New Caledonia · France · Reef
Récif Prony
A wind-protected 3–12 m reef used for training dives
Area photo: Jean Rerêve · CC BY-SA 4.0
A wind-protected reef with the bottom between 3 m and 12 m, listed as ideal for beginners in training rather than as a showpiece. There are plenty of small lagoon fish and crustaceans over it and schools of fish around the coral heads, and the shelter is what keeps the site workable when the wind is up.
Where it is and how deep
22.2629° S, 166.3296° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The bottom runs from 3 m to 12 m, so this is dived as a long, slow shallow dive rather than as a profile — no-stop time is effectively not a constraint and the dive ends when gas or cold says so. The reef is protected from the wind, which is the reason it is on the list at all: the listing puts it down as ideal for beginners in training, and the shelter is what makes it dependable.
Look small here. The reef holds plenty of small lagoon fish and crustaceans among the coral heads, with schools of fish over them, and the depth leaves time to stay in one place and pick through it all instead of covering ground. The shallow sand between the coral heads gives somewhere to run skills, which is what the site is used for.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows New Caledonia: Sep–Dec is warmest and clearest before the wet season; Jan–Mar is cyclone season, and winter water drops to about 21°C.
Sources
- Récif Prony — SSI/Scubago
More dive sites in New Caledonia
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Wall
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Lagoon
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Drift
A gentle drift slope from 6 m to 50 m with a diver's memorial
Wreck
A wooden minesweeper reduced to her metal ribs
Reef
Reported as the densest fish concentration near Nouméa
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