Meet the site
Chicken Farm is a wall dive on the north coast named, like many Christmas Island sites, after a landmark on the cliff above – in this case a former poultry farm. The Tourism Association lists it among the island's featured sites, and Diveplanit and Divernet describe it as a vertical wall into the blue with beautiful hard corals and spectacularly large gorgonian fans below 33 m.
The profile is classic Christmas Island. A narrow reef top of hard coral, plate and branching Acropora, gives way to a wall that drops vertically far beyond recreational limits. The upper wall, from about 5 m to 25 m, is covered in hard corals, with sponges, whips and small fans in the crevices and the island's colourful reef fish – butterflyfish, angelfish, triggerfish, surgeonfish, hawkfish – moving along the face. The signature feature is deeper: past about 33 m the wall carries very large gorgonian sea fans, some several metres across, which is why the site appeals to experienced and deep-certified divers and to wide-angle photographers.
Open water off the wall is where pelagics appear – schools of fusiliers and trevally, grey reef sharks, eagle rays and, in the wet season, the chance of a whale shark or manta. Because the best feature is deep, the dive needs planning: most groups make one short, controlled visit to the fans and spend the remainder of the dive shallower, with nitrox helping to stretch bottom time.
Chicken Farm suits advanced divers with deep experience who are comfortable on a bottomless wall with no visual reference below. Divers limited to 18–25 m still get a fine wall dive through the hard coral zone. Site-specific documentation beyond the operator summaries is limited.
Research this site before booking Stored site notes may be historical. These questions highlight gaps without turning old instructions into a current dive plan.
Chicken Farm is recorded as Wall in Christmas Island. The listed access is boat. Confirm the actual meeting point, route and permission to visit; a map pin does not establish any of these.
Topics flagged by the stored research
These are questions prompted by the existing notes, not a verified or complete hazard assessment.
- Current and timing
- Ask how the operator assesses the current window for the actual route. Historical tide notes are not a departure instruction.
- Other water users
- Ask about vessel activity, exclusion areas and the agreed surface arrangements.
- Lines and obstructions
- Discuss any known entanglement concerns and the suitability of the planned area.
- Planned depth
- Confirm the intended route and training requirements; the recorded maximum is not a target.
Historical access notes exist for this record, but have not been independently verified for current use. Request current directions from the operator or site manager rather than following an old entry description.
Questions, answered
Is Chicken Farm suitable for my certification?
The record lists Deep/Advanced + experience. That does not establish suitability for every route or day. Share your training, recent experience and equipment needs with the operator and ask about the specific proposed dive.
Can I book Chicken Farm through YouDive?
YouDive is an independent research directory. Contact an operator directly to confirm whether it currently runs the trip, the inclusions and the booking terms.
What you might see
Large gorgonian sea fans (below 33 m), hard corals, sponges, whips, fusiliers, trevally, grey reef sharks, eagle rays, butterflyfish, angelfish, triggerfish, whale sharks and mantas (seasonal)
Location
Vertical wall on the north coast west of Flying Fish Cove, with hard corals in the shallows and very large gorgonian fans below about 33 m.
Facilities nearby
Departs Flying Fish Cove jetty/ramp.
Before you make plans
Conditions, access and operator schedules can change. This is a location guide, not a dive plan. Ask a local operator about current conditions and suitability for your training and experience.
Sources & further reading
diveplanit.comdivernet.comchristmas.net.auRecord updated 26 Sept 2026. Source claims are being reviewed.