Flying Fish Cove - General Info

Select your download option below


Description:

Flying Fish Cove is situated on the western side of the headland forming the north-eastern part of Christmas Island and is the only safe anchorage on the island.

Because the island is the tip of an ancient volcano, depths go from 200 meters when about 200 meters offshore to depths of 2000 meters when three to four miles offshore.

Great Britain annexed the island in June 1888.  Flying Fish Cove was first settled soon after when George Clunies-Ross, who owned the nearby Cocos Keeling Islands, sent his brother Andrew and a small party of Cocos Malay workers to pre-empt any other claim to the island.

Flying Fish Cove is fronted by a coral shelf with white sand, which extends a short distance offshore. It is a popular recreational area for swimming, snorkelling and diving, canoeing and other aquatic activities.

Cruiser Highlights:

Good stopping off point for yachts on passage to or from the Cocos Keeling Islands.  It is possible to provision here for an Indian Ocean crossing.  Food is expensive but alcohol is tax-free and mooring is cheap for the duration of your stay.  Wide variety of cultural, historical and natural tourism options including fishing, cave exploration, birdwatching and the annual Christmas Island Red Crab migration.

Entrance Notes or Cautions:

  1. A visit should be avoided during the monsoon season between November and April, however, in the Tradewinds season when the winds stay in the SE, the anchorage is generally very acceptable.
  2. Flying Fish Cove handles commercial shipping operations including rock phosphate vessels, small bulk tankers with bulk ULP cargo and general cargo vessels.
  3. The large buoys of the main mooring systems are for commercial shipping operations and may not be used.
  4. Anchoring is strictly forbidden without permission from the PM/HM. Use of mooring buoys is mandatory.
  5. There is an eight (8) knot speed limit in the Cove.
  6. The jetty in Flying Fish Cove is an integral part of commercial shipping operations. The gantry crane is used to launch and recover the port work vessels. The jetty area under the gantry crane extensions must be kept clear of dinghies at all times.

For more information, see the Christmas Island Visitor website.

Position:   10°25.58’S, 105°40.08’E.

Last updated:  February 2024

Read and Post Related Comments

If you have information for this section, or feedback on businesses used, please let us know at [email protected]. We also welcome new information about businesses you have used (see Related Businesses).


Select your download option below


Next Section: Profile: Clearance

Flying Fish Cove was last updated 1 month ago.

Related to following destinations: ,


YachtFlags.com provides high quality courtesy flags that are manufactured in durable Knitted Polyester fabric. Knitted so that the fabric itself does not deteriorate in the constant movement that marine flags are usually exposed to, and polyester so that the flag does not weaken in the strong UV-light usually found in the main sailing areas of the world.

YachtFlags.com offers a discount to Noonsite members.

Use the coupon code NOONSITE_5A2B when checking out to get 10% off today.

Buy Now On YachtFlags.com

YachtFlags.com provides high quality courtesy flags that are manufactured in durable Knitted Polyester fabric. Knitted so that the fabric itself does not deteriorate in the constant movement that marine flags are usually exposed to, and polyester so that the flag does not weaken in the strong UV-light usually found in the main sailing areas of the world.

YachtFlags.com offers a discount to Noonsite members.

Use the coupon code NOONSITE_5A2B when checking out to get 10% off today.

Buy Now On YachtFlags.com

You must Login or Register to submit comments.

Click to access the login or register cheese