Isle of Pines · New Caledonia · Reef · Cave & cavern
Jardin d'Eden
A chimney from 14 m that brings divers back up onto the reef top
Jardin d'Eden is a reef off the Isle of Pines cut by deep fissures that open into grottoes, canyons and tunnels, with a wealth of hard and soft corals. Divers come for the resident pygmy seahorses, the dense schools of glassfish and anthias, and the grey reef sharks out in the blue beside the reef.
Also known as Garden of Eden, Le Jardin d’Eden, Jardin d’Eden.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Isle of Pines and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The reef starts at about 11 m, where fissures break through its top and lead down into grottoes and canyons that reach 45 m at their deepest. Tunnels and swim-throughs run through the site, their walls covered in hard corals and soft corals and busy with reef fish and crustaceans; visibility is around 30 m most of the time.
Pygmy seahorses are resident, and banded sea snakes are seen among dense clouds of anthias and glassfish. Out in the blue, turtles, schools of pelagic fish and grey reef sharks up to 3 m long pass the reef. On the way up, the dive can lead into a chimney that starts at 14 m and comes out on the reef top.
Marine life and season
- Pygmy seahorses
- Reef sharks
- Reef fish swarms
- Sea snakes
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Isle of Pines: Boats run all year; the water stays above 24 °C (76 °F) from November to May and is coolest in August.
Dive videos
Isle of Pines - Kunie Scuba Dive - Jardin D'Eden · Jacek Minda on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How does a dive at Jardin d'Eden on the Isle of Pines finish?+
Often through a chimney that starts at 14 m inside the reef and brings divers back up onto the reef top, after a route through the canyons below.
Sources
- Top 10 Dives in the South Pacific Bubble — DivePlanit
- Beyond The Garden Of Eden: Diving New Caledonia's Isle Of Pines — Just Gotta Dive
- Kunie Scuba Center, Isle of Pines — DivePlanit
- Kunie Scuba Center: exploration in the bay of Gadji — Enezgreen
More dive sites in Isle of Pines
Wall
A heart-shaped swim-through inside a forest of gorgonian fans
Similar dives elsewhere
Jetty entry into a reef of grottos, with turtles and reef sharks
Reported as the densest fish concentration near Nouméa
A 5-15 m coral plateau at the angle of the pass
Reefs, caves and drop-offs from 5 m to 50 m by the research station