Part 2: Exploring New Caledonia on the ILIAD 62

Back on the boat, it was all hands on deck to wash away the salt spray. Fortunately, a few rain showers the night before and a calm approach into port made the job light work.

With all official checks cleared, we headed straight to the Marina Bar. By lucky coincidence, a live band was setting up for the evening. Good food, cold drinks, and live music—the ultimate way to celebrate the end of a successful ocean voyage!

Dropped anchor in 8m of water—there’s always that satisfying feeling of relief when you feel the chain pull tight and bite into the seabed in an unfamiliar spot. Down went the tender via the hydraulic davit platform at the push of a button.

We zipped up the river in search of the thermal pools and were soon enjoying a warm, relaxing soak surrounded by nature.

Warren had the BBQ sizzling by 07:00 hours with a proper bacon and egg breakfast.

Fuelled up, we set off to dive the edge of the channel along the outer reef. We anchored the main vessel on a sandy patch inside the reef, loaded the gear
into the tender, and dropped in along the outer edge. We drifted along the wall for 35 minutes over a landscape of rising sandy floors and vivid coral gardens before surfacing right where Condor was waiting for us in the tender.

Thanks to our onboard generator, running the 15-amp dive compressor was a breeze. The aft hatch next to the davit lift proved to be the ultimate setup—housing the compressor and safely stowing six dive bottles.

That afternoon, we relocated to a quiet, glassy bay chosen by Condor. We launched the tender for a stretch on the beach, followed by Warren cooking up lamb chops on the aft deck BBQ as the sun set over mirror-calm waters. Before dark, I launched the drone to capture the breathtaking scenery. By nightfall, the blue underwater lights attracted fish, remoras, and even a curious sea snake!

Monday, 20th July 2026: The Shipping Channel Wall

An early start was required to dive the main shipping channel reef wall on an incoming tide. This was a technical, adrenaline-pumping dive.

Positioned right on the edge of the reef with surf breaking less than 100 meters away, timing was everything. We dropped in with quick precision, descending straight to the wall. The current surged as the ocean swell mounted over the reef—a thrilling dive surrounded by sharks patrolling above and along the wall!

After a second dive on the tide, we returned to the boat where Warren whipped up fresh wraps in the galley. Later in the day, we grabbed a mooring off the DoubleTree by Hilton.

We took the tender ashore for a drink at the resort bar, returning to find a stunning superyacht anchored alongside us for the night.

Tuesday 21st – Wednesday, 22nd July: Pushing North & Crystal Clear Waters

We returned to Port Moselle by midday to bid farewell to Condor, who flew back to Australia. Before docking, we fuelled up the ILIAD for the first time since leaving Bundaberg —an incredible testament to the boat’s range!

On Wednesday, with just three of us remaining onboard, we enjoyed a well-deserved sleep-in. With a southerly breeze picking up, we set off 23 nautical miles north, tucking in between Mathieu Island and the mainland for shelter. Cruising comfortably at 12 knots with the wind behind us, it felt like dead calm seas inside, while our flags flew forward in 20+ knot gusts.

Thanks to Starlink, we spent the afternoon taking care of business and catching up on emails right from the middle of paradise.

We made the short 12nm run to Tenia Islet. The geography here is unique: a hooked outer reef protects the inner section, making it possible to dive along a wall that plunges into 50m of water without facing massive ocean swells.

After a morning of shallow dives, Warren treated us to grilled cheese melts on fresh French rolls. We tucked into Peun Island for the night—an amusingly unique anchorage where cows were mooing along the shoreline right next to our boat!

Friday delivered a breathtaking sunrise at 06:52 AM and what turned out to be the dive day of the trip. We picked our way through the shallow reef at low tide, spotting sleeping bull rays in crevasses, white-tip reef sharks under ledges, and countless small rays gliding across the sand.

Our second dive was sheer magic. The reef wall drops from 2.5m straight down to 52m. The water clarity was unbelievable—over 20m of visibility from the surface. Floating at 28m and looking down into the abyss while surrounded by schooling fish, anemones, clownfish, and a magnificent Leopard shark was an experience none of us will ever forget!