Pacific Ocean outlook - December update
by Noonsite 2 Jan 16:50 PST
Pacific Ocean © noonsite.com
Planning: Cruising boats will be planning their passage through that symbolic gateway, the Panama Canal, over the next few months. Ahead, beckons the whole Pacific Ocean - a vast area that covers one-third of the globe. In spite of the long passage distances - with careful planning a Pacific voyage can make for incredible cruising. Read Noonsite's Pacific Planning Advice to get you started.
Australia: Australian Biosecurity report nearly 1,000 yacht and superyacht arrivals in 2024, the three favourite ports of entry being Bundaberg, Cairns and Christmas Island.
Cook Islands: Located between French Polynesia and Samoa the Cooks are a popular stopover for yachts heading west across the Pacific. However, Cook Island Authorities stress that yachts intending to visit should plan to arrive at one of the two designated Ports of Entry.
Marshall Islands: The Marshall Islands consists of two main island chains: Ratak (also known as Sunrise) to the East and Ralik (or Sunset) to the west. There are 29 coral atolls and five main islands spread across these two island chains renowned for their incredible WWII remnants and fantastic wreck diving. A permit is needed to visit each of the outer islands. Currently cruising there, SV Sugar Shack have provided detailed updates on how to complete the required paperwork and provided a short summary of the Outer Islands.
New Caledonia: Entering a new country, tired after a long, often rough, voyage can be daunting, plus the language barrier and lack of local knowledge can present a challenge. This is when the assistance of a local Yacht Agent can be invaluable, as SV Cream Puff discovered recently when entering Noumea, New Caledonia.
New Zealand: Maritime NZ have introduced new rules for anyone intending to take an NZ-flagged recreational boat overseas, but the rules also apply for foreign-flagged yachts departing NZ on an international voyage. Find out more in this news item.
Tonga: Following talk of Starlink being banned from Tonga, the Tonga Government has now granted Starlink a temporary permit. Vessel roamers that enter the country for more than 60 days are required to switch to a local Starlink subscription, those that enter and leave within 60 days are fine to remain with a roaming plan.
The formation of a 75,000 m2 lava lobe has been observed at the Home Reef volcano between December 4 and 15, 2024. Mariners are advised to maintain a safe distance of at least 4km from the volcano. Read the Hazard Alert here.
Vanuatu: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Port-Vila on 17 December. Described as a violent, high frequency vertical shake with Tsunami waves seen, buildings were destroyed and nearly 1,700 people displaced. Severe weather was subsequently forecast over the Christmas period. Many areas of Vanuatu suffered extensive damage from natural disasters in 2023 including from Cyclones Judy and Kevin (March 2023) and then from an earthquake. Our thoughts are with the people of Vanuatu who have suffered yet more incredible loss.
Because of a lack of data on the yachting industry in Vanuatu, Market Development Facility (MDF), the Vanuatu Department of Tourism (DoT) and the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) collaborated to complete the first independent economic impact assessment of Vanuatu's yachting industry. This report outlines the key findings.
This article has been provided by the courtesy of noonsite.com.