Cathedral Cave
Vava'u, Tonga · Tonga
A spectacular limestone cavern system that opens at 12 metres and rises to a dry air pocket 15 metres above sea level. Light shafts pierce down through cracks in the roof, illuminating the chamber like stained glass. Stalactites and encrusting sponges line the walls, and a resident population of glassfish shelters in the darker recesses. The cavern exit leads onto a sloping coral garden.
Conditions
Depth
5 to 20 m
Open water and up
Current
Variable
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
20 to 30 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
23 to 29°C
3mm full
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Vis (m) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Current | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Glassfish
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Longnose hawkfish
Photo: Mark Rosenstein · CC BY-NC
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Bigeye trevally
Photo: Mark Rosenstein · CC BY-NC
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Field journal
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