New Caledonia · France · Wreck
Toho II
A 55 m longliner sunk on purpose onto a 25 m seabed
Area photo: Jean Rerêve · CC BY-SA 4.0
A 55 m longliner put down on purpose onto a 25 m seabed off Nouméa, which sets the dive at the deeper end of recreational limits. Boulders sit on the stern, the remains of an old US Army pontoon, and visibility on the site is often poor, so the wreck itself does most of the orientating.
Where it is and how deep
22.3176° S, 166.4570° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The seabed is at 25 m, so this is a single-level dive planned against no-decompression time rather than gas alone: drop onto the wreck, work it, and be honest about the clock. There is 55 m of longliner to cover and visibility is often poor, so the structure is the route — staying in contact with the hull is a great deal easier than ranging off across the bottom and having to find it again.
The stern is where the site gets untidy. Boulders sit on it, the remnants of an old US Army pontoon, so that end is broken rather than clean hull and is worth approaching slowly and watching where fins go. Poor visibility makes the wreck the only dependable reference: stay in contact with it, agree a turn point before descending, and start the ascent from the structure rather than from open water.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Toho II
- Type
- Longliner
- Length
- 55 m (180 ft)
- Cause
- Purposely sunk
- Lies
- On a 25 m seabed near Nouméa
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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.
Know before you go
- Boulders and the remains of an old US Army pontoon sit on the stern — a broken, snag-prone section to approach slowly rather than swim into.
- Visibility is often poor, so the hull is the reference. Stay in contact with it and ascend from the structure rather than across open water.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Toho II wreck?+
The longliner was sunk onto a seabed at 25 m, so the dive is a single-level one at the deeper end of recreational limits and no-decompression time is the limiting factor.
Sources
- Toho II, wreck — SSI/Scubago
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