Lifou Cathedral Arch
Dive site
A collapsed karst cave system that formed a series of interconnected arches and swim-throughs along the Lifou coast. The largest arch spans 12 metres at 18 metres depth. Sea fans fill the shaded ceiling, while the sandy floor channels pass through pillars covered in encrusting sponge and soft coral. Surgeonfish and snapper congregate in the arch passages and large resident hawksbill turtles rest on the roof ledges.
Conditions
Depth
8 to 30 m
Open water and up
Current
Variable
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
25 to 40 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
21 to 28°C
5mm full
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| Vis (m) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 25 | 25 | 20 |
| Current | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Hawksbill sea turtle
Photo: Kevin Bryant · CC BY-NC-SA
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Bluestripe snapper
Photo: Ian Shaw · © all rights reserved
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Gorgonian sea fan
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Field journal
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