Daves' Diving Kaikoura — Attraction in Kaikōura

A MUST DO when in Kaikoura and book in advance as there are only 4 spots per time slot (2 time slots a day). If you want an up-close encounter with dolphins, seals, crayfish/lobster, octupus and maybe whales, diving is your best bet! We lucked out with perfect sunny weather, calm winds and 75-100 school of dolphins came flooding in our direction (near Paia Point), lots of seals chilling on Barney's Rock too.

The staff were awesome - our Skipper, Zack provided great commentary on the surrounding area and dive sites, and made sure we weren't caught in a swell to avoid nausea. Our dive guide, Sean, gave very clear instructions and prepped us for the dive (warm gear, water was 15 degrees celsius, safety and what to expect). Evelyn also made a great seafood recommendation where I had the BEST lobster and scallops ever!! We also met one of the founder's Dave (from Winnipeg) who is very kind and played a big role in saving diving in Kaikoura. Thank you for making Kaikoura a highlight of...

Management summary: great team, very professional, VERY caring

Detailed review: As kind of experienced divers (85+ dives) we have some expectations regarding the guides and stuff. they handle the Organisational stuff nice, easy, flexible. Don‘t be afraid that they will rip you off when there is bad weather/no visibility. Decision are even taking as a group e.g doing only one dive when visibility is too bad. Equipment is up to standard (comparing with other tours in very good condition). You’ll have a safety briefing beforehand (Zach was doing it great, ask him about crayfish tours or Wildlife in general - great guy) and a diving briefing before hopping in (we had 3 dives with Sean (not Connery haha). They are very caring and acting professionally in all ways. Definitely would go again with them. Much fun. See ya & As we say in Austria „bussi aufs Bauchi“,...

Hooray for Daves'!

Great shop with rental gear, gear for purchase, and courses.

We were really gutted when Dive Kaikoura closed as it was the only place in the area to rent tanks from. We were so happy to learn that our favorite staff member from Dive Kaikoura opened up Daves' with her family. Staff are knowledgeable and respectful and can point you to the area with the hopefully best viz for the day and rent you anything from a tank to a full kit. We showed up last minute with four divers and rented full kits for everyone and everything went fantastically.

Best of all we find these folks super communicative and helpful!

Don't be fooled by anyone who tells you there isn't good diving in the South Island! Hire a 10 mm wetsuit from Daves...