Reefwander
A pale greenish-brown moray eel with white eyes slides out from under a rocky ledge onto sand — Tanna & Lenakel.

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

Depth profile of Blue Cave Aquarium: typical dive to 20 m (to 66 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit20 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

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
Month-by-month season rating for Blue Cave Aquarium
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodFair

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

  1. Tanna Island Dive Guide — Dive Adventures
  2. Diving Tanna, Vanuatu — Diveplanit
  3. A guide to snorkelling and scuba diving in Vanuatu — Lonely Planet

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