Spearfishing Nelson and the Marlborough Sounds
Nelson, Motueka, Picton and Havelock are sheltered water with a visibility problem and the fastest tidal stream in New Zealand at French Pass.
Tasman and Golden Bay are shallow, silty and often under 2 m of visibility - Wave Point, Magazine Point and the Motueka delta are the honest end of that. The clear water is out: Pepin Island and Fall Cove at Cable Bay, the Kaiteriteri granite bays and Split Apple Rock, and the outer Sounds. Picton dives Bob's Bay, Whatamango Bay, Karaka Point and Iwirua Point on the Snout, 3-12 m of steep rocky shore with tidal run off the tips. Havelock's Pelorus marks are muddier (Kaikumera, Moetapu, 2-5 m) with Cullen Point, Okiwi Bay and French Pass as the clear-water answer. Fish: blue cod, snapper, kingfish, butterfish, blue moki, red moki, tarakihi, plus crayfish, paua and kina.
Summer into autumn, and the tide matters more than the calendar. Te Aumiti / French Pass runs 5-8 knots, the fastest tidal stream in the country - dive it only on the LINZ-predicted slack, or not at all. Water 10-17 C. Visibility is better on an incoming tide off the sea; the sounds are murkier than the open coast.
Rules: no licence. This is the MPI Challenger area: 20 finfish combined per fisher per day. Blue cod is split five ways - Tasman (Farewell Spit to the Clarence River, including the Marlborough Sounds) is 2/day, Westland 15/day, Kahurangi 10/day, South West 10/day - and the Marlborough Sounds blue cod closed season runs 1 September to 10 January inclusive, every year. Snapper is 10/day in Challenger but only 3/day in the Marlborough Sounds area, minimum 25 cm. Rock lobster is a combined 6 with maximum 3 packhorse, possession capped at 18, bag-and-tag applies - and crayfish may never be speared. Scallops in the Sounds, Tasman Bay, Golden Bay and Port Underwood have been closed since July 2018. See https://www.mpi.govt.nz/fishing-aquaculture/recreational-fishing/fishing-rules and https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/marine-reserves/. Safety, conditionally: heavy small-boat and ferry traffic through the Sounds channels means a rigid dive flag on a float, not a flag on the boat, and French Pass is genuinely dangerous outside slack.
Top spots
| Spot | Nearest city | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Cove (Pepin Island) | Nelson | Rock cove on the outer side of Pepin Island, kelp and boulders |
| Tokangawhā / Split Apple Rock | Motueka | The granite rock of Abel Tasman with a boulder base on sand, 3–9 m. |
| Ocean Point (Port Underwood) | Picton | A boat mark at the eastern head of Port Underwood, where crayfish hold… |
| Te Kawau a Toru | French Pass / Anaru | Te Kawau a Toru is a bare rock on a charted reef off Reef Point, about… |
| Kaikūmera Bay | Havelock | Pelorus Sound bay: mud, shingle and rock on the points, 2–8 m. |
| Wave Point (Tāhunanui) | Nelson | Low rocky point at the mouth of Nelson harbour, mud and shell over… |
Cities in this region
FAQ
When is blue cod closed in the Marlborough Sounds?
From 1 September to 10 January inclusive, every year - the closure was extended in August 2025 from its old 19 December end. Outside the closure the Sounds limit is 2 blue cod per day.
Can you dive French Pass?
Only on slack. Te Aumiti / French Pass runs 5-8 knots and is the fastest tidal stream in New Zealand. Dive it on the LINZ-predicted slack or not at all, and use a rigid dive flag on a float because of the boat traffic.
Where is the clear water?
Out at D'Urville and the outer Sounds, and on the Pepin Island and Kaiteriteri granite. Tasman and Golden Bay are shallow and silty, often under 2 m, and the Pelorus arms run 2-5 m.
What are the snapper limits here?
10 per day in the Challenger area generally, but only 3 per day in the Marlborough Sounds area, with a 25 cm minimum in both.
See also: Wellington & Cook Strait · Canterbury & Banks Peninsula