Poindimié & Hienghène · France · Cave & cavern · Wall · Pelagic & blue water
Caverne d'Albi Baba
A chimney and cavern that exit onto the trench ridge at 60 m
Area photo: Unknown author · Public domain
A deep cavern on the edge of the Poindimié trench. Divers drop through open water to 40 m to reach the drop-off, then enter a large chimney that leads down into a cavern whose exit opens onto the ridge of the trench at 60 m. Jacks, tuna, barracuda and shoals of platax and fusiliers are the draw, with the trench floor more than 300 m below.
Also known as La caverne d'Albi baba.
Where it is and how deep
20.8338° S, 165.3816° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive opens as a descent into the blue with no reference until the drop-off appears at 40 m. That is the edge of the Poindimié trench, and from here the profile is fixed: the operator describes a huge chimney that opens in the wall, and you descend through it into a large cavern rather than along the outside of the drop-off. The chimney is the route down and the cavern is where it leads.
The cavern opens onto the summit ridge of the trench at 60 m, and that opening is where the dive turns. Below the ridge the wall keeps going, with the bottom still a long way off at over 300 m, so 60 m is the floor of the plan, not of the site. This is pelagic water: jacks, tuna, barracuda and shoals of platax and fusiliers pass the mouth of the cavern. From the ridge the dive ascends back up the wall and into open water for the decompression stops.
Marine life and season
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
- Barracuda
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Poindimié & Hienghène: Diveable year-round, weather permitting. Dec–Apr is cyclone season and Jan–Mar the wettest months; mid-Sep to mid-Nov is driest but the trades blow hardest then. Winter water can fall to 20°C.
Know before you go
- Depth: the cavern exit is at 60 m and the trench floor is over 300 m down; plan the dive as a decompression dive with a hard turn depth.
- Overhead: the chimney and cavern are an enclosed route between 40 and 60 m, so lights, a clear line of exit and a buddy in sight are essential.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Caverne d'Albi Baba?+
The drop-off is reached at 40 m and the cavern's exit sits on the trench ridge at 60 m. Below that the bottom of the Poindimié trench is over 300 m down, so the dive is planned as a technical dive with 60 m as its limit.
What marine life is at the Caverne d'Albi Baba?+
The operator calls it the kingdom of the pelagics: jacks, tuna, barracuda and shoals of platax and fusiliers passing the cavern mouth at the edge of the trench.
Sources
- La caverne d'Albi baba — Scubago dive site — Scubago (SSI)
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