Pacific Islands · Vanuatu
Tanna & Lenakel
Blue holes and swim-throughs a short walk from the island's only dive centre
Photo: Dominik Maximilián Ramík · CC BY 4.0
The Vanuatu island of Tanna has one dive centre and about ten dive sites, with a fringing reef cut by blue holes, swim-throughs and tunnels. Blue Hole One and Blue Hole Two lie a few minutes' walk from the resort, the Blue Cave Aquarium is an amphitheatre entered only underwater, Kamitua Reef is a sheer wall with pelagics, and the MV Jean Percy is a small cargo wreck. With a single operator, the sites stay uncrowded.
About diving in Tanna & Lenakel
All diving on Tanna runs from Volcano Island Divers at the White Grass Ocean Resort, the only dive operation on the island, which offers both shore and boat dives. The house reef is entered with a giant stride off the end of a long jetty or by boat from the beach, and the MV Jean Percy is a 20-minute boat ride or a short surface swim from shore, weather permitting. Kamitua Reef and other sites lie further afield.
The reef is known for its coral topography, swim-throughs, tunnels and blue holes; several holes pock the fringing reef, and the house reef alone has coral formations, turtles, dugongs, moray eels, reef sharks and blue-spotted rays. Kamitua Reef drops away as a sheer wall with fan corals, moray eels and nudibranchs. Most of Vanuatu's reefs are in decent condition, but coral bleaching, storm damage, crown-of-thorns starfish and overfishing can affect the coral and the diversity of life.
Tanna suits newer divers and anyone who wants quiet sites: the shallow Blue Hole One is a shore dive, the centre runs Discover Scuba Diving and full courses, and its Scuba Diver course qualifies a diver to dive with a Divemaster or Instructor to 12 m. The centre is the first PADI ECO Certified dive resort in Melanesia. After a storm, a strong wind surge can leave the water murky and sometimes undiveable.
Best time to dive Tanna & Lenakel
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Diving runs all year round on Tanna. The wet season lasts from December to April, and many divers avoid its peak from December to March: light rain does not tend to affect the visibility, but bigger storms can make diving unsafe. The water is warmest from January to March and coldest in August and September, at 26 to 28 °C from November to April and 24 to 26 °C from May to October.
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
Dive types & marine life
Green sea turtles and a resident dugong are the big attractions. The dugong is shy, so seeing it is a chance rather than a given.
- Reef
- Cave & cavern
- Wall
- Wreck
- Dugongs & manatees
- Sea turtles
- Reef sharks
- Stingrays
- Barracuda
- Tuna
- Nudibranchs
Best dive sites in Tanna & Lenakel
- 1
Blue Hole One
Shore dive 50 m off the beach through four sinkholes linked by swim-throughs and tunnels.
- 2
Blue Cave Aquarium
Amphitheatre reached only underwater, half-submerged in about 5 m of water and lit from above.
- 3
Blue Hole Two
Giant hole in the reef, 6 m deep inside, with tunnels out to an outer reef at 20 m.
- 4
Kamitua Reef
Sheer wall drop-off with yellowfin tuna, barracuda and grey reef sharks.
- 5
MV Jean Percy
Small cargo boat sitting upright in 14 m of water.
- 6
White Grass House Reef
Narrow swim-through from a blue hole out to a reef wall that drops to about 25 m.
Site guides
Cave & cavern
A half-flooded cave chamber entered only from underwater
Cave & cavern
Four linked sinkholes with tunnels out to the reef
Cave & cavern
Choose a route through tunnels from a giant reef hole
Wreck
An uncleaned cargo boat with its holds still loaded
Jetty entry into a reef of grottos, with turtles and reef sharks
How to get to Tanna & Lenakel
Tanna is a 35 minute flight from Port Vila, with multiple flights daily into Whitegrass Airport. The island's only dive centre is at the White Grass Ocean Resort, a few minutes' walk from Blue Hole One and Blue Hole Two.
Photos from Tanna & Lenakel
Dominik Maximilián Ramík · CC BY 4.0
Questions divers ask
Can beginners dive on Tanna?+
Yes. The resort centre runs Discover Scuba Diving and full courses, and its Scuba Diver course qualifies a diver to dive with a Divemaster or Instructor to 12 m. The shallow Blue Hole One is entered from the shore.
Is the diving on Tanna from shore or by boat?+
Both. Blue Hole One and the house reef are entered from the beach or the jetty, Blue Hole Two is a shore dive at low tide and a short boat ride at high tide, and the Blue Cave is a short boat ride from Blue Hole One.
What wetsuit is needed on Tanna?+
A 3 mm wetsuit is recommended from November to April. From May to October a 5 mm wetsuit is strongly recommended.
Sources
- White Grass Ocean Resort | Diving — White Grass Ocean Resort
- Tanna Scuba Diving Resorts — Diveplanit
- Guide to scuba diving and snorkeling in Vanuatu — Lonely Planet
- Tanna — Wikivoyage
- Tanna Island dive spots and resorts — Dive Adventures
- Blue Holes and untouched coral: 3 reasons to dive Tanna — Diveplanit
- Diving Blue Cave, Tanna Island — Dive Pacific
Photo credits
- A pale greenish-brown moray eel with white eyes slides out from under a rocky ledge onto sand. by Dominik Maximilián Ramík, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A dark brown sea cucumber covered in orange ring spots lies on pale coral rubble. by Dominik Maximilián Ramík, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Similar destinations
Pacific Islands
Port Vila & Efate
Vanuatu
A tall, narrow cavern and several wrecks a short boat ride from the capital
A 38 m chimney built by freshwater springs venting inside the lagoon
Wrecks from two wars touching in Apra Harbor, plus the Blue Hole sinkhole
Swim out of a collapsed limestone cavern into the open Pacific