Are you a snorkeling fanatic? From Nouméa to Île aux Pins and Bourail, discover the 10 best diving spots in New Caledonia!
What’s the must-do activity in New Caledonia? Diving, of course! If you want to explore the seabed and azure waters, full of multicolored fish, resplendent coral reefs and stunning rock formations, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you want to see turtles, sharks, wrecks or coral, there’s something for everyone. Diving in New Caledonia is fabulous and spectacular, which is why we’ve put together this mini-guide for you. In it, you’ll find the 10 most beautiful diving spots in New Caledonia.
1. Cathedral
Photo credit: Shutterstock – Gael Fleissner
Ah… Cathedral, the name alone promises wonders! This is one of the most famous dives in New Caledonia. Indeed, this Doiman (i.e. protected) reef is a vertiginous drop-off of over 55 meters.
This exceptional place is home to a biodiversity of incredible beauty. The coral plateaus are colorful, the humpback parrotfish numerous, the manta rays graceful and the grey sharks stunning. All in all, diving in New Caledonia is sure to amaze you!
2. Eagle Paradise
Photo credit: Flickr – Thierry Baboulenne
This multilevel site is the must-see diving spot in New Caledonia! As its name suggests, it’s a haven for eagle rays, but you’ll also come across sharks, leopard rays and dogtooth tuna. In addition to its marine fauna, its flora is also rich in multicolored coral gorgonians!
Eagle paradise is the perfect spot for unforgettable memories.
3. Pointe aux Cachalots
Photo credit: Flickr – Thierry Baboulenne
Like a mermaid, you’ll move through large rifts whose walls rise to the surface to offer an unreal play of light. Between moray eels, groupers, conger eels, soft coral, tubular sponge and yellow gorgonians, you’ll be amazed by the seabed.
Cinematographic anecdote: Pointe aux Cachalots inspired Jacques Perrin, who shot some of the footage for his film Océans.
4. Bargibanti
Photo credit: Flickr – Indra Swari
Incredible, phenomenal, grandiose… There aren’t enough adjectives to describe this diving spot in New Caledonia! At a depth of 34 meters, this abyss is a breathtaking marine site! Between colorful corals, barracudas, grey sharks, whale sharks and many other species, Bargibanti is simply magical!
5. Trou aux Sharks
Photo credit: Flickr – Patrick Masse
If you’re a keen diver with an adventurous spirit, the shark hole is for you! As its name suggests, you’ll discover sharks in its midst! But that’s not all! In fact, this diving spot in New Caledonia is rich in incredible biodiversity: sandy seabeds as far as the eye can see, guitar rays galore and giant gorgonians galore!
However, to access this incredible place, you need to be an experienced diver, as diving conditions are not optimal. Poor visibility and strong currents are real hazards for beginners.
6. Tidwan
Photo credit: Flickr – Thierry Baboulenne
There’s something magical about diving in New Caledonia. And diving at Tidwan is no exception! Located in the Grande Passe of Hienghène, this spot is ideal for observing the seabed! In fact, the pass is over 500 meters deep, which is incredible and, at the same time, dangerous because of the strong currents.
In Tidwan, you can marvel at coral pinnacles, schools of jacks and barracudas, and grey sharks. You’re sure to be charmed by this grandiose spectacle of protected marine life!
7. Butterfly point
Photo credit: Shutterstock – abcphotosystem
Although off the coral reef, this site is nevertheless a must for diving in New Caledonia. Indeed, this huge coral rock is a splendid place to admire scorpion fish as well as whale sharks. So don’t forget your cameras!
8. La Dieppoise
Photo credit: Flickr – Jerm GTE
Seabed enthusiasts know it well! La Dieppoise is without doubt one of the best diving spots in New Caledonia. As you dive, you’ll discover a magnificent seabed and, above all, a shipwreck! La Dieppoise is the last of the Royale’s wooden patrol boats to be fired up in Nouméa lagoon. Attracted by the depths, the boat sank to a depth of 22 meters.
Today, nature is reclaiming its rightful place, and we’re delighted to discover the biodiversity that lives here. Now home to many large fish, this exploration is full of surprises!
9. Tomoko Cave
Photo credit: Flickr – Thierry Baboulenne
Not far from Gorgones Reef lies New Caledonia’s most impressive diving spot. It’s the prodigious Grotte de Komoko! In this underwater grotto, you’ll be amazed by the superb colorful gorgonians and the multitude of soldier fish and lobsters.
Let yourself be charmed by this excursion to Lifou Island. I promise you won’t be disappointed by the breathtaking spectacle that awaits you in the depths of the sea. Between the imposing reef and the luminous rifts, the atmosphere will be strange but so seductive.
10. Valley of the Gorgons
Photo credit: Flickr – Thierry Baboulenne
La Vallée des Gorgones is the last diving spot in New Caledonia that we’re presenting to you, but it’s well worth the detour! This exceptional site is like a giant underwater forest of coral gorgonians. Imagine swimming amidst this abundant and striking flora – isn’t it a sumptuous spectacle?
In addition to this exceptional coral reef, the Vallée des Gorgones is also teeming with admirable fauna: between eagle rays, leopard sharks, white-tip sharks and grey sharks, you won’t know where to turn! So why not book a snorkeling session on theÎle des Pins?
Now you’re all set for a great diving session in New Caledonia!