Diving and the Mikhail Lermontov

The Soviet liner Mikhail Lermontov sank in 1986 and lies in Port Gore. Go Dive Pacific runs wreck dives and training from a lodge there; Waikawa Dive Centre hires gear and runs trips from Waikawa Marina.

• On the water
• History

At a glance

Cost

See operators

The wreck

MS Mikhail Lermontov, sank January 1986 off Cape Jackson; lies in Port Gore in roughly 12–36 m depending on the part of the wreck (secondary sources)

About Diving and the Mikhail Lermontov

The Mikhail Lermontov was a Soviet cruise liner that hit rocks off Cape Jackson in February 1986 and sank in Port Gore, where it now lies in shallow enough water to be a well-known recreational wreck dive — reportedly the largest diveable cruise-ship wreck in New Zealand. Salvage from it is on display at the Picton Heritage & Whaling Museum. Go Dive Pacific has run dives on it since the year it sank and operates a lodge five minutes from the wreck.

Operators

Listed alphabetically by category, with no ranking implied. Each was confirmed as trading from its own website on the date shown at the foot of this page; prices, departure times and seasons change, so follow the link for current detail.

• Go Dive Pacific — Wreck tours on the Mikhail Lermontov, Try Scuba through instructor-level courses, from Lermontov Lodge in Port Gore. godivepacific.nz
• Waikawa Dive Centre — Dive gear hire, snorkelling trips and dive charters from Waikawa Marina. waikawadivecentre.co.nz

Facts on this page were checked against the sources listed on 5 Sep 2026.