Kōura Dive Survey 2025 – Results Event

On September 19th, 2025, Melissa White, Director of The International SeaKeepers Society South Pacific, attended the Kōura Dive Survey results event at SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s Aquarium in Auckland. The evening gathered together the Waiheke Marine Project team, volunteer divers, skippers, sponsors, and community partners to celebrate another successful survey season and to share this year’s results.

The Kōura Dive Survey, led by the Waiheke Marine Project since 2021, is a citizen science initiative that monitors southern rock lobster (kōura) populations around Waiheke Island. Each winter, volunteer divers conduct transect surveys to record kōura sightings, habitat conditions, and reef health. The data collected helps track population changes, contributes to marine management decisions, and supports ongoing efforts to protect vulnerable species through rāhui and other local conservation measures.

SeaKeepers was proud to participate in 2025 alongside DISCOVERY Yacht Neo, whose crew generously donated time and vessel support to take volunteer divers to survey sites. The event was a chance to recognise the collective effort of everyone involved—from divers and skippers to sponsors and community supporters—and to highlight the important role that local citizen science plays in protecting marine ecosystems for the future.