Hey! My name is Max Te Moananui, and I have just joined the team at Dive HQ! A little about me; I am Wellington born and raised, through and through, growing up on the Kapiti Coast and have always been fascinated with the ocean. I spent a lot of days at the beach, snorkeling or surfing.
I first got into scuba diving when I was 13 years old, obtaining my PADI Junior Open Water Diver certification. Since then, I dived on and off before deciding to take my level five Diploma Instructor course in 2022. I was contemplating spending the year in Wellington, but I decided I was too much of a wuss about the cold, and completed the course up in sunny Whitianga, racking up just over one hundred additional dives during those ten months.
My best dive was at a spot called the bookshelf up in Whitianga. It was a beautiful sunny day, the deep water teeming with schools of Blue & Pink Maomao, rays, octopuses and crayfish. We were given a “shelf” of sorts (hence, the name of the site) around the edges of a small island to explore, sixty plus metres of ocean stretching beneath our feet, and two tanks for two superb dives.
I look forward to meeting you all on our club days and going on a dive with you!
- Max Te Moananui
