Faille de Poe - Loyalty Islands
Dropping onto the Mavis is like falling into a time capsule. You can almost feel the history clinging to the fuselage. This isn't just a wreck; it's an entire Japanese seaplane, mostly upright, propellers still in place, sitting on a silty bed at 29 metres. The starboard wing is gone, but the rest of the plane is eerily complete. We love the way the light filters through the typically 10-meter visibility, giving the whole scene a ghostly glow. Inside the cockpit, we often find schools of banded blue sprats darting around, while outside, longnose trevally cruise the perimeter. Keep an eye out for the common seahorse nestled among the delicate thin birdsnest corals that have started to colonise the airframe. The silty bottom means careful finning is key, but the reward is a truly immersive dive into a piece of wartime history, best suited for those who appreciate wrecks with a story to tell.
- Location
- Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, Australasia
- Coordinates
- -21.604100, 165.338900
- Type
- wreck
Marine Protected Area: Poé
Best Time to Dive in Loyalty Islands
The warmest water temperatures in Loyalty Islands occur in February, averaging 28.2°C. The coolest conditions are in August at 24.2°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.9°C
- February: 28.2°C
- March: 28.1°C
- April: 27.6°C
- May: 26.3°C
- June: 25.4°C
- July: 24.7°C
- August: 24.2°C
- September: 24.5°C
- October: 25.2°C
- November: 26.4°C
- December: 27.6°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Loyalty Islands
- Aquarium (reef)
- Aquarium
- Arche aux gorgonnes (reef)
- Arche aux gorgonnes (reef)
- bargibenti (reef)
- Carouso Mio (drift)
- Centre de plongée de Babou
- Chemin des écoliers (reef)
- Dahab de Nous (reef)
- Eagle Paradise (wreck)
- FRANCE II - 0m (wreck)
- Grand coude de Kele (reef)
- grande passe (reef)
- Green Turtle (reef)
- Grottes aux Chats
Nearest Dive Centres to Faille de Poe
Marine Life in Loyalty Islands
Home to 129 recorded species including 93 reef fish, 11 sea cucumbers, 9 sea snails & nudibranchs, 4 clams & mussels, 4 sharks & rays, 3 whales & dolphins.
Notable Species
- Chestnut Blenny (Cirripectes castaneus) - Reef Fish
- Blackspot Surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigrofuscus) - Reef Fish
- Boring Clam (Tridacna crocea) - Clams & Mussels
- Humphead Unicornfish (Naso unicornis) - Reef Fish
- Batavian Parrotfish (Scarus psittacus) - Reef Fish
- Bullethead Parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) - Reef Fish
- Black sea cucumber (Holothuria atra) - Sea Cucumbers
- Greenfish (Stichopus chloronotus) - Sea Cucumbers
- dusky farmerfish (Stegastes nigricans) - Reef Fish
- Manini (Acanthurus triostegus) - Reef Fish
- Small giant clam (Tridacna maxima) - Clams & Mussels
- Honeycomb Grouper (Epinephelus merra) - Reef Fish
- Bristle-toothed Surgeonfish (Ctenochaetus striatus) - Reef Fish
- Orange-axil wrasse (Stethojulis bandanensis) - Reef Fish
- Banded Goatfish (Parupeneus multifasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Leopard Blenny (Exallias brevis) - Reef Fish
- Blackedge thicklip wrasse (Hemigymnus melapterus) - Reef Fish
- Pinkfish (Holothuria edulis) - Sea Cucumbers
- Citron Butterfly (Chaetodon citrinellus) - Reef Fish
- Blackspotted Sea Cucumber (Pearsonothuria graeffei) - Sea Cucumbers
Recommended Packing List for Faille de Poe
Based on average water temperature of 26.3°C, currents 10 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 26°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories