A ship that was bombed for peace now gives life back to the reef.
A wreck turned garden, in clear sheltered water.
The Warrior sits upright and alive, her rails soft with jewel anemones and her holds home to fish. Around her, the Cavalli Islands shelter calm bays, kelp gardens and easy reefs — a rare mix of history and gentle water.
History, on a single breath.
We launch from Matauri Bay into sheltered water. The wreck rests around 26 m with shallower decks above — ideal for capable freedivers — while the surrounding bays suit divers still building depth.
It is a wreck, a reef, and a memorial all at once. We dive it gently and with respect.
The Rainbow Warrior’s last harbour.
In 1985 the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior was bombed by French agents in Auckland — a protest ship sunk for standing against nuclear testing. A photographer, Fernando Pereira, drowned that night.
In December 1987 her hull was brought north and laid to rest in the lee of the Cavalli Islands, off Matauri Bay. On the headland above, a stone memorial by Chris Booth carries her propeller.
Today she is an artificial reef — draped in anemones and sponges, schooling with fish. A place of remembrance you visit on a breath.
Freedive the Rainbow Warrior.
Sheltered, story-rich water off Matauri Bay. Get in touch and we’ll plan the day.