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Provided by: Christmas Island Tourism Association
Our travel guides are free to read and explore online. If you want to get your own copy, the full travel guide for this destination is available to you offline* to bring along anywhere or print for your trip.
*this will be downloaded as a PDF.Price
€4,95
Million Dollar Bommie
The guide was updated:With a huge variety of fish life on a single, concentrated area, Million Dollar Bommie shouldn’t be skipped on any dive holiday at Christmas Island. The bommie is about 20 to 23 feet (6 to 7 meters) high, growing up from a base at 85 feet (26 meters). The huge fans and coral overhangs make for fantastic fish photography. You might spot Meyer’s butterflyfish, pigfish, red fire goby, coral trout, damsel fish, fusiliers, triggerfish and rockcod. Keeping a watch out into the blue or while jumping in with snorkels after the dive, you might get a glimpse of a majestic manta ray.
Dive Type: Bommie/Reef
Recommended Level: Advanced
Featured Creatures: Manta Rays and Reef-Dwelling Fish
Dive Site information provided by Sarah Morlock - www.diviac.com
Useful Information
Digital Travel Guide Download
Our travel guides are free to read and explore online. If you want to get your own copy, the full travel guide for this destination is available to you offline* to bring along anywhere or print for your trip.
*this will be downloaded as a PDF.Price
€4,95
As the name of this dive site implies, here you’ll find a wall that falls dramatically away to 118 feet (36 meters). Before you even descend, there’s a chance you’ll be surrounded by friendly dolphins. After you’ve said hi, descend to find an overhang full of sea fans. As the wall falls away, you’ll notice masses of coral stretching out to catch the passing currents. Schools upon schools of fish travel every which way, leaving you to capture playful fusiliers and columns of butterflyfish on your underwater camera. Don’t forget to look out into the blue! You might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of passing sharks and rays.
Dive Type: Wall
Recommended Level: Beginner, but Advanced to see the full scale of the site
Featured Creatures: Dolphins, Rays, Sharks, Butterflyfish and Fan Corals
Dive Site information provided by Sarah Morlock - www.diviac.com
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ThunderCliff Cave
The unique geography of Christmas Island lends itself to underwater caves and caverns. One of these, namely Thundercliff Cave, is considered by many to be the best dive on the island when conditions are right. Outside the entrance of the underwater cave, stands a beautiful coral garden with flocks of resident batfish. Following the tunnel into the overhead environment, you’ll find a cathedral-like opening within. The subsequent room opens to the air above and connects to the remaining above-the-water passages, so leave your scuba gear and explore the interior of the cave.
Dive Type: Cave
Recommended Level: Beginner, but a Cave Diver certification would be handy
Featured Creatures: Batfish
Dive Site information provided by Sarah Morlock - www.diviac.com
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The Morgue
A morbid name for a fantastic dive site, The Morgue is home to some of the largest corals around Christmas Island. The name itself stems from a small building on shore that previously served as the island’s morgue. Today, the underwater environment is filled with a field of bommies that leads down to the most scenic area of the site at 82 feet (25 meters). Searching every nook and crannie may result in some fantastic finds, such as blue ribbon eels, nudibranchs, feather stars and gilded triggers.
Dive Type: Reef
Recommended Level: Beginner, but Advanced to see the full scale of the site
Featured Creatures: Blue Ribbon Eels, Nudibranchs and Feather Stars
Dive Site information provided by Sarah Morlock - www.diviac.com
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Eidsvold Wreck
The Eidsvold was previously a Norwegian phosphatase ship but was struck by a Japanese submarine during World War II. It was scuttled in Flying Fish Cove and later transported (dragged) to its ultimate resting place on the other side of Smith Point. Today, half of the Eidsvold sits between 16 and 60 feet (5 and 18 meters) while the other half has fallen over the edge, out of the reach of recreational divers. Because of the ship’s age, she is now home to coral colonies and the squadrons of colorful tropical fish that Christmas Island is known for. The remains of the hull can be explored by wreck divers.
Dive Type: Wreck
Recommended Level: Beginner, but a Wreck Diver certification would be useful
Featured Creatures: Triggerfish, Lionfish and Eels
Dive Site information provided by Sarah Morlock - www.diviac.com
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Rhoda Wall
For pelagic lovers, Rhoda Wall is where the magic happens. From your dive boat, you may be able to look down to 100 feet (30 meters) below and see circling grey reef sharks. This coral-lined wall off the northwest coast of the island gently slopes down before falling into a vertical wall at 65 feet (20 meters). Fractal coral and hydrocorals host a variety of tropical reef fish, but keep your eyes on the blue. You might just get lucky and see a massive whale shark swim by!
Dive Type: Wall and Megafauna
Recommended Level: Advanced
Featured Creatures: Reef Sharks, Whale Sharks and Rays
Dive Site information provided by Sarah Morlock - www.diviac.com
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Million Dollar Bommie
With a huge variety of fish life on a single, concentrated area, Million Dollar Bommie shouldn’t be skipped on any dive holiday at Christmas Island. The bommie is about 20 to 23 feet (6 to 7 meters) high, growing up from a base at 85 feet (26 meters). The huge fans and coral overhangs make for fantastic fish photography. You might spot Meyer’s butterflyfish, pigfish, red fire goby, coral trout, damsel fish, fusiliers, triggerfish and rockcod. Keeping a watch out into the blue or while jumping in with snorkels after the dive, you might get a glimpse of a majestic manta ray.
Dive Type: Bommie/Reef
Recommended Level: Advanced
Featured Creatures: Manta Rays and Reef-Dwelling Fish
Dive Site information provided by Sarah Morlock - www.diviac.com
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Flying Fish Cove
The best shore dive on Christmas Island, if not the best shore dive in Australia, Flying Fish Cove delivers with 90% of the fish species found around the island. The dive starts from the boat ramp and works its way down to 60 feet (18 meters). Corals abound in every shape and size, dotted by the magnificent colors of ornate hawkfish, blackspotted pufferfish, surgeonfish and butterflyfish. If you want an easy dive which displays the diversity of Christmas Island, Flying Fish Cove is for you.
Dive Type: Shore
Recommended Level: Beginner
Featured Creatures: Reef-Dwelling Fish and a Variety of Corals
Dive Site information provided by Sarah Morlock - www.diviac.com
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West White Beach Cave
Another of the caves that honeycomb the limestone cliffs of Christmas Island, West White Beach Cave is perfect for beginners. The cavern opens up around 40 feet (12 meters) below the surface with two large entrances. Inside, a large room welcomes divers to explore the various coral formations growing on its walls, and lionfish rest under protected ledges. Look out to the open ocean for great photographs of your fellow divers silhouetted against the sunlit background. After you’re done exploring the cavern, take a look at the healthy reef system just outside between 40 and 60 feet (12 and 18 meters).
Dive Type: Cave
Recommended Level: Beginner
Featured Creatures: Lionfish and other Reef-Dwelling Fish
Dive Site information provided by Sarah Morlock - www.diviac.com
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