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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Pacific

Pacific

Vanuatu

Warm coral reefs, wrecks and island culture, with turtles and reef sharks, and dugongs possible.

Turquoise lagoon and waterfront bungalows at Iririki Island, Efate
Iririki Island, Port Vila, Efate · Photo: Monika MG on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 30 Sep 2026. Sources: Dugong (legal protection and hunting in the Pacific), Wikipedia; Wildlife of Vanuatu (Vanuatu Oceans Act, Nov 2025), Wikipedia.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The UK FCDO travel advice for Vanuatu notes health risks including malaria, dengue and chikungunya, and limited medical facilities. No warning against travel appeared in the snippet. Sources: UK FCDO travel advice, Vanuatu Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

FreedivingScubaTurtlesSharksDugongs

Why Vanuatu

Vanuatu mixes reefs with island culture. Around Efate, Havannah Harbour and Moso, warm-water freediving over coral reefs brings turtles and reef sharks. Espiritu Santo and Aore are quiet islands for wreck and reef diving. The Maskelyne Islands and South Malekula have seagrass, giant clams and community conservation areas, and on Tanna culture and a volcano sit beside tropical reefs. Dugongs may be seen in places, but are never certain. April to October is usually the better weather.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

FijiPapua New GuineaIndonesiaTimor-LesteVanuatuNew CaledoniaSolomon Is.New ZealandAustraliaEfate, Havannah Harbour and Moso, VanuatuEspiritu Santo and Aore, VanuatuMaskelyne Islands and South Malekula, VanuatuTanna, Vanuatu

When to go

Year-round. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

Vanuatu's waters are a marine mammal sanctuary under the Fisheries Act of 2014, and harming or harassing dugongs is not allowed. Any commercial dugong viewing needs a Fisheries permit, and how dugong tourism affects the animals is still not well studied. So we watch dugongs only from a quiet distance, never feed or follow them, and we dive and snorkel on reefs with the permission of the local community.

Evidence is still thin here. We are checking again with official sources.

Checked 30 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Vanuatu

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Efate, Havannah Harbour and Moso

Exploring

Warm-water freediving over coral reefs with turtles and reef sharks, where dugongs may be seen.

🤿 In the water: Coral reefs, Turtles, Reef sharks

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Dugongs (possible)

When: Year-round. Reef diving runs year-round. April to October has lower cyclone exposure and clearer water.

Rules and fees: Many beaches in Vanuatu belong to local landowners, so permission comes first, and some landowners may ask a small fee for access.

Espiritu Santo and Aore

Exploring

A quiet island for wreck and reef diving, with turtles, sharks, barracuda and rich macro life.

🤿 In the water: Wrecks, Reef fish, Turtles, Sharks, Barracuda

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Dugongs (possible)

When: Year-round. Diving runs year-round. April to October is the first choice for weather.

Rules and fees: Many beaches in Vanuatu belong to local landowners, so permission comes first, and some landowners may ask a small fee for access.

Maskelyne Islands and South Malekula

Exploring

Quiet islands with seagrass, reef fish, turtles and community conservation areas, where dugongs may be seen.

🤿 In the water: Seagrass habitats, Turtles, Reef fish, Giant clams

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Dugongs (possible)

Rules and fees: Dugongs are wild and never certain. Any dugong viewing needs a Fisheries permit and follows the local code of conduct: no chasing, touching or feeding, and care for seagrass.

Tanna

Exploring

A quiet island where culture and a volcano sit beside tropical reefs with reef fish and turtles.

🤿 In the water: Reef fish, Turtles

When: Year-round. Diving and land activities can run year-round, subject to weather.

Rules and fees: Many beaches in Vanuatu belong to local landowners, so we always ask permission first, and some landowners may ask a small fee for access.

Animals

Animals recorded in Vanuatu

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Dugong grazing on seagrass over a sandy seabedDugongDugong dugonSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBanded sea krait with yellow lip rising over dark sandBanded sea krait (yellow-lipped sea krait)Laticauda colubrinaSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlue-lipped sea krait with blue and black bands on sandBlue-lipped sea kraitLaticauda laticaudataSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTitan triggerfish swimming over a reef slope in blue waterTitan triggerfishBalistoides viridescensSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPicasso triggerfish with painted pattern over sand in the MaldivesPicasso triggerfish (lagoon triggerfish)Rhinecanthus aculeatusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClown triggerfish with big white spots over reef in the Coral SeaClown triggerfishBalistoides conspicillumSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGiant clam on the reef at Michaelmas Cay, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, AustraliaGiant clamTridacna gigasSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWhitetip reef sharks resting stacked in a reef creviceWhitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSchool of bigeye trevally swirling near the seabed at AmedBigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBroadclub cuttlefish hovering with arms raised over reefBroadclub cuttlefishAscarosepion latimanusSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasData DeficientTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHumphead wrasse swimming over a coral reef in Raja AmpatHumphead wrasse (Napoleon wrasse)Cheilinus undulatusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasEndangeredWhite shark swimming under sunlit surface with small fish nearbyWhite sharkCarcharodon carchariasSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDay octopus beside a coral head on a sandy Red Sea reefDay octopusOctopus cyaneaSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWedge-tailed shearwaters resting togetherWedge-tailed shearwaterArdenna pacificaSeen in 46 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlack noddy perched in a shrub on Tern Island, French Frigate ShoalsBlack noddyAnous minutusSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRobber crab on rough coral rock with bent legs and large claws, in daylightRobber crab (coconut crab)Birgus latroSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerableGreat frigatebird in flight, with long angled wings and a forked tailGreat frigatebirdFregata minorSeen in 44 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLesser frigatebird soaring against a blue sky with its wings spread and tail forkedLesser frigatebirdFregata arielSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernShort-tailed shearwater resting on the open seaShort-tailed shearwaterArdenna tenuirostrisSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTropical shearwater flying low over blue waves, with dark wings and white underpartsTropical shearwaterPuffinus bailloniSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTahiti petrel in flight over the sea, dark above with a white bellyTahiti petrelPseudobulweria rostrataSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedLittle pied cormorant head and neck by the water, with a white face and yellow billLittle pied cormorantMicrocarbo melanoleucosSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Dreaming of Vanuatu?

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There is no trip here yet. If enough people ask, it helps us decide where to go next.

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