South Pacific
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| South Pacific
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The South Pacific (sometimes synonymous with Oceania, or sometimes Oceanica) is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the South Pacific Ocean and vicinity.
Oceania
Oceania or Oceanica is a region centred on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Opinions of what constitutes Oceania range from its three subregions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia to, more broadly, the entire insular region between South East Asia and South America, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago.
For the purpose of this cruising guide, we will define Oceania in one of its broadest definitions, which includes:
- All of the islands of Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia
- Australia and New Zealand
- New Guinea including Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of Papua
- Other tropical Pacific Ocean islands such as Hawaii and Guam (although both are already included by the above definitions, as Guam is located in Micronesia and Hawaii is usually considered part of Polynesia.
Charts
- Land Information NZ
- NZ 1406 -- South Pacific Ocean, Western Portion.
See also the larger scale LINZ charts which cover much of the South Pacific.
Note: Many other chart sources are available, both electronic and paper.
- US published charts covering much of the sea area of this route are available from NOAA, Office of Coast Survey.
- Admiralty charts are available from many chart retailers, and an on line catalogue can be found at Admiralty Leisure
- For electronic charts compatible with OpenCPN see the OpenCPN chart sources page.
Weather
Generally speaking, the trade winds run in a band from 5S to about 25S, although this band can be smaller or larger from year to year. The typical trade wind is a 15 knot wind from the ESE, although days of 30+ knots are not uncommon. Winds swinging around to the north, north west, or west are also not uncommon, but these usually only last for a day or so.
Gales and other assorted weather nasties can be found in the region of the convergence zones -- the ITCZ and the SPCZ.
Much of the South Pacific is subject to cyclones during the "cyclone season", running from 1st November to 30th April each year (depending on location). It's important to note that cyclones do not own calendars, and significant (even named) tropical storms can happen outside of this time period.
Sources for weather information:
- The Fiji Meteorological Service issues daily weather bulletins for much of the South Pacific.
- These forecasst can also be retrieved as a text format file by sending an email to [email protected]. See the Weather page for more information.
- A generalised South Pacific weather forecast from the Fiji Meterological Service may be found here or by sending an email containing "
send nadi.sopac" to [email protected].
Also see Weather.
Currents & Tides
Give information on tides & currents.
Passages
Countries, Ports, Anchorages, and Islands
Clockwise from NW to E and SW.
= Featured Cruising Guides, 
= Port of Entry, 
= Island, 
= Marina, 
= Harbor, 
= Anchorage, 
= Needs data.
| Countries | Islands Countries & Islands | Ports & Anchorages |
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See also:
Friends
Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.
Forums
List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)
- South Pacific topics on Cruisers Forum.
- Pacific and Australasia on Cruiser Log.
Links
- South Pacific at the Wikipedia
References
- Michael Pocock/Ros Hogbin, The Pacific Crossing Guide, Second Edition, RCC Pilotage Foundation, London, ISBN 0713661828
- Warwick Clay, South Pacific Anchorages 2nd edition, Imray, ISBN 0852884826
- Earl R. Hinz, Landfalls of Paradise: Cruising Guide to the Pacific Islands, Latitude 20 Books, ISBN 0824830377
- Jimmy Cornell, World Cruising Routes: Sixth Edition, Adlard Coles, London, ISBN 007159289X
- Jimmy Cornell, World Cruising Destinations, Adlard Coles, London, ISBN 0071638245
Comments
We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit.
- Delatbabel -- Cruised the South Pacific in 2014, notes are on the blog
| This is a usable page of the cruising guide. However, please contribute if you can to help it grow further. Click on Comments to add your personal notes on this page or to discuss its contents. Alternatively, if you feel confident to edit the page, click on the edit tab at the top and enter your changes directly. |
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Names: Haiqu, Delatbabel, Istioploos |
