jardin d'alcyon - Loyalty Islands
Marimbani isn't about dramatic drop-offs or sweeping reefs. This site, just off a sandbank in Chole Bay, is a proper muck dive, shallow and perfect for slowing down. We're talking maximum 15 metres, usually less, with visibility around 12 metres. The real stars here are the small, odd creatures – think seahorses tucked into seagrass, pipefish, and frogfish camouflaged against the sandy bottom. It's a fantastic spot for photographers or anyone who enjoys the thrill of finding something truly peculiar, especially as a relaxed second dive after a morning exploring elsewhere in the bay. We've often combined it with a beach barbecue right on the sandbank, making for a pretty perfect Mafia Island day.
- Location
- Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, Australasia
- Coordinates
- -20.891300, 165.477400
- Type
- muck
Marine Protected Area: Povilla Forest Reserve
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)
- Faille de Poe (wreck)
- FRANCE II - 0m (wreck)
- Grand coude de Kele (reef)
- grande passe (reef)
- Green Turtle (reef)
Nearest Dive Centres to jardin d'alcyon
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 jardin d'alcyon
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