Lifou Snake Cliff
Dive site
A vertical limestone cliff that drops from 3 metres to 40 metres along the Lifou coast, seasonally populated by hundreds of banded sea kraits coming ashore to nest in the overhanging rock. Divers encounter these air-breathing, highly venomous snakes swimming alongside them in the water column — they are curious and non-aggressive. The wall itself hosts rare endemic nudibranchs, large sea fans, and dense schools of fusiliers.
Conditions
Depth
3 to 40 m
Advanced depths
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
Moorish idol
Photo: David R · CC BY-NC
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Nudibranch
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Banded sea krait
Photo: Massimiliano Finzi · CC BY-NC
Rare
Now and then
Field journal
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