# Outdoors > Fishing >  Anybody dived the Kaipara Harbour?

## Savage1

Anybody here dived the Kaipara Harbour? 

I've been told by my stepfather that he used to dive there and catch crays about 20 years ago and has never known anybody else to have been to his spot. So obviously I'm pretty keen to have a look and see if there are any monsters.

But then I've been told by others not to go near the place as it's filled with sharks, but ignorance is bliss to me so I don't really listen.

Any advice?

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## Toby

Have a dive check it out for yourself then you'll know for sure

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## Kiwi Sapper

It is a big harbour................

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## P38

All NZ Harbours have a Shark population so do all coastal regions.

You'd be surprised how many big sharks are in the surf zone at many of our beaches too.

I've done over 500 dives all round NZ an never seen a shark while underwater yet ... but have caught plenty of Crays.

Best advise I can give is contact your local dive shop and ask them what the go is for the area you want to dive.

Check it out, plan the dive carefully and take all the usual precautions and I'm sure you'll be sweet.

Cheers
Pete

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## Barefoot

I would imagine it has similar issues for diving as the Manukau, ie strong currents and no visibility.
But no haven't met anyone to dip a toe in there by choice.

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## faregame

> Anybody here dived the Kaipara Harbour? 
> 
> I've been told by my stepfather that he used to dive there and catch crays about 20 years ago and has never known anybody else to have been to his spot. So obviously I'm pretty keen to have a look and see if there are any monsters.
> 
> *But then I've been told by others not to go near the place as it's filled with sharks*, but ignorance is bliss to me so I don't really listen.
> 
> Any advice?


From a Local???

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## Dundee

Go for it ,if we don't here back we know whats got ya :Yaeh Am Not Durnk:

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## Nathan F

Some of the things ive seen pulled outta there you would not see me in the water. WIcked currents too.

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## Gibo

> Anybody here dived the Kaipara Harbour? 
> 
> I've been told by my stepfather that he used to dive there and catch crays about 20 years ago and has never known anybody else to have been to his spot. So obviously I'm pretty keen to have a look and see if there are any monsters.
> 
> But then I've been told by others not to go near the place as it's filled with sharks, but ignorance is bliss to me so I don't really listen.
> 
> Any advice?


Chuck Norris isnt afraid of sharks!

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## Rushy

> Chuck Norris isnt afraid of sharks!


No but the sharks are scared of getting Chuck Norrised.

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## Gibo

> No but the sharks are scared of getting Chuck Norrised.


As we all are Rushy!

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## Bill999

if you done a quick dive at 20min from full tide and were out of the water 20 min toward low you will have no problems with current, pick a day after there has been no rain for a week 

top of the tide should mean clearer water,

if you are scared of sharks just remember more people die from eating shark, than die from being eaten by sharks.

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## Savage1

> Chuck Norris isnt afraid of sharks!


That's the most inspiring post so far! 

I'll try get in on my next days off and will let you know how I go.

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## Gibo

> That's the most inspiring post so far! 
> 
> I'll try get in on my next days off and will let you know how I go.


Just practise your underwater judo chop.....sharks will be shitting themselves if they can see it coming  :Have A Nice Day:

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## Rushy

> Just practise your underwater judo chop.....sharks will be shitting themselves if they can see it coming


Mate Chuck Norris uses knife hand karate strikes on sharks.

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## Gibo

> Mate Chuck Norris uses knife hand karate strikes on sharks.


Mate Chuck Norris uses 5 finger nipple tweak death locks

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## Cowkiller

Wouldn't do it mate big currents and sharks I've fished it on my kayak and it's a huge mish if ya do b frikn carefull


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## Rushy

> Mate Chuck Norris uses 5 finger nipple tweak death locks


I didn't know that Sharks had nipples.  Never to old to learn huh?

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## Toby

> Mate Chuck Norris uses 5 finger nipple tweak death locks


Bruce Lee just has to look at them

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## Gibo

> Bruce Lee just has to look at them


Bruce Lee is dead Toby

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## Toby

> Bruce Lee is dead Toby


Dammit

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## Rushy

> Dammit


I agree Toby.  1973 was a sad year.

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## Cowkiller

What a whopper catch - a 380kg great white shark
Save
Monday 5 February 2001EmailFacebookTwitterGoogle+
By SCOTT INGLIS 

Mark Cameron and Tony King went out on the Kaipara Harbour to catch snapper - but came back with a 380kg great white shark.

It is one of the heaviest great whites ever caught in New Zealand waters.

On Saturday morning, the two dairy farmers from Ruawai, northwest of Auckland, were out in a friend's aluminium 4.1m runabout. 

Within 20 minutes they had hooked six fish but then something else took Mr Cameron's bait, hook, line and sinker.

It turned out to be a female great white shark, just over 3m long.

"It just ambled away ... and when it realised something was attached to the bait in its mouth, it went like a rocket."

For the next 90 minutes, Mr Cameron, using a game rod with 37kg breaking strain line - 700m of it - fought the shark while Mr King headed for shore.

Mr Cameron was worried that the shark might snap the line but he was not scared.

"Apprehensive would be the choice of word. 

"It broke the surface once ... and the heart went into palpitations for a while."

They beached the shark at Tinopai, before towing it back to Ruawai boat ramp. 

"These big fish don't cope well in shallow water and it literally just drowned."

They stripped the shark of its meat, which will be eaten.

"They are a beautiful fish and it would be a shame to just chuck it into a hole."

The jaws would be kept and possibly professionally mounted.

At 382.5kg, the shark is the heaviest caught in New Zealand on a 37kg line and close to the world record of 413kg.

The catch was the latest close encounter between sharks and humans in New Zealand waters.

A leaping shark had a Torbay couple reaching for a "weapon" - their runabout's spare anchor - while they fished in the Rangitoto Channel last month.

A white pointer tipped a kayaker out of his boat at Whananaki, off the Northland east coast. 

Great whites have been seen several times this summer.


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## Gibo

I'm sure its illegal to kill Great Whites.......and who the hell fishes for snapper with 37kg x 700m? 
Soulds like they knew what they wanted to catch to me.

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## Rushy

> I'm sure its illegal to kill Great Whites.......and who the hell fishes for snapper with 37kg x 700m? 
> Soulds like they knew what they wanted to catch to me.


Great deductive reasoning Sherlock.

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## Bill999

I was fishing for snapper with 100 pound braid over the weekend, not ideal off the rocks and quite pointless when the trace was 40 pound but hey it was all I had on the reel at the time

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## Nathan F

Id be far more concerned about the currents - brutal

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## Cowkiller

> Id be far more concerned about the currents - brutal


Yup they sure r


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## Nick.m

If you plan your dive you will be sweet. Set yourself a time limit and depth limit and stick to them, if you know someone else that's keen take them with you and stay together and get your boat man to follow your bubbles. Take a safety sausage with you in case you do end up away from the boat, making it easier for them to find ya.

If its only in 3m of water id probably just jump in and free dive it to start with, you will know pretty quickly if there are Crays there and what the currents like.

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## phillipgr

> I didn't know that Sharks had nipples.  Never to old to learn huh?


They've been known to sprout them in the presence of Chuck Norris. Fear does mysterious things, Rushy.

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## Rushy

Good on ya Phillip.

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## camo

Could set a cray pot at the spot to see if theres anything there before risking a dive?

Id be comfortable diving solo as with the low viz your dive buddy might not see if your in any trouble - just dive at slack tide, stay shallow and dont swim in any dodgy holes and youll be sweet

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## Ahuroa SC

I go out there quite often, never thought of diving though! props to ya if you do. Wicked current, I've seen some big sharks (who hasn't) we slept on rat island for a couple and attempted searching for some spots, but got caught up in the fishing. Bloody awesome out there, caught all kinds of the "best" fish out there!

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## Savage1

Well I got delayed a month or two but managed to get out there on Boxing Day.

1 metre vis, lots of sediment and a heap of crayfish, all under size bar one which was soft. Came across heaps of nest with 20+ crayfish in and quite hard to get at. It was just off Tinopai so it was a fair way in the harbour and a bit of a breeding ground I imagine. I was diving 30min either side of low tide and had no trouble with the current, was only in 3m of water to.

On the plus side I got a catchbag full of greenlipped mussels while looking for the crays and did a run to the scolly beds to.

If anyone knows of some good terrain not so far up the harbour I'll have a look, as for now I'm going to stick to the east coast, much nicer.

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## Nibblet

Good to hear you didn't get shat out of a shark

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## moonhunt

Leigh by the sea

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## Outeredge

Hi mate, are you still diving Kiapara?? Keen to join you if you want a dive bud...

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