
Tanna & Lenakel · Vanuatu · Cave & cavern · Reef
Blue Cave Aquarium
A half-flooded cave chamber entered only from underwater
Area photo: Dominik Maximilián Ramík · CC BY 4.0
The Blue Cave is an amphitheatre in Tanna's coastline that can only be reached underwater. Divers swim in, surface inside the half-flooded chamber, then leave through an underwater exit and finish the dive over coral formations crowded with reef fish.
Also known as Blue Cave.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Tanna & Lenakel and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The cave sits half-submerged in about 5 m of water, and the only way in is underwater. Divers leave the chamber at 5 m and head east, descending through catacombs of coral formations surrounded by a myriad of aquarium fish. The dive reaches a maximum depth of 20 m.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Tanna & Lenakel: Diving runs all year; December to March is the peak of the rainy season, when bigger storms can make diving unsafe.
Questions divers ask
Can the Blue Cave on Tanna be reached without scuba?+
There is no dry entrance, but confident snorkellers can take a short freedive into the cave at low tide. Divers exit the cave at 5 m and continue along the reef.
Sources
- Tanna Island Dive Guide — Dive Adventures
- Diving Tanna, Vanuatu — Diveplanit
- A guide to snorkelling and scuba diving in Vanuatu — Lonely Planet
More dive sites in Tanna & Lenakel
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
Similar dives elsewhere
A dark cave you can surface inside, under large stalactites
Cave & cavern
Sheraton Caverns
Kauaʻi · United States
Three partial lava tubes where sea turtles are a given
Two lava-tube arches, neither deeper than 9 metres
Swim-through chimneys lit by skylights in the coral


