Hideaway Island Reef
Dive site · Vanuatu
Is it worth the trip?
76Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: Sea 0.4 m, Visibility over 30 m, Water 27 °C
Mon 2 · 87 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 68 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 32°C
Sun 8 · 89 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 29°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 177, good
- Mon 287, good
- Tue 367, good
- Wed 467, good
- Thu 568, good
- Fri 669, good
- Sat 769, good
- Sun 889, good
- Mon 989, good
- Tue 1088, good
The site in six facts
- Down to 10 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 27 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces SWswell from there reaches it
- Best Mar, Nov–Jan6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 77, good | 0.7 m | 1 kn | 10kn | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 87, good | 0.6 m | 4 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 67, good | 0.6 m | 4 kn | 12kn | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 67, good | 0.6 m | 7 kn | 17kn | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 68, good | 0.5 m | 1 kn | 11kn | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 69, good | 0.5 m | 1 kn | 11kn | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 69, good | 0.4 m | 2 kn | 7kn | 32°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 89, good | 0.4 m | 4 kn | 11kn | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 89, good | 0.4 m | 4 kn | 13kn | 30°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 88, good | 0.4 m | 5 kn | 15kn | 30°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 68, good | 0.5 m | 6 kn | 17kn | 26°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
- Sun 1 NovLow 04:15 −0.6 mHigh 11:27 +0.3 mLow 16:44 −0.0 mHigh 22:14 +0.3 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 05:24 −0.6 mHigh 12:34 +0.4 mLow 18:15 −0.1 mHigh 23:42 +0.3 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 06:31 −0.5 mHigh 13:29 +0.4 mLow 19:28 −0.2 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
best Mar, Nov–Jan
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May4of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun5of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug4of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep4of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov6of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec6of 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
Hideaway Island Reef 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
- Ollies Lolly 0.5 km away
- Konanda 2.5 km away
- Honeybone Drift 3.9 km away
- Star of Russia Wreck 7.2 km away
- Cathedral Cave 9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Hideaway Island Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 10 m. You get in from the shore. It suits Open Water 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 0.4 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). For Advanced divers the best months are usually January, March, November and December, with about 6 good days in 7; in May, August and September, about 4. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Port Vila. Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot and 3 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 10 m.
- Getting in From the shore.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 3 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.4 km away.
Water about 27°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility over 30 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Sep and 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$2,410 each
about US$1,230–US$2,410 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 30 October 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$784–US$1,630 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$201–US$328 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$221–US$415 |
| Total | about US$1,230–US$2,410 |
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
13 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 30 October 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 · Skyscanner
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
Hideaway Dive Shop 0.4 km
Big Blue Dive Shop 6.8 km
Proper Dive Zone 7.3 kmPADI
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 open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
This week: visibility about 25 m, greener than usual (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.