Cathedral Cave
Dive site · Vanuatu
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
84Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: Sea 0.5 m, Visibility about 30 m, Water 27 °C
Wed 4 · 87 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 89 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 88 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 26°C
Mon 9 · 70 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 27°C
Tue 10 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 384, good
- Wed 487, good
- Thu 569, good
- Fri 688, good
- Sat 789, good
- Sun 888, good
- Mon 970, good
- Tue 1069, good
- Wed 1187, good
- Thu 1290, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 28 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 27 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces SWswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 84, good | 0.7 m | 8 kn | 12kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 87, good | 0.7 m | 10 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 69, good | 0.6 m | 3 kn | 4kn | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 88, good | 0.6 m | 7 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 89, good | 0.5 m | 5 kn | 7kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 88, good | 0.6 m | 5 kn | 9kn | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 70, good | 0.5 m | 4 kn | 9kn | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 69, good | 0.5 m | 7 kn | 10kn | 28°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 87, good | 0.6 m | 11 kn | 15kn | 27°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 90, good | – | 12 kn | 17kn | 28°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:31 −0.5 mHigh 13:29 +0.4 mLow 19:28 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:04 +0.3 mLow 07:30 −0.5 mHigh 14:14 +0.5 mLow 20:26 −0.3 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 02:14 +0.3 mLow 08:23 −0.5 mHigh 14:54 +0.5 mLow 21:14 −0.4 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site and its town
Cathedral Cave on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More diving near here
5 places
- Star of Russia Wreck 5.1 km away
- Honeybone Drift 6.1 km away
- Konanda 8.5 km away
- Ollies Lolly 8.7 km away
- Hideaway Island Reef 9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Cathedral Cave
A cave dive. It goes down to 28 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SW: swell from the SW reaches it, and wind from the NE blows out to sea. 3 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 2.5 km away. The sea is about 26°C in July, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 29°C in January, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Port Vila. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots and 1 dive site.
- What it is Cave.
- How deep Down to 28 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 3 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 2.5 km away.
Water about 27°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 30 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Oct (over 30 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,230–US$2,420 each
about US$1,230–US$2,420 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to VLI, estimated from distance and season, changing at DFW and AKL, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$785–US$1,640 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$34 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$329 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$416 |
| Total | about US$1,230–US$2,420 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Port Vila
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 15 min by car · 53 places to stay
About Port Vila its beds, food and every spot near it
Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 31h 10m
About 31h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → VLI, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 25 min by road
Flights MDW → VLI on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Port Vila · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Port Vila · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Proper Dive Zone 2.5 kmPADI
Big Blue Dive Shop 7.6 km
Hideaway Dive Shop 9.4 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few records at this site itself, so these are the animals divers and surveys have recorded at other sites within 25 km in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it there, not that you will.
Sixbar wrasse Thalassoma hardwicke
Seen in 21 records, mostly Nov.
Lined Bristletooth Ctenochaetus striatus
Seen in 16 records, mostly Nov.
Spiny chromis Acanthochromis polyacanthus
Seen in 13 records, mostly Nov.
Orange-lined triggerfish Balistapus undulatus
Seen in 11 records, mostly Aug to Nov.
Cinnamon clownfish Amphiprion melanopus
Seen in 10 records.
Speckled butterflyfish Chaetodon citrinellus
Seen in 9 records.
Lavender Tang Acanthurus nigrofuscus
Seen in 8 records.
Lemonpeel angelfish Centropyge flavissima
Seen in 8 records.
Oval butterflyfish Chaetodon lunulatus
Seen in 8 records.
Teardrop butterflyfish Chaetodon unimaculatus
Seen in 8 records.
Dash-and-dot goatfish Parupeneus barberinus
Seen in 8 records.
Scissortail sergeant Abudefduf sexfasciatus
Seen in 7 records.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO) and GBIF.org (1 November 2026, doi:10.15468/dl.jeesns), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS and GBIF; common names from the Catalogue of Life, the GBIF Backbone and Wikidata. Largest datasets here: iNaturalist Research-grade Observations; ALA species sightings and OzAtlas; INSDC Sequences. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.