Paihia is a relaxed beach town on the eastern coast of the North Island. It’s known as a gateway to the dive sites and sandy beaches of the Bay of Islands. Our primary reason for choosing Paihia specifically was the great reviews we got about scuba diving in the Bay of Islands area. As I am a newly minted open water diver, this was meant to be my opportunity to dive with Ruthie who is a very experienced and passionate rescue diver! There are a number of places in the Bay of Islands to dive, but we were on the lookout for one where we could not only scuba but Andrew could join us as a snorkeler. We scored – later for the details.
We lucked out in choosing our Airbnb. Owned by a wonderful and warm couple – Sue and Steve – both locals and very aligned with us about many things (so we came to find out)…and also the owners of a cuddly golden retriever named Sage. Their home is nestled literally in a jungle setting surrounded by verdant, tropical plants and trees, with a peek-a-boo view of the water out the front veranda. All day and long into the evening we were serenaded by a symphony of nature – cicadas and crickets sang up a storm the entire few days we were there…I have never heard anything so intensely natural.
Our timing to stay with Sue and Steve was fortuitous – they had just sold the property and were only hosting us and one other family and then closing shop! They decided to downsize to a home in Kerikeri, north of Paihia, and were in the final stages of completing the sale when we were there. This didn’t affect our stay at all. They were such wonderful hosts – Sue even cooked us a vegetarian and gluten free dinner the second night we were there and we really got to talk with them about life in New Zealand, commiserate about the sorry state of US politics, and just enjoy each other’s company.
And now to the big event! The company we dove with, called Paihia Dive was really terrific on all points. We had a great crew who were able to attend to the needs of a wide range of scuba experience and make the experience comfortable and fun all around. We did two dives in two different reef areas, and I actually learned something really important from one dive to the next. During the first dive I spent most of my time trying to remember to breathe – literally. This was the first time since being certified that I dove in open water (versus a swimming pool) so I was focused on the mechanics of the dive instead of underwater sightseeing. Ruthie was a patient and helpful buddy and our dive master was very attentive and gave me some awesome feedback and tips after the first round. We did see some colorful fish, lots of kelp and a HUGE stingray.
My first real open water dive 
Kelp galore
So, what did I learn? Not to depend on my BCD ( the vest you inflate/deflate to help float when you need to and descent when you need to) every time I want to ascend slightly or descend slightly…you actually are supposed to use your breathing for those smaller buoyancy adjustments. Consult your local diver for more information 🙂 I figured this out during the second dive after pointers from the experts…and it was like night and day!
During this experience I finally got a taste of the incredible variety of underwater life and the rush of being able to swim with the fish rather than simply observe them. I can’t wait to do more. Thank you, Ruthie Schorr, for being my biggest fan, my best supporter, my mentor of the deep!
Andrew had a fun time as well – he became Aquaman and now wants to get recertified to dive with us next go around. Sounds good to me!
Until next round…
Esther
Living La Vida Loca 