Welcome to Total Bottom Time!

Total Bottom Time is my online personal dive log. A place where I can share my dives with friends, family, other divers, and the world. You can find out a bit more about me and see my full log of dives by clicking on my profile on the right. Feel free to subscribe to my dives via email or RSS.

Below are just some of my latest dives.

Houghton Bay has one spot, close to the usual descent point, that has been dubbed The Fish Spot. You'll typically go by it once on your way out and once on your way back. There is usually at least one blue moki at The Fish Spot, digging around in the kelp, chewing it up, and attracting many other fish. Today it was in fine form.

The Fish Spot

Not long after, The Fish Spot is a crevasse that is always full of crayfish. Today it was in fine form. The right-hand side of the crevasse wall was literally layered with crayfish there were so many. It was impossible to tell where one stopped and another began.

Crayfish

The return path went through The Fish Spot again. I made sure to really get into the middle of it this time.

The Fish Spot

At the end of the dive, I saw this happy little common triplefin camped out in a cook's turban.

Common Triplefin

iNaturalist NZ: Observations on 2026-01-10.

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To date, all of my dives at Princess Bay have gone either east or west after descending. But after the dive briefing today, I learned that going south is an option too.

Going south after descending on the shore reef, there's a sandy patch. After that, you descend a bit more, maybe to 8-10 metres max. Then you hit an upslope and go up to 6-ish metres. Now you're on another reef and can hit depths to 15-18 metres.

It makes the navigation simple! Go south, turn around, and go north.

This hermit crab was considering a new home.

Hermit Crab

This crab pulled a Harry Houdini.

Red Rock Crab

I'm always fascinated by the moulted exoskeleton of a crayfish. I dropped this one on the green sea grass just to get some better colour.

Moulted Exoskeleton of a Crayfish

Anemone

Right after we turned around to head back north, we encountered this very sleepy carpet shark. It didn't move a fin as I took pictures and a video of it.

Carpet Shark

While I was videoing the shark, this bloody blue cod wouldn't leave me alone. It was even biting my exposed finger I ...

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Great visibility at the Island Bay Snorkel Trail so we went around the block from the shore on the left side of the carpark to the shore on the right side of the carpark.

The usual suspects were in the water.

Blue Moki

Crayfish

Common Triplefin

Then there were some uncommon critters.

Clown Nudibranch

Speckled Rock Anemone

And some new-to-me critters too.

Bastard Trumpeter (aka Copper Moki)

New Zealand Piper

iNaturalist NZ: Observations on 2025-11-30.

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