FANTASY - Vava'u Group
We love Fantasy. It’s a modest wreck, just a sailing yacht that found the wrong rock in a rainstorm back in ‘79, but it’s sitting upright in only 10 metres of water. We’ve always found it a gentle, almost melancholic dive, especially on a sunny afternoon when the light streams through the water. You drop straight onto the deck. The mast lies broken across the hull, a tangle of lines that have become nurseries for juvenile damselfish. Inside the saloon, now stripped bare, you’ll often find lionfish perched on what’s left of the bulkheads, their fins fanned out. The coral growth here isn’t spectacular, more a patchwork of encrusting sponges and small brain corals, but it gives the wreck a soft, aged texture. Out on the bow, a resident school of fusiliers often hangs, moving as one with the surge. It’s an easy dive, perfect for photographers wanting to play with ambient light and a forgiving subject, or for anyone who enjoys the quiet contemplation of a wreck slowly returning to the sea. We’d suggest going early in the morning, before the day boats get there, for the best chance of spotting a reef shark cruising by.
- Location
- Vava'u Group, Tonga, Central & South Pacific
- Coordinates
- -18.761110, -174.291100
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 10m
Marine Protected Area: Hunga SMA
Best Time to Dive in Vava'u Group
The warmest water temperatures in Vava'u Group occur in January, averaging 27.8°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 27.8°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.8°C (air: 27.0°C)
- February: 27.8°C (air: 26.9°C)
- March: 27.8°C (air: 27.1°C)
- April: 27.8°C (air: 26.8°C)
- May: 27.8°C (air: 26.1°C)
- June: 27.8°C (air: 25.1°C)
- July: 27.8°C (air: 24.6°C)
- August: 27.8°C (air: 24.0°C)
- September: 27.8°C (air: 24.5°C)
- October: 27.8°C (air: 24.9°C)
- November: 27.8°C (air: 25.7°C)
- December: 27.8°C (air: 26.5°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Vava'u Group
- AX Factor Dive House Reef (wreck)
- AX Factor Dive House Reef (reef)
- CLAN MACWILLIAM - 30m (wreck)
- Clown fish city
- Fingers (cave)
- GLEN MACWILLIAM - 40m (wreck)
- Historic Dive Wreck Clan Mc William (reef)
- Mariner's Cave - 3-8m (cave)
- Playground - 20m
- Swallows Cave - 3-12m (cave)
- The Arch - 10-25m (reef)
- Twin caves
Nearest Dive Centres to FANTASY
Marine Life in Vava'u Group
Home to 322 recorded species including 300 reef fish, 9 sea cucumbers, 4 sea snails & nudibranchs, 2 sharks & rays, 2 whales & dolphins, 2 hard corals.
Notable Species
- Bristle-toothed Surgeonfish (Ctenochaetus striatus) - Reef Fish
- Bullethead Parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) - Reef Fish
- Blackspot Surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigrofuscus) - Reef Fish
- Schlegel's Parrotfish (Scarus schlegeli) - Reef Fish
- Blue-lined Tang (Zebrasoma scopas) - Reef Fish
- Rivulated Parrotfish (Scarus rivulatus) - Reef Fish
- Banded Goatfish (Parupeneus multifasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Bleeker's Parrotfish (Chlorurus bleekeri) - Reef Fish
- Halfmoon triggerfish (Sufflamen chrysopterum) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Thalassoma lunare) - Reef Fish
- Dusky Parrotfish (Scarus niger) - Reef Fish
- Kihikihi (Zanclus cornutus) - Reef Fish
- Atoll Butterflyfish (Chaetodon mertensii) - Reef Fish
- Hoeven's wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus) - Reef Fish
- Clown Tang (Naso lituratus) - Reef Fish
- Parrotfish (Thalassoma lutescens) - Reef Fish
- Coral Beauty (Centropyge bispinosa) - Reef Fish
- Bandcheek wrasse (Oxycheilinus digramma) - Reef Fish
- Desjardin's Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma velifer) - Reef Fish
- Redfin Butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunulatus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for FANTASY
Based on average water temperature of 27.8°C.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 28°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