2 caverns · down to 54 m · 1 suitable for an intro team
Cave diving in Vanuatu
- Caverns2
- Max depth54 m
- Water temperature24–30 °C
- Dive centres2
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Big Blue Vanuatu (Port Vila)Air (own compressor); nitrox is not used
- Tranquility Island Dive (Moso)Air (own compressor); nitrox not stated
Why come here
Vanuatu is not a cave-diving destination in the usual sense: if you come for the Coolidge, you can add the Cathedral off Efate, a tall cavern in the limestone with a chimney to the surface, guided by a dive centre from Port Vila and only in calm weather. The sea is about 24 to over 30 °C. Santo's real cave systems have only been dived by expeditions and are closed to visitors, and the only chamber is in Port Vila: ask before your trip whether it is working.
Don't miss
- The Cathedral (Pango): a tall, wide entrance in the limestone leads you into a cavern that narrows towards the 'pulpit'; above it a narrow chimney rises to the surface, where you can come up in a rock pool.
On a rest day
- Champagne Beach (Santo): A beach on Santo where gas from the volcanic rocks fizzes as the waves wash over them at low tide.
- Riri Blue Hole (Santo): One of Santo's vivid blue freshwater pools to swim in, like Matevulu and Malo.
- Fele's Cave (Lelepa, Efate): A dry cave on Lelepa Island that you visit on foot with a torch; you get there by minibus, boat and a short walk, or with a guide.
All 2 caverns
1 closed not shown ·
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Cathedral (Pango)Entry or dive feeBackmount · Cavern | 28 m | Backmount | Cavern |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Dive centres and fill stations
2 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Big Blue Vanuatu (Port Vila)
Waterfront next to Nambawan Café, Port Vila, Efate
Air (own compressor); nitrox is not used
Ask
Guided dives: The Cathedral (Pango)
Rental: Dive gear for hire and for sale.
PADI 5 Star IDC dive centre on the Port Vila waterfront, next to Nambawan Café, with over twenty sites including the Cathedral. Tanks and weights are included in every dive trip; the centre does its own fills (air, no nitrox; Big Blue Vanuatu by e-mail, Oct 2026). Technical diving is not mentioned: ask.
Tranquility Island Dive (Moso)
Moso Island, north-west Efate
Air (own compressor); nitrox not stated
Ask
Rental: Dive and snorkelling gear for hire.
PADI 5* resort on Moso, off the north-west coast of Efate, with over eighteen sites around the island; according to the tourism office these include a couple of wrecks and caves for more experienced divers. Pick-up in Port Vila, then about 35 minutes by bus and 15 to 20 minutes by boat.
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Port Vila (Efate) and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Where to stay
Find a place near Port Vila (Efate), Luganville (Santo)
Villages that work well as a base for the caves in this region. Find a place for your team:
- Port Vila (Efate)Booking.com ↗
- Luganville (Santo)Booking.com ↗
The links to Booking.com are affiliate links: if you book through one, DiveTripPlanner earns a small commission. You pay the same.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- Vanuatu's only chamber is at ProMedical in Port Vila (noonsite, updated May 2023): (+678) 26996, in Luganville +678 37983, emergency number 115. The chamber started on Santo and moved to Port Vila because the staff were there (Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine, 2006); from Santo a domestic flight comes first. Serious cases are flown to Australia, New Zealand or New Caledonia, but New Caledonia's only chamber (Médipôle de Koutio, Nouméa) has been out of service since July 2024 for lack of staff (Outremers360, Sept 2024). Call ProMedical before your trip to ask whether the chamber is working, dive well within your no-deco limits and take insurance that covers evacuation.
Access and rules
- Access: you dive the sea sites guided from a boat with a local dive operator. Matevulu Blue Hole belongs to its owners: you pay an entry fee (500 vatu in 2024) and it is open from 8 am to 4 pm. Land in Vanuatu belongs to the communities; never get into the water anywhere without the owner's permission.
Gas and fills
- Gas: Tranquility Island Dive on Moso and Big Blue Vanuatu in Port Vila both fill air with their own compressor; at Big Blue cylinders are included in the dive trips and nitrox is not used. According to Divernet and Lonely Planet, Pacific Dive on Santo offers technical training and support. We found nitrox, trimix and CCR support confirmed nowhere else: ask.
Water and season
- Water: the sea around Efate is about 24 °C in winter and over 30 °C in the wet season; Matevulu is fresh water of about 25 °C.
Getting around
- Travel: Santo and Efate are separate islands; a dive day never combines them. The dive operators on Efate are in Port Vila and on Moso, those on Santo around Luganville.
Good to know
- Read this first: Vanuatu is not a cave-diving destination in the usual sense. The only real overhead dive a visitor can book here is the Cathedral off Efate; beyond that there are swim-throughs in the reef and the freshwater Matevulu Blue Hole on Santo, open water without a ceiling. Santo's real cave systems (Mt Hope, Sarakata) have only been dived by expeditions and are not open to visitors.
News
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Searched automatically, last on 5 Nov 2026.
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