Snorkeling and Diving

The wonderful sea and the stunning coast line have such beautiful swimming areas that rival the best in the world. The inshore swimming areas of Matapa Chasm and Limu offer gradual introduction to the marine wonders which lie beyond the outer coral reef. Earlier these places were reserved for the Niue kings only but now any one can visit these.  However, since the availability of snorkeling gear is limited it is advisable to have a prior booking for the gear to ensure that you do not return disappointed. A word of caution, plucking live coral is prohibited and you should be careful what you carry back as souvenirs.  It is advisable to leave the coral alone as the people of Niue are quite possessive of their corals.

The shallow clear waters along the coastline are the best places for snorkeling. Even the coral reefs can be used for snorkeling during a high tide. The crystal Clearwater with visibility often extending to 70 meters while 50 meters visibility is quite regular.

This clear water allows a perfect dive. It’s a sheer pleasure diving off Niue and witnessing its wonderful diversity of the marine life quite visible in the shallow clear waters of the coastline. As the landscape of Niue is devoid of lakes and streams, all the water which fall as rain is drained off through the porous limestone which forms the core. The net result of this water seeping in for thousands years has resulted in the formation of caves, coves and cathedrals underwater while the divers are free to explore and no doubt is once in a lifetime experience to witness such wonderful underwater natural formations.

Divers often encounter the spectacular and mind boggling array of rare marine life which include dolphins, whales, turtles, snakes, hard corals and a whole lot of fish.  The land table of Niue drops sharply into the sea at many places providing excellent deep sea diving very close to the natural shallow sea levels.