast around corners, faster on the straights.

i work as an IT architect which thankfully pays shitloads as my dive gear cost a lot and my car costs me even more.

women, i may flirt with your men. men, i will flirt with your women. but i wont screw them unless youre there.

Fark!

well i guess the whole idea was honesty!

anyways bits i'v forgotten to add which probably pale in significance ....

in the last couple of years, i've dived fiji, the knights obviously, florida keys, colombia, galapagos and patagonia.
this year i want to dive vanuatu and the solomans. oh and possibly fiordland if i will be allowed now.

You are more than welcome on the Fiordland trip as long as your a paid up SOD.

sure why not.
i read the post and seeing as i Pay And Display Internationally, i think $35 is hell cheap

Yeah $35 is cheap. But its $36. Still good value IMHO.

I know Packie, I know! What the hell is an IT Architect?

yea ... what the hell is it?

as far as i am aware, it involves whiteboards, markers and telling people what to do whilst armed with a very large cheque book