Dive Sites in New Caledonia - Scuba Diving at its Best!

Diving Overview for New Caledonia

New Caledonia is a pristine paradise for water lovers housing the world’s largest Lagoon and second largest coral reef! New Caledonia Lagoon, now on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is over 1600km long with over 900 varieties of coral and thousands of exotic marine life.

The ideal water conditions here invite a huge variety of life from migrating whales in the Southern Lagoon (July – September) to mantas, turtles, dugongs, sun fish, reef sharks, parrotfish, lobsters… the list is endless! If you’re lucky you might spot one of the fascinating bellybutton nautilus as they rise from the depth to feed in shallow waters at night.

There are several shipwrecks that have transformed into wonderful artificial reefs. L’Amedee Lighthouse marks the entrance through the barrier reef and is alive with sharks, mantas, parrotfish, trevalli and colourful corals. For great underwater topography and caves try the Isles of Pines or the Prony Needle in the south, there really is too much to choose from!

Water temperatures range from 21 – 28°C seasonally, visibility is generally clearer during the cooler season (May – Sept) when there is less water runoff.

TIP: extra baggage allowance is permitted on domestic flights for those diving out of Nouméa –contact your dive centre for more information.

Videos of New Caledonia