Is it worth the trip?
89Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: Sea: flat, Visibility about 30 m, Water 28 °C
Tue 3 · 91 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 27°C
Wed 4 · 90 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 71 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.3 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 73 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 93 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 92 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 14kn
- Air
- 27°C
Mon 9 · 92 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.2 mflat
- Wind
- 9 kn
- Gusts
- 15kn
- Air
- 27°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Tue 391, good
- Wed 490, good
- Thu 571, good
- Fri 673, good
- Sat 793, good
- Sun 892, good
- Mon 992, good
- Tue 1092, good
- Wed 1192, good
- Thu 1292, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 35 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 28 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces NWswell 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 experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. Scored for experienced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 91, good | 0.4 m | 9 kn | 14kn | 27°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 90, good | 0.4 m | 12 kn | 16kn | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 71, good | 0.3 m | 6 kn | 8kn | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 73, good | 0.2 mflat | 3 kn | 6kn | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 93, good | 0.2 mflat | 1 kn | 7kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 92, good | 0.2 mflat | 10 kn | 14kn | 27°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 92, good | 0.2 mflat | 9 kn | 15kn | 27°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 92, good | 0.2 mflat | 9 kn | 15kn | 27°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 92, good | 0.2 mflat | 9 kn | 13kn | 28°C |
| Thu 12Nov | 92, good | – | 12 kn | 19kn | 27°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 06:30 −0.5 mHigh 13:27 +0.5 mLow 19:28 −0.2 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 01:06 +0.3 mLow 07:30 −0.5 mHigh 14:12 +0.5 mLow 20:25 −0.3 m
- Thu 5 NovHigh 02:14 +0.4 mLow 08:22 −0.5 mHigh 14:52 +0.6 mLow 21:12 −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.
Map
the site and its town
Paul's Rock on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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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
- Hideaway Island Reef 20.7 km away
- Ollies Lolly 20.9 km away
- Konanda 22.4 km away
- Honeybone Drift 24.5 km away
- Star of Russia Wreck 27.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Paul's Rock
A pinnacle dive. It goes down to 35 m. You get in from a boat. It suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces NW: swell from the NW reaches it, and wind from the SE blows out to sea. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 20 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.
- What it is Pinnacle.
- How deep Down to 35 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 20 km away.
Water about 28°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 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$1,260–US$2,470 each
about US$1,260–US$2,470 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$54–US$87 |
| 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$1,260–US$2,470 |
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 50 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 30m
About 31h 30m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → VLI, changing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Auckland International Airport (AKL), then 45 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
Hideaway Dive Shop 20 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 18 records, mostly Nov.
Lined Bristletooth Ctenochaetus striatus
Seen in 17 records, mostly Nov.
Spiny chromis Acanthochromis polyacanthus
Seen in 8 records.
Lavender Tang Acanthurus nigrofuscus
Seen in 8 records.
Orange-lined triggerfish Balistapus undulatus
Seen in 8 records.
Lemonpeel angelfish Centropyge flavissima
Seen in 8 records.
Teardrop butterflyfish Chaetodon unimaculatus
Seen in 8 records.
Thicklip wrasse Hemigymnus melapterus
Seen in 8 records.
Oval butterflyfish Chaetodon lunulatus
Seen in 7 records.
Cinnamon clownfish Amphiprion melanopus
Seen in 6 records.
Bicolor angelfish Centropyge bicolor
Seen in 6 records.
Speckled butterflyfish Chaetodon citrinellus
Seen in 6 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. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
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