Mare Coral Garden
Dive site
A broad shallow plateau off the southern coast of Mare that hosts one of the densest hard coral formations in New Caledonia. Branching Acropora, massive Porites heads, and table corals spread to the horizon in 8 to 18 metres of gin-clear water. Endemic dottybacks, ghost pipefish, and Tridacna clams make it a macro photographer's highlight. The remoteness keeps diver numbers near zero.
Conditions
Depth
5 to 22 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 | 20 | 20 |
| Current | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Giant clam
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Staghorn coral
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Ghost pipefish
Photo: terence zahner · CC BY-NC
Rare
Now and then
Field journal
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