Pacific Islands · New Caledonia
Lifou
Gorgonian-clad pinnacles in open ocean off the north-west coast
Photo: Pujolle · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lifou, also called Drehu, is the largest of New Caledonia's Loyalty Islands, and its diving splits between two coasts. On the east side, boats from Wé marina work the sheltered Chateaubriand Bay, where Labyrinthe threads canyons and tunnels and Patates de Hnassé scatters bommies across sand. On the north-west coast, boats reach some 25 sites north of Baie de Jinek in open ocean, among them the gorgonian-clad pinnacles of Gorgones Reef and the big bommie at Cap Martin.
About diving in Lifou
Diving runs from two bases on opposite coasts. At Wé marina on the east side, an inflatable carries divers into Chateaubriand Bay, and most of the sites lie no more than five minutes away. Activities outside the bay are reserved for the traditional clans, so east-coast diving stays inside it, with qualified divers out for two dives in the morning and try-dives and courses in the afternoon. On the north-west coast, a boat taking up to eight divers works some 25 sites north of Baie de Jinek.
Chateaubriand Bay is confined water: coral bommies over sandy flats, small drop-offs and massive reef cut with canyons, swim-throughs and tunnels, where anemonefish colonies and giant clams sit among the coral. The north-west reefs face the open ocean, with cobalt water and gorgonians and soft corals thick on the pinnacles and bommies. Green turtles, whitetip reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse, bluefin jack, coral grouper and peacock grouper all turn up on the reefs.
The bay's short boat rides and sheltered sites suit divers still building experience, and Tombant de la Marina is a regular training site. Divers after schools and big fish will find some bay reefs quiet, with no large specimens and no schools; current and open-ocean reef belong to the north-west coast, where the current runs strong at Cap Martin and plenty of fish meet divers at Gorgones Reef. Lifou's flooded caves are a separate outing: Luengoni Cave on the south-east coast is dived with the landowner's permission.
Best time to dive Lifou
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime |
December through May is the warm-water half of the year, with the sea at its warmest in February. February and March are also the rainy season, with March the wettest month of all, so those two months rate below the rest of the warm spell. From June the sea cools to its low in August, and the island dries out toward September, its driest month, before the water warms again into December.
Dive types & marine life
Green turtles, whitetip reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse, bluefin jack and groupers all turn up on the reefs; nothing marks out a season for any of them. A hammerhead shark has crossed divers at Cap Martin on the north-west coast, a rare surprise rather than something to plan a trip around.
- Reef
- Cave & cavern
- Night
- Sea turtles
- Reef sharks
- Napoleon wrasse
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
Best dive sites in Lifou
- 1
Gorgones Reef
Two pinnacles rising from 30 m of white sand in a regular north-flowing current.
- 2
Cap Martin
A big coral bommie off the wall, thick with gorgonians and soft corals, in strong current.
- 3
Bouée Verte
Four aligned bommies near the channel entrance, beside a slope that drops past 25 m.
- 4
Labyrinthe
A maze of canyons, swim-throughs and tunnels tight enough to squeeze through.
- 5
Patates de Hnassé
Large coral bommies over sandy flats, with an outer slope open to the blue.
- 6
Tombant de la Marina
A small drop-off to 13 m over white sand and scattered coral bommies.
Site guides
Reef
Green and hawksbill turtles around four bommies in a row
Pinnacle
Two gorgonian-clad pinnacles with a giant archway next door
Scattered coral bommies on white sand below a small drop-off
How to get to Lifou
Ouanaham Airport takes up to three Air Calédonie flights a day from Nouméa's Magenta domestic airport, and the Betico ferry from Nouméa calls at Wé twice a week. The east-coast centre sits at Wé marina; the north-west centre is 15 minutes from the airfield and 30 minutes from Wé port.
Photos from Lifou
Pierre Sylvie · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bahnfrend · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Welcome To LIFOU ( New-Caledonia) · Enjoy Diving - Charly Texier on YouTube
Plongée à Lifou 🤿 | 35 m de visibilité sur les récifs – 01.06.2023 · Johan Bas on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Do divers need permission to dive at Lifou?+
Yes. Diving in any specific area must be approved by the tribal-custom authorities, and diving in a flooded cave such as Luengoni needs the landowner's permission as well.
Can both coasts be dived on one trip?+
Yes. A week split between the centre at Wé marina and the north-west centre covers both, starting in the calm of the bay and finishing on the open-ocean reefs north of Baie de Jinek.
Is there night diving at Lifou?+
Yes, from the beach at Easo on the north-west coast: a snorkel of about 10 minutes out from the sand, then the descent among feeding basket stars.
Sources
- Diving Lifou, a fossil atoll — Divernet
- Lagoon Safaris - Les sites de plongée — Lagoon Safaris
- Wé Plongée — Wé Plongée
- Lifou — Wikivoyage
- Quand se baigner sur l'île Lifou — ÇaBaigne.net
- Quand partir à Lifou — ou-et-quand.net
Photo credits
- A single chambered nautilus with a white shell banded in red-brown stripes, tentacles out, against black water by Pujolle, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Two nautiluses with red-brown striped white shells in dark water, one close with tentacles spread, the other behind it by Pierre Sylvie, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Turquoise shallows with dark patches of coral reef seen from above, past green bushes on a clifftop by Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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