Regenerative Diving Programme

2024 - 2025 Regen Dive - What’s happening ?

This summer we will see the WMP make true to their promise and support our regen divers in gaining confidence and qualifications in the freediving, scuba and snorkelling space. Our aim is to have at least one regen dive activity taking place each month to keep the momentum in place for this mahi and for the future marine monitoring mahi that needs to take place so we can keep a better eye on what is happening under the moana. We kick start the season with a confidence boosting dive on the 19 October strengthening our buddy systems, looking at our mātauranga Māori & gaining that all important experience followed hotly by a refresher dive course held in Enclosure bay again to increase confidence in a supported environment.

We have teamed up with Rob from Epic Scuba as our dive provider throughout the year.  We have SALT Aotearoa onboard to take a bunch of eager freed divers through their certificates in December and look to have engaining Freediving marine monitoring events in the summer ahead.

Starting in November we have our Te ngahere o te moana - Kelp Gardeners mahi to partake in and this mahi carries on into the new year.

Next up is two youth snorkelling days making sure we start early to build a healthy connection with the moana and foster good pathways to experience and learn, always connecting and always increasing our aroha and respect for te taiao - our environment. Whew what a summer we have ahead of us - exciting times.

Waiheke Marine Project acknowledges the support of Auckland Foundation and Air New Zealand in making this Pipi possible.

Regen Diving 2023-24

This summer has already seen a flurry of regen dive activity, starting with the freedive training prototype in November 2023, then the Youth Snorkelling training sessions in early January, and now the Regen Dive training (Scuba, both open water and refreshers) is well underway. We have had a lot of positive feedback from participants within each of the different kaupapa. 

Rob and his team from Epic Scuba (and Renee and SALT Aotearoa) have come on board  to train up a solid rōpū of both local community and Ngāti Pāoa divers, preparing them to contribute to our ongoing multiple reinforcing regeneration actions around Waiheke. 

Below is a brief summary of the rangatahi youth snorkel programme and the regen dive training so far: 

Youth Snorkelling: 

We successfully ran, with the Epic Scuba team, 2 days of youth snorkelling at Enclosure Bay in January. We had 9 rangatahi make it through and earn their skin divers certification. We had an even split between Ngāti Pāoa and local rangatahi join us on this. The dates for these training days were 4th and 17th January. Feedback was complementary and brought some NPKW whānau back into the WMP fold through the next generation; the movement continues to grow. Leanne (Kaihapai Rukuruku) and Leigh (Pou Kōkiri) were both on site both days and provided a solid holding of Pāoatanga during the event. 

Regen Dive Training: 

The 2024 Regen Dive cohort are now on their way to earning their Scuba Dive tickets, with the pool (confined water) training session happening at Ōtahūhū Pool Complex on 11 Feb. We had a total of 6 divers complete this day (3x MW divers and 3x community divers). 

The open-water training dates will take place on 17/18th February at Enclosure Bay. After that, we will have 6 freshly qualified divers, ready to participate in the Kōura Dive Survey. 

Regen Diving update - May 2023

Ko Kohukohunui te Maunga
Ko Tikapa te Moana 
Ko Ngati Paoa te Iwi

E nga mana, e nga iwi, tena koutou katoa;

In January we eagerly  welcomed 24 Divers to the Waiheke Marine Project as part of our 2023 Regen Dive program. 10 of our 2023 divers are Mana Whenua, 14 are from the Waiheke community including 2 refresher divers. 

The WMP Regen dive programme was created to ensure more mana whenua and locals could participate in the many marine regeneration actions around the island, including the annual kōura dive survey. Read more here.

One of our families travels in from Ngaruawahia whilst another one of our divers travels in from Paeroa! Honestly the interest to be a part of this kaupapa (pipi) is out the gate, the sheer diversity of this cohort is wonderful, we have been so fortunate to have them all partake in this amazing kaupapa.

Before embarking on their practical skills journey, each diver must dedicate at least an hour of their own time over a 2 week period, studying and completing their online PADI homework. This is compulsory and divers must achieve an 80% pass to continue on their journey. 
The next phase of their learning, divers must complete a confined water section.
The divers met with the Waiheke Dive team at the Olympic Pool in New Market to complete this part of their certification.

The final stages of the Open water program is to take all the new skills that each diver learnt in the pool, to the beautiful waters of Waiheke.

The past few months have been full of regen dive activity! We now have 15 of the 24 regen divers Padi Scuba qualified ready to join our  21 from last year. Leanne, Kaihāpai Rukuruku / our regen dive coordinator has been making sure our new divers feel welcomed and at ease with each of the steps to getting qualified.
To prepare our divers for the upcoming Kōura/Crayfish dive survey we have been running a number of confidence building dives. The focus of these is to get divers feeling happy underwater and practicing their observation and recording skills.

Some of the divers have overcome nervous hurdles, some of them were natural fish-like beings as soon as they got in the water. Some of the more confident divers have even been out there spotting Kōura already!

“As one of the fortunate divers to have recently witnessed the activity  of our taonga/treasured species the Kōura, I honestly can’t wait to get back in the water and start recording just how many.” Leanne Castle- Kaihāpai rukuruku 
Our divers from last year have also been busy over the season participating in Kelp Gardener sessions and helping deploy and retrieve a hydrophone placed on a local reef and observation dives.

In true WMP style we are all about relationships, therefore we have a regen divers BBQ on the 30th April. The focus of the day is for the divers to connect, share their experiences, go diving and get prepared for the upcoming kōura survey.

A huge Mihi to Waiheke Marine project and its partners, Waiheke Dive and Snorkel crew, Ngāti Paoa ki Waiheke,  Olympic pool, Fullers, all our fabulous friends and supporters and of course our 2023 Regen Divers.

Toitu a Marae a Tane, toitu te marae a Tangaroa, toitu te iwi
If the land is well and the sea is well, so to, is the iwi.

Arohanui,
Leanne and Carys 

Coordinators

Waiheke Marine Project acknowledges the support of Auckland Foundation and Auckland Council in making this Pipi possible.

Join the Kaupapa

Since the Future Search in 2020 and particularly since April 2021 there have been active discussions about regeneration projects that the WMP can catalyse and support. Examples are the regeneration of kōura, kelp kina and the near shore reef ecosystems generally. All of these regeneration projects will have large elements of underwater activities that are accessible only by snorkelling, free or scuba diving.

The first kōura dive survey in June 2021 demonstrated that there is a huge interest in the Auckland diving community to contribute to regeneration projects via volunteer dive time. This dive survey also demonstrated that the majority of divers came from off island and few if any were Māori or mana whenua.

With some of the WMP focus points being the Waiheke Way and commitment to Te Tiriti partnership, it behoves the WMP to take steps to build the diving capabilities and capacity of mana whenua and Waiheke locals. Improved diving abilities will then enable on-island data collection, collation, monitoring and evidence based decision making for marine care actions.

As a result of this, the Regenerative Dive programme was created and has enabled 21 mana whenua and locals to learn how to scuba dive or get their tickets refreshed.

The Programme returns in 2023 - how to join ?

We are running an expanded program again this summer 2023 so to register your interest in joining the programme click here to register your interest - before 8th December 2022

Trainees from the last intake had this to say;

“Glad to be a part of the mana whenua divers to give the programme mauri. Katiakitanga is our life so are always looking for ways to contribute ourselves, our manaakitanga.”- PADI Dive Trainee

“The ocean had provided their people for many many centuries and we need to give back. Not just on waiheke but around the gulf.”- PADI Dive Trainee

“I almost quit numerous times but Adams staff held my hand and helped me through. The reason I pushed through was for the kaupapa. I'll never forget what the scientists said about the degregations of the hauraki gulf. We all have that real love of the creatures of the water and to see for myself what is happening down there and how little kai moana is a wakeup call for all of us.”- PADI Dive Trainee