North Pole Cave

The boat moors in 11 m (35 ft) over coral and hard pan, near pillar coral, with the wall just behind it dropping sharply from 12 m (40 ft) to beyond 46 m (150 ft). A little to the north the reef slopes gently to 20 m (65 ft). In the middle of that slope a half-moon vertical cave, big enough to descend in a horizontal free-fall position, leads down to a crevice 1 to 3 m (4 to 10 ft) wide that runs south and out over the wall.

The route crosses the wall top to the cave, descends through it and passes over a coral bridge at 30 m (100 ft), then goes through the crevice at 37 m (120 ft) and out over the deep drop. Turning left, it swims north around a massive coral outcrop while rising to 30 m (100 ft), continues about 45 m (150 ft) to a big crevice, and climbs that cut to the wall top for the swim back to the boat. No light is needed.

This is the fishiest reef on the lee side, with big schools of grunts, schoolmasters and Bermuda chubs over heavy coral growth on the wall edge, and big sponges on the deep face around 30 m (100 ft). Hammerheads are frequently seen passing on this dive, which is usually the first of the day.