Kanton Atoll Wall
Dive site
Kanton is the only inhabited atoll in the Phoenix Islands and the only place divers can legally access the PIPA from a land base. Its outer wall is a vertical plunge from 3 metres to beyond sport diving limits, draped in pristine sea fans and black coral at depth. The channel pass runs through on each tide and pushes in schools of barracuda, dogtooth tuna, and silvertip sharks. This is frontier diving — no dive shop, no fill station, liveaboard or self-sufficient expedition only.
Conditions
Depth
3 to 40 m
Advanced depths
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
25 to 40 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
26 to 30°C
Tropical wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 |
| Vis (m) | 20 | 20 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
| Current | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Silvertip shark
Photo: Cécile Bonis · CC BY-NC
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Great barracuda
Photo: Christian Amador Da Silva · © all rights reserved
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Dogtooth tuna
Photo: Luis P. B. · CC BY-NC
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Giant grouper
Photo: Ian Banks · CC BY-NC
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Field journal
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