Swallows Cave
Dive site · Tonga
Is it worth the trip?
78Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: Sea 0.8 m, Visibility about 30 m, Water 27 °C
Tue 3 · 70 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 18 kn
- Gusts
- 23kn
- Air
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 22kn
- Air
- 24°C
Thu 5 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 22kn
- Air
- 24°C
Fri 6 · 81 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 15 kn
- Gusts
- 20kn
- Air
- 24°C
Sat 7 · 79 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 22kn
- Air
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 78 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 16 kn
- Gusts
- 24kn
- Air
- 24°C
Mon 9 · 75 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 19 kn
- Gusts
- 27kn
- Air
- 24°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 267, good
- Tue 370, good
- Wed 478, good
- Thu 578, good
- Fri 681, good
- Sat 779, good
- Sun 878, good
- Mon 975, good
- Tue 1079, good
- Wed 1173, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 18 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Open Waterand up
- Water 27 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces Sswell 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 Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 67, good | 1.2 m | 19 kn | 26kn | 25°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 70, good | 1.1 m | 18 kn | 23kn | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 78, good | 0.9 m | 16 kn | 22kn | 24°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 78, good | 0.9 m | 16 kn | 22kn | 24°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 81, good | 0.8 m | 15 kn | 20kn | 24°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 79, good | 0.8 m | 16 kn | 22kn | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 78, good | 0.8 m | 16 kn | 24kn | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 75, good | 0.9 m | 19 kn | 27kn | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 79, good | 0.9 m | 16 kn | 23kn | 25°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 73, good | 1.0 m | 19 kn | 25kn | 25°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
- Mon 2 NovHigh 00:27 +0.6 mLow 06:55 −0.6 mHigh 13:12 +0.5 mLow 19:22 −0.5 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 01:30 +0.5 mLow 07:53 −0.6 mHigh 14:10 +0.5 mLow 20:24 −0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:31 +0.5 mLow 08:49 −0.5 mHigh 15:04 +0.6 mLow 21:22 −0.5 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
- Feb7of 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 Tue 3 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
Swallows 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.
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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
- The Coral Garden Vavau 1.3 km away
- Mariner's Cave 2.1 km away
- Clan McWilliam Wreck 2.8 km away
- The Ledge Vavau 4.7 km away
- Humpback Wall 6.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Swallows Cave
A cave dive. It goes down to 18 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces S: swell from the S reaches it, and wind from the N blows out to sea. 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 6.4 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). The town to stay in is Neiafu. Within 5 km we also list 4 dive sites.
- What it is Cave.
- How deep Down to 18 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Open Water divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 6.4 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 May, Jun and Sep (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).
Where to stay: Neiafu
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 · 12 places to stay
About Neiafu 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
eSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Neiafu · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Neiafu · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Beluga Diving 6.4 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
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Lined Bristletooth Ctenochaetus striatus
Seen in 18 records, mostly Sep.
Burnt Parrotfish Chlorurus sordidus
Seen in 16 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Pomacentrus vaiuli
Seen in 15 records, mostly Sep.
Scarus rivulatus
Seen in 14 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Banded Goatfish Parupeneus multifasciatus
Seen in 11 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Schlegel's Parrotfish Scarus schlegeli
Seen in 10 records, mostly Sep.
Dascyllus reticulatus
Seen in 9 records.
Halfmoon triggerfish Sufflamen chrysopterum
Seen in 9 records.
Scissortail sergeant Abudefduf sexfasciatus
Seen in 8 records.
Chromis weberi
Seen in 8 records.
Forcepsfish Forcipiger flavissimus
Seen in 7 records.
Kihikihi Zanclus cornutus
Seen in 7 records.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS, through OBIS; common names from Wikidata. Largest datasets here: Tonga Reef survey data 2016-2018. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.