French Polynesia, 12/9 - 12/20, 2023

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French Polynesia, 12/9 – 12/20, 2023

For those who haven’t been scuba diving in Polynésie Française (French Polynesia), I’d recommend adding it to your bucket list. This was my first trip there, and for me the juice was undoubtedly worth the squeeze (on my wallet and time). There were more than a few times during my dives when I found myself thinking: this is why I came here. It’s a place that I would and probably will visit again.

I'll break this trip report up into multiple posts, so bear with me as I first cover the geography of the area, climate and seasonal considerations, the logistics involved in visiting (including travel between islands), the demographics, time, and the languages and currencies in use. Next, I’ll go over some of the scuba diving and snorkeling opportunities available, the marine life one might encounter, and a summary of the diving I did there, including some of the marine life I saw. Lastly, I’ll go into more detail on the places I visited including accommodations, places to eat, and specifics on the diving in each location.

Geography

French Polynesia is in the southeastern Pacific Ocean midway between Australia and South America -- just east of the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji.

The 5 archipelagos of French Polynesia -- the Society, Austral, Tuamotu, Gambier, and Marquesas Islands -- are arrayed in chains running from southeast to northwest. The Society Islands are subdivided into the Windward Islands, or Îles du Vent (Tahiti, Moorea, Maiao, Tetiaroa, and Mehetia), and the Leeward Islands, or Îles Sous-le-Vent (Huahine, Raiatea, Taha’a, Bora Bora, Maupiti, Tupai, Maupihaa/Mopelia, Manuae/Scilly, and Motu One/Bellingshausen).

Although the 35 islands and 83 atolls of French Polynesia total only 1,367 miles in land area, they are scattered across a vast 1,942,000 square miles of ocean.

The geography of the area is quite diverse, from the volcanic peaks of the Society and Marquesas Islands to the 1,300-feet-high hills of the Australs and Gambiers to the low, flat coral atolls of the Tuamotu Archipelago, whose once volcanic peaks long ago sunk into the sea. The Societies and Gambiers include both volcanic and coral types of islands.

Tahiti in the Society Islands, which hosts the capital city of Pape'etē, is not only the best known and most populous of the islands, but also the largest (403 square miles) and highest (7,352 feet). Bora Bora and Maupiti, also in the Societies, are noted for their high volcanic peaks surrounded by low coral rings.

Rangiroa in the Tuamotus is the third largest atoll in the world and the largest in French Polynesia, while Makatea, also in the Tuamotus, is what is known as an uplifted atoll. These thin strips of yellow reefs, green vegetation, and white beaches encircle the clear lagoons the Tuamotus are famous for.

In the Marquesas, which are the newcomers on the block in terms of geological age, steep mountains rise thousands of feet, with rugged peaks, narrow ridges, plummeting waterfalls, deep valleys, and rocky coastlines pounded by surf.

With so much geographic- and bio-diversity across 118 islands and atolls, there’s something here to please the tastes of all nature-lovers, and perhaps even your own version of paradise. One could spend a lifetime exploring these islands and atolls.

Climate & Seasonal Considerations

The southern austral summer or “rainy season” in French Polynesia runs November-April, with temperatures ranging from 77 – 95°F. I found the temperatures during my mid-December trip to Tahiti and the Tuamotus to run from 77 - 86°F. It still rains during the “dry” season the remainder of the year, although less frequently, and it is somewhat cooler, although by no means cold (this being the tropics). The Marquesas Islands are an exception, as their dry season runs from November - April and their wet season is from May - October.

The southeast trade winds, or alizés, blow consistently May - August, which change to easterlies September – December. The northeast trades January - April coincide with the cyclone season.

In general, rain during the southern summer months falls abundantly and frequently, although it’s very localized and the amount and frequency of rain varies from place to place. It rains more in the mountains and along the windward shores of the high islands. The Society Islands get far more rain than the Marquesas. The low, flat Tuamotus get the least amount of rainfall, and are less subject to long-lasting storms.

Don’t let a little rain deter you from visiting during the summer (rainy) season, like I did. For one, you’re a scuba diver for f*ck’s sake, and getting wet comes with the territory. Secondly, you’ll likely be doing most of your scuba diving in the Tuamotus; the least damp and most sunny of the 5 archipelagos. The rain I encountered in the Tuamotus was mostly short-lived and none of it got in the way of scuba diving in the slightest. The couple of longer-lasting showers while I was there happened at night, and there were days when there was no rain. As I understand it, the dry season has the potential to bring winds that are less favorable for diving.

Rainy versus dry season is only one of several factors you’ll have to consider when planning a dive trip to French Polynesia, and there can be advantages to visiting during the rainy season: once the rain blows over, which is likely to be soon, you have the advantages of the dry season without the crowds and higher prices.

Regardless of when you go, the scuba diving is great year-round.

High Versus Low Tourist Season

The overall high tourist season in French Polynesia is from May 1st - October 31st, although some hotels change their prices starting April 1st. Most tourists arrive in June through August, which coincides with North American and European summer holidays. May, September, and October are considered shoulder months, combining cooler, dryer weather with fewer crowds. The low season for tourism is from November 1st - April 30th. It goes without saying that prices for lodging and airfare can be significantly higher during the peak tourist season. For scuba divers, the shoulder and especially low seasons mean better prices, fewer people, fewer dive boats at the dive sites, and less crowded boats.

What Sort of Marine Life Do You Want to See?

How about an opportunity to snorkel with humpback whales, or perhaps catch a glimpse of one on one of your dives? Their migratory season in the Society Islands runs from July/August - October, and October – December in the Marquesas.

Want a chance to see a great hammerhead? Hammerhead season is from February – March in the Tuamotus, and from July – September in the Marquesas.

How about the annual mating season of the marbled grouper, when tens of thousands of groupers arrive in Fakarava? The groupers arrive to lay their egg and sperm in the water column during a 30-minute spawning window that occurs during the July full moon. This annual aggregation occurs from mid-June through July and brings in up to 1,000 grey reef sharks to feed on the grouper. Due to the popularity of this event, it’s recommended to have your flights, lodging and dives booked at least a year in advance.

(To be continued.)

 

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Getting There From Houston

Nearly all international flights land at Faa’a International Airport (PPT), located in Pape'etē on the island of Tahiti, which is the central airport for both international air travel, and domestic flights that can connect you to any major island group in French Polynesia.

Travel from the United States for those of us in Houston (IAH) will involve a layover and a connecting flight in either San Francisco (SFO) or Los Angeles (LAX).

I flew out early Saturday morning of December 9th to SFO from IAH, with wheels up on a United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 at ~7:20 AM CST. The flight time to SFO was just shy of ~4.5-hours, touching down in SFO at 9:41 AM PST, where a planned 2+ hour layover turned into a 4+ hour layover waiting for the tires to be changed on the United Airlines Boeing 737-9 Dreamliner I would be traveling in for my ~8+ hour flight to PPT. The most notable thing about that flight was that it was mostly empty, and I had an entire row of seats to myself, which was heaven.

I arrived in Pape'etē at 8:09 PM GMT-10 (4 hours behind Houston time). Since this was only a waypoint on my way to Rangiroa (RGI), an overnight flight that arrived in the morning would have been better as it would have allowed for a connecting flight to RGI that same day; avoiding an overnight stay and wasted time in Pape'etē.

For the trip home, my plane departed Pape'etē at 7:45 PM GMT-10 on December 19th. Since my flight from Fakarava had arrived there at 11:35 AM that morning, this made for an 8+ hour layover. While I could have found a locker to stow my luggage and found something to do in Pape'etē during this layover, such as a nice hotel restaurant or bar on the water, I opted to tough it out at the airport. PPT is an open-air airport (like the airports in Rangiroa and Fakarava, and presumably all airports in French Polynesia), but there is a nice aviation-themed restaurant and bar named l'Aviation with AC you can kill time in.

I was not so lucky on my overnight ~8-hour return flight from PPT to LAX on a Delta Airlines Boeing 737-300; it was completely full. In LAX there was a planned ~4-hour layover before my connecting flight to IAH, with more than enough time to get through customs, make sure my checked baggage ended up on my connecting flight, stretch my legs, and find a restaurant to relax at for a while. My completely full, ~3-hour flight from LAX to IAH was on a Delta Airlines Airbus A319 and touched down in IAH at 3:08 PM CST on December 20th.

Inter-Island Domestic Flights

Once in French Polynesia, your best bet for island-hopping is Air Tahiti. If you plan on visiting more than two islands, a Multi Island Air Pass -- valid for 28 days -- will allow you to stop at each island included in the pass. This pass will run you around 30 – 40 percent cheaper than booking individual flights for each island. For example, there is a Lagoons Pass that allows for stops in Moorea, Rangiroa, Tikehau, and Fakarava; perfect for a trip centered around swimming with humpback whales and scuba diving in the Tuamotus.

My Air Tahiti flight from Pape'etē (PPT) to Rangiroa (RGI) was a 1-hour flight. My flight from RGI to Fakarava (FAV) was a 45-minute flight. My flight from FAV back to PPT was 1-hour and 15 minutes. These were all on 68-passenger Twin Turboprop ATR 72s.

I recommend consulting Air Tahiti’s baggage requirements before packing. You are allowed a carry-on bag and a personal item in the cabin, but the weight of both can’t exceed 11 lbs. You are allowed 1 checked bag up to 50 pounds free with your ticket purchase, but they allow scuba divers with a certification card an extra 11 lbs. as free checked baggage. This allowed me to check my 50 lb. bag with my scuba gear, along with my travel backpack that I would normally stow as a carryon in an overhead bin – all within the free checked bag limit. It just took a little shuffling around of items between bags to come in under weight limits for checked and cabin baggage. All I took with me in the cabin on these inter-island flights was a “personal item” -- a small boarding bag that I usually stow under the seat in front of me.

Population & Demographics

French Polynesia’s population of 278,786 (2022 census) is around 78 percent Polynesian, 10 percent European, and 12 percent Chinese. These are only estimates because the last census that provided an ethnic breakdown took place in 1988 and it is now forbidden to collect this type of information. About 69 percent of the total population lives on Tahiti, but 76 of French Polynesia’s 118 islands and atolls are inhabited. The term “inhabited” is used loosely, as it could mean as few as 8 people living on say one of the atolls.

The indigenous people of French Polynesia are the Maohi or Eastern Polynesians (as opposed to the Western Polynesians in Samoa and Tonga), and many Polynesians refer to their country as Te Ao Maohi, especially those who are seeking independence from France.

Time

Nearly all of French Polynesia is in the same time zone as Hawaii -- 10 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or 2 hours behind California, except for mid-March through mid-November, when it’s 3 hours behind. The Marquesas are 30 minutes ahead of Tahiti, and the Gambier Islands are an hour ahead of Tahiti. Standard time is used year-round. Since French Polynesia is east of the International Date Line, the day is the same as that of the United States but a day behind Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia.

Languages

French is spoken throughout the territory. However, most everyone involved in tourist-facing businesses speaks good English. English will do fine unless you depart too far from the tourist trail, but if you really want to get into the local spirit, learning a few basic words and phrases in French and even Tahitian will go a long way.

Contemporary Tahitian is the chiefly or royal dialect used in the translation of the Bible by early Protestant missionaries. Tahitian or Maohi is one of a family of related Austronesian languages spoken from Madagascar through Indonesia and all the way to Easter Island and Hawaii. The related languages of eastern Polynesia (Hawaiian, Tahitian, Tuamotuan, Mangarevan, Marquesan, Rarotongan, and Maori) are quite different from those of western Polynesia (Samoan and Tongan). As time goes on, the outer-island dialects of French Polynesia are becoming mingled with the predominant Tahitian.

Currency

The French Pacific franc, or CFP (for cour de franc Pacifique), is legal tender in French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, and New Caledonia.

The best and most widely accepted currencies to carry to French Polynesia are the euro and US dollar. While I was there, 1 US dollar was the equivalent of 108 – 111 CFP.

I opted to withdraw enough francs from one of the ATMs at the airport in Pape'etē upon arrival to cover taxis, some meals, and tips for dives. The ATMs here worked fine with a debit card drawn off a US bank. Other items you may want francs for are purchases on remote islands such as local arts and crafts, or black pearls that the area is renowned for. One of the locals in Fakarava was nice enough to exchange my remaining francs back into US dollars before my trip back to Pape'etē and home, but you can’t depend on being able to exchange foreign currency in the Tuamotus. In Pape'etē, banks and places at the airport are other options for foreign currency exchange.

(To be continued.)

 

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Scuba Diving & Marine Life Encounters

All my scuba diving on this trip was done in and around the passes of the coral atolls of the Tuamotus, which is the oldest of French Polynesia’s archipelagos, geologically speaking. This archipelago consists of 76 atolls, which are said to resemble pearl necklaces flung across a cobalt sea. Based on my own research, personal experience, and input from several dive professionals I spent time with while there, including a couple I stayed with on their catamaran in Fakarava who have many years of experience operating private dive charters in French Polynesia, I can’t imagine a serious scuba diving trip to the area without a focus on the Tuamotus; at least for a first trip.

The atolls of Rangiroa and Fakarava in particular – I spent a total of 7 days diving between them -- and the atoll of Tikehau, which I did not visit, offer the best scuba diving in the Tuamotus, at least that is accessible by airplane. Rangiroa and Fakarava being a 45-minute flight apart, and Tikehau being a 10-minute flight from Rangiroa, make these atolls easy to combine into a single diving trip.

A dive cruise charter opens additional possibilities for atolls to visit in the Tuamotus, potentially uninhabited, that are only accessible by boat. One suggestion from someone who used to organize and operate these sorts of dive charters until recently was to fly to Rangiroa (preferably on the same day your international flight arrives in Pape'etē), spend a couple or three days diving there, then fly to Fakarava to meet your chartered boat, which would anchor near the South Pass for some diving before travelling to other atolls in the Tuamotus. The boat would return to Fakarava near the North Pass for the last dives of the trip before your flight back to Pape'etē. At the moment, AquaPolynesie -- the pioneer of diving cruises in the area starting back in the mid-90s -- is the only outfit offering circuits centered on Fakarava.

I found the reefs, lagoons and passes of these atolls in the Tuamotus to be teeming with marine life. In comparison to places I’ve been to before, the diversity of marine life and sheer volume of that life exceeds any previous experiences, which is one of the biggest takeaways for me.

To expand on the volume and diversity of marine life, species (or similar species) I may have only seen once or a few times on a previous dive trip were seen here in much larger numbers and varieties. Other species that I had previously experienced singularly or a few at a time were seen in large schools. Still other species schooled in numbers that at times would stretch out in a large ribbon in front of me past my range of visibility in both directions. At other times, the schools were large enough to completely envelop me in all directions. Whatever is going on in the Tuamotus, it’s clear that these atolls are currently supporting large numbers of top predators, e.g., sharks, dolphins, barracuda, tuna, groupers, etc.

French Polynesia has been described as a “shark paradise” and why is obvious: you see them on every dive. For me, it was only a matter of how many different sightings and how many shark species were seen on a single dive, and whether those sightings were of one or a few sharks, or as many as perhaps 50 at a time. While I didn’t make it to Fakarava’s South Pass (more on that later), there you can see a “wall” of hundreds of predominantly grey reef sharks at a time due to the narrowness of that pass. My dives in Fakarava’s North Pass and Rangiroa’s Tiputa Pass were at times not all that different from the linked video in terms of shark density, although the density at the 1:40 minute mark in the video exceeds what I saw at the Tiputa and Fakarava North passes. There are no baited “shark dives” in French Polynesia as the practice has now been banned, but they’re everywhere so there’s no need to bait them.

There are some species of sharks that sightings of are going to be very much dependent on the location and/or season. For example, sightings of the shy and elusive great hammerhead (the crème de la crème of shark sightings for the area), are going to be heavily dependent on both location and season. Rangiroa and Tikehau in the Tuamotus are where you go during hammerhead season if you want the best chance of spotting them.

Tiger shark encounters are going to be very location dependent. While I unfortunately didn’t spot any tiger sharks on my dives, there were very recent sightings in Rangiroa, where, like Tikehau, your chances are significantly higher of seeing one than in Fakarava, where it’s more like a once every two-month occurrence.

On my dives, the grey reef sharks were ubiquitous. There are hundreds of them at a time in and around the passes of Rangiroa and Fakarava. Fakarava is thought to host the largest population of grey reef sharks in the world. These remind me of Caribbean reef sharks, although they only grow to a maximum of 7 3/4 feet in length. The blacktip reef sharks can be numerous in places as well but tend to stick to the shallower waters of the reefs and lagoons -- not seen so much in the passes. There were also quite a few sightings of the darker, more tube-like whitetip reef sharks that I’ve seen elsewhere in the Pacific, which at times when not free swimming can be found resting on the bottom of the sea floor, like the tawny nurse sharks seen on a few occasions.

One might also encounter silvertip sharks, as I did several times, including a group of ~20. These are distinguishable by the white tips on 1st dorsal, pectoral, and tail fin lobes, and can grow to a maximum of 10 feet in length.

Other possible shark sightings in French Polynesian waters include sicklefin lemon, oceanic whitetip, oceanic blacktip, shortfin mako, longfin mako, galapagos, and thresher sharks, but none of these made an appearance on my dives.

As far as other marine life I encountered, there were several bottlenose dolphin encounters during our morning reef dives in Rangiroa. They were also seen from the boat in Fakarava, but if you want up close encounters with dolphins underwater, Rangiroa is where you want to go, where there is a colony of ~30 bottlenose dolphins. How much interaction you have with the dolphins is completely up to them – they are too fast to try and chase – but there is the potential that they will stick around, and you will be chosen for some special attention. In my case, they didn’t hang around long – some quick flybys by one or a few of them to check us out before they were off to do dolphin things.

The multiple reef manta encounters during the morning reef dives in Fakarava were simply magical. One of many firsts for me on this trip. These large, majestic black and white rays resemble the giant oceanic mantas, but only have a maximum wingspan of 16 ½ feet. Spotted eagle rays also made a few appearances.

I did see the occasional great barracuda, but much more often it was the smaller brass striped “heller”, and blackfin “chevron” barracudas that both appeared in large schools. Seeing barracudas in large schools like this was a new and quite memorable experience for me, as were the large schools of fast-swimming yellowfin tuna. The groupers on the other hand were not present in schools and were of the marbled or camouflage type.

Most of the moray eels resembled the green morays you see in the Caribbean, but there was at least one other if not more than one other variety spotted, although I’m unsure of the species. There are 23 distinct types of morays in these waters!

On the reefs were many butterfly, angel, spade, damsel, surgeon and tang fish of all sizes, shapes and colors. There were lots of trumpetfish on every dive, along with the similarly shaped cornetfish. The trumpetfish came in several varieties, including a bright yellow which I had not seen before. Speaking of yellow, being completely enveloped by a large school of yellow goatfish was one of the highlights of one of my dives. Porcupine fish and flounder were common, as were pectoral swimmers like parrotfish and wrasse. The Napoleon Humphead Wrasse here are very colorful and grow to enormous size (max of 5 ½ feet). The leaf scorpionfish were not nearly as common, but the few seen were a big crowd pleaser, as was the single stonefish sighting. The snapper was of several different types and seen in extremely large schools, as were glasseyes. There were a few small lionfish, but not many, and I was told they are of a different type than those in the Caribbean. And who could forget the remora in Fakarava that took a liking to me and followed me around on a couple of dives.

Other interesting creatures include the largest sea anemone I’ve ever seen, measuring perhaps 4 feet in diameter and host to several clownfish. Also, in Fakarava were giant clams, tiny shrimp, and a variety of colorful nudibranch that the dive guides were good at spotting.

In no way is this meant to be an exhaustive list of all the marine life I encountered, but it does cover what I was able to identify and find most notable.

I found this video shot in some of the same places I visited which does a good job of capturing what diving in the Tuamotus is like.

(To be continued.)

 

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The lagoons of the Tuamotus are good places for snorkeling, since they tend to be calmer than the choppier ocean side of the atolls with their swells and pounding surfs, and the water in the shallows of the lagoons is crystal-clear. On Rangiroa for example, day trips to the “Blue Lagoon” are available, where the water is shallow enough to walk in, sometimes no deeper than just above ankle high. It’s also a nursery for blacktip reef sharks, with lemon sharks present as well. While my schedule didn’t allow for a full day trip there, here is a video of what the Blue Lagoon is like, with some additional footage of dolphin acrobatics on the outgoing current at Tiputa Pass: Blue Lagoon & The Tiputa Pass.

If snorkeling with whales appeals to you, the Society and Austral Islands are in the migratory path of humpback whales. In particular, the islands of Moorea and Rurutu are the best places to have the opportunity to snorkel with these whales, assuming you’re visiting during the months of July/August - November. Moorea in the Society Islands is right next to and a ferry ride away from the main island of Tahiti, which is where your international flight from the United States to French Polynesia will initially take you. It wouldn’t be difficult to incorporate Moorea into a trip that also includes the Tuamotus. Rurutu is further south in the Austral Islands, which makes a trip that also includes that island as a destination more difficult. As for me, the whales will have to wait for another trip.

After you’ve experienced the Tuamotus, a subsequent scuba diving trip to French Polynesia might involve the Marquesas, which are a 5-hour flight from Pape'etē. The diving there would be different: wilder, rocky coastlines instead of reefs, less visibility, bigger sharks. The mountainous topside geography would also be more interesting compared to the flat, low-lying strips of land that make up the atolls of the Tuamotus. One word of caution: there's someone running dive charters in the Marquesas that has had either 13 or 18 trips (can't recall which) to a hyperbaric chamber. I have a contact that I can find out more details about that if needed.

What Sort of Diving Can You Expect?

My dives were all drift dives with entry from a boat. The reef dives in the morning in terms of currents were easy to moderate and would be fine for beginner divers. Those with only Open Water certifications will be limited to depths of 20 meters (66 feet), which is not a bad depth for visibility of the top and bottom of the reef, as well as out into the deep blue. Depths of up to 30 meters (98 feet) are allowed for those with Advanced Open Water certifications. Supposedly, Rescue Diver certification is required for dives deeper than 100 feet, although I did not find this to be as rigorously enforced as the 20-meter (66 feet) restriction on Open Water divers. My deepest dive was to a max of 115 feet.

The afternoon dives “shooting the pass” on a slack or incoming tide were epic drift dives, with currents that were at times strong and even ripping, depending on conditions and your path through the pass. There were no beginner divers on these dives. For one, the dives typically began deeper than the 20 meters of depth allowed with an Open Water certification, but also, the currents potentially encountered make them more of an advanced dive. I would advise stiff fins that are good in current as opposed to say split fins. Many of the diving professionals here tend to favor the longer, more freediving-style fins.

I’d be concerned not only for beginners on these “shooting the pass” dives, but also for anyone not used to or comfortable in strong or ripping currents, or anyone with health concerns. I’m in top cardiopulmonary fitness, but there were still a couple of times when I found myself breathing heavily and sucking down my tank at a significantly accelerated rate from the exertion of dealing with the currents. At other times, you are simply flying along with the current, or have found a place to hide from the current, or have found something (hopefully inert) to hold onto, and there’s not a lot of exertion. I’ll have more detail in a subsequent post.

The water temperature during my dives was consistently around 81 - 82°F, which was the average, with a few times when the temperature registered by my dive computer briefly dropped to 78 - 80°F. A full 3 mm wetsuit suited me fine, as much or more for protection of bare skin while “shooting the pass” as for thermal protection. I also wore gloves on the afternoon pass dives for the same reason. Reef hooks aren’t used here.

The air temperature during my dives stayed in a tight band of 81 - 84°F. There is the potential to get a little chilly after dives, as you’re racing across the mostly flat lagoon, especially if it’s windy and raining.

Sea conditions were mostly calm and flat in the lagoons, although the water in the Rangiroa lagoon was moving pretty good when I first arrived there. The ocean side of the atolls -- where all dives started and some dives ended as well -- was choppier, with swells large enough at times to get the dive boat rocking during exit and entry.

Although the water visibility can be quite good, it’s not all fishbowl diving, especially out in the deeper water on the ocean side of the atolls, where I had some of my most memorable encounters. Visibility on my dives ranged from very good to not so good, depending on location and conditions.

The tanks used for my dives were all Aluminum 80s, with EANx mixes of 25 – 29% in Rangiroa, with one of my dives there on air when I had to switch in the morning to another dive shop. EANx in Rangiroa had only recently become available again after not having any available for several months, and they were still working their way up to richer mixes after repairs. All my dives in Fakarava utilized 35% EANx.

(To be continued.)

 

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Tahiti, 12/9 – 12/10, 12/19, 2023

Tahiti has much to offer I’m sure, but since I was only there overnight in the capital city of Pape'etē as a stopover on my way to Rangiroa, and again during a long layover at Faa’a International Airport waiting for my overnight flight back to LAX and home, this section of the report will be brief.

Most of French Polynesia’s population lives on Tahiti, concentrated around the city of Pape'etē and along the coast. The interior of the island is mostly uninhabited.

Tahiti was formed more than 1 million years ago by 2 or 3 shield volcanoes, and at 403 square miles, accounts for almost a third of French Polynesia’s land area. It’s made up of 2 distinct circular sections – the larger, western section of Tahiti Nui, and the smaller, eastern section of Tahiti Iti – which are joined at the isthmus of Taravao.

Tahiti Nui features the peaks of Mt. Orohena and Mt. Aorai, at 7,352 feet and 6,778 feet, respectively. The northeast coast is rugged and rocky and lacks a barrier reef. Several villages there lie on a narrow strip between the mountains and the pounding ocean surf. The south coast in contrast is wider and gentle with large gardens and coconut groves, and a barrier reef that allows for the formation of some tranquil lagoons.

Tahiti Iti is a few hundred thousand years younger than Tahiti Nui and features Mt. Rooniu (4,340 ft) and black beaches of volcanic sand.

Hilton Hotel Tahiti

My overnight accommodations at the Hilton Hotel Tahiti, less than 10 minutes by taxi away from and east of Faa’a International Airport, is located on the water. It was a nice property with a large, open-air lobby, lush grounds, nice views of the bay and the nearby island of Moorea, and several restaurant and bar options on site. There’s also an outdoor pool, spa, fitness center, and business center.

Although it’s pricey at 6,000 CFP (~$54), I can recommend the expanded breakfast buffet offered on Saturdays and Sundays at the overwater Moevai restaurant.

Looking toward the Hilton Tahiti’s entrance with Mt. Orohena and Mt. Aorai in the background:

View of the bay from the balcony of my hotel room:

View from the Hilton Tahiti’s pier, with the nearby island of Moorea in the background:

View of the Hilton Tahiti’s outdoor pool with the bay in the background:

A room with a balcony and an ocean view at the Hilton Tahiti set me back $347 for the evening. As far as accommodations in Pape'etē go, there are considerably cheaper options available (as well as pricier), but for me it was a nice way to begin my time in French Polynesia and to set the tone for the remainder of the trip.

(To be continued.)

 

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Rangiroa Atoll, 12/10 – 12/15, 2023

Rangiroa (Tuamotuan for “vast” or “immense” sky) is located 186 miles northeast of Tahiti, or approximately 1 hour by air. This atoll, rising only 10 feet above sea level, is what remains of a volcanic island formed millions of years ago in which the center landmass has receded into the sea, leaving the circular outer reef formed by centuries of coral build-up surrounding a central shallow lagoon.

It is the largest and most populous of the Tuamotu Archipelago’s 78 atolls, which in turn make up the largest group of coral atolls in the world. As previously mentioned, Rangiroa also has the distinction of being the third largest atoll in the world – large enough to fit the entire island of Tahiti within its boundaries.

Rangiroa’s 393 square mile lagoon – 48 miles long by 15 miles wide by 139 miles around – with a maximum depth of 115 feet, is encircled by over 240 small islets or “motus.”

With a total land area of 66 square miles, Rangiroa is home to about 2,500 people who live on 2 of the islets/motus at the northern end of the atoll – Avatoru and Tuputa – which are the only motus that are permanently inhabited and where villages by the same name are located. These narrow strips of land are only 980 – 1,640 feet wide.

The Avatoru and Tiputa passes make Rangiroa one of the Tuamotus’ 21 atolls that have at least one pass connecting their inner lagoon to the ocean.

Avatoru village on Avatoru Pass is at the west end of Motu Avatoru, about 3.7 miles away from the airport. A paved 6.2-mile road runs east from Avatoru past the airport to Tiputa Pass. Ohotu Wharf at the edge of this pass is where taxi boats run to Motu Tiputa across the Tiputa Pass. The village of Tiputa is where most of the motu’s residents are settled.

Both Avatoru and Tiputa have small stores. The medical center, gendarmerie, college, marine research center and most of the atoll’s churches are in Avatoru. Tiputa is a more traditional, less touristy village, and where the school is located. Most accommodations face the calmer lagoon rather than the windy sea, and large ships can enter the lagoon through either pass.

Accommodations

The two main hotels on Rangiroa are the Hotel Kia Ora Resort and Spa, located on the east end of Motu Avatoru and the Hotel Maitai Rangiroa across from the airport, both of which are located on the lagoon side of the atoll. Hotel Kia Ora is the pricier of the 2 hotels by a significant margin. There is also the small, boutique family-owned hotel Les Relais de Joséphine located on the edge of the Tiputa Pass, with a nice restaurant that makes a perfect gathering spot for dolphin watching.

For those looking for a more remote experience, on the other side of the lagoon on the Motu Faama part of Rangiroa is the sister property to Hotel Kia Ora – Kia Ora Sauvage – which is essentially a private island featuring beach front bungalows and more basic accommodations.

As an alternative to the larger, more hotel-like accommodations, there are also a small number of family-owned and run guest houses or “pensions” available, which include options for the more budget-minded, including places advertising off-season rates under $100 per night. Pro-tip: if there is no mention of air conditioning, then the property almost certainly lacks one; best to verify if that’s important to you. The importance of air conditioning comes down to personal preference and the time of year you’re visiting. Are you visiting during the peak of the austral summer? During the coldest months of the dry season?

Hotel Kia Ora

As for my stay, I spent 5 nights at the Hotel Kia Ora, which features 60 bungalows located along the beach and in the coconut grove of the hotel. These include beach and deluxe beach bungalows, villas, junior suites, and overwater bungalows that can each accommodate up to 3 adults, duplex beach bungalows that can accommodate up to 4 adults, and family suites that can accommodate up to 5 adults. All the bungalows include a terrace, and all but the overwater bungalows have either a private whirlpool or swimming pool.

The property has a restaurant Te Rairoa on site, which serves as the main dining room, and the overwater Miki Miki bar with a more limited menu. Also located on site is a spa, fitness center, dive shop, and a billiards room with a library. Bicycles, cars, and kayaks are available for rent.

I stayed in one of their beach bungalows, which is the cheapest of their offerings but by no means cheap at $542 per night (including taxes and fees). A breakfast buffet was included in the price, but the $21 for transfers to and from the airport was not.

Hotel Kia Ora entrance with the open-air lobby in the background:

Beach bungalow #5 on the right was where I stayed:

Inside beach bungalow #5:

The whirlpool on the back terrace of beach bungalow #5 served well as an after-diving, human rinse tank for cooling off, logging my dives, and watching the sun set in the evenings:

View of the lagoon from the rear of beach bungalow #5:

View of lagoon and overwater bungalows from the rear of beach bungalow #5:

View of the Hotel Kia Ora pier and overwater bar Miki Miki from the rear of beach bungalow #5:

From tranquil lagoon to the pounding surf on the ocean side of the atoll is a very short walk:

Restaurants

You will pay a premium for the convenience of eating lunch and dinner at the Kia Ora resort. For example, multi-course, gourmet dinners offering a variety of French and Tahitian-style dishes at Te Rairoa ran me $79 per night on average. I found the food at the restaurant for breakfast and dinner very good, but I’m by no means a foodie or a picky eater. I typically skip lunch when I’m diving, so I can’t comment on the restaurant’s lunch offerings, and I did not eat any of my meals at the Miki Miki bar.

If you’re willing to give forgo some convenience and walk or drive a short distance – easier said than done after multiple dives and “shooting the pass” – there are cheaper restaurant options nearby. There’s the restaurant at the hotel Les Relais de Joséphine that I mentioned earlier, which I regret not visiting, and several small restaurants aka “snacks” offering a variety of cuisine. If you are staying at one of the family-owned pensions, then there is the potential for home-cooked meals, and I assume the small store in Avatoru has food available.

(To be continued.)

 

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Scuba Diving in Rangiroa

The star of the show here is the Passe de Tiputa (Tiputa Pass):

All the diving I did while on Rangiroa was done in and around this pass. Each high tide creates a strong incoming current, which offers scuba divers an opportunity for a potentially fast-moving drift dive through the pass, known as “shooting the pass.” During low tide and a strong outgoing current, dives are typically done along the reef on the ocean side of Motu Tiputa.

While the current is flowing inward through the pass, as many as 200 sharks, predominantly grey reef, gather at the entrance to the pass at a depth of ~160 feet. I also saw blacktip and whitetip reef sharks in and around this pass. Hammerheads and tiger sharks are more likely to be seen during the summer months of December – April. In January, large numbers of stingrays gather in Tiputa Pass, which brings in the hammerheads which feed on them.

I booked 17 dives in advance of my trip with Top Dive, which has been in business since 1998 and has diving centers in Tahiti, Bora Bora, Rangiroa, Fakarava North, and Fakarava South. This was a multi-dive inter-islands pass that could have been applied to any of their dive centers. The cost worked out to ~$84 per dive, which includes nitrox but not tips. Between the diving I did in Rangiroa and Fakarava North, Top Dive was able to deliver on all 17 dives, although one morning they sub-contracted out a dive to Rangiroa Plongee.

Top Dive’s dive center in Rangiroa is conveniently located right next and to the west of Hotel Kia Ora. They have their own pier, which is a little over half a mile and a boat ride of a few minutes from Tiputa Pass. Their two semi-rigid dive boats at this center are capable of handling 14 and 10 divers, respectively. During surface intervals, I would make use of Top Dive’s rinse tanks and leave most of my gear at their shop. Although they offered to pick me up in a vehicle before my scheduled dives, I chose to walk the few minutes along the beach to their shop.

My 8 dives in Rangiroa over 4 days consisted of 2 dives per day – typically a morning reef dive and an afternoon pass dive. During the morning reef dives on the ocean side of Tiputa, the current was mild to moderate, with an increasing current and surge as you approached the pass. The strength of the current in the morning as you approached the pass determined how far into the pass while keeping to the reef you were able to travel before turning the dive.

Bathymetric Map of Tiputa Pass (depth in meters):

The afternoon dives during a slack or incoming tide started in the open ocean where the bottom depth was 180 – 200 feet (top right corner, above map) and oriented towards the mouth of the pass. Since large numbers of sharks congregate along the bottom in front of the mouth of the pass, these dives start deeper than the reef dives. Progressing towards the mouth of the pass leads to increasingly shallower water and stronger currents, up to ripping currents in certain spots and around certain features, depending on conditions.

Dive plans were either for the left (east) side through the pass, or the right (west) side through the pass. Taking the leftward (eastward) route, just after midway through the pass where the bottom depth is 49 – 72 feet, a couple of canyons running perpendicular to the pass offer some protection from the currents and a place where lots of fish are hanging out. It’s also known as a place for potentially spotting the bigger and more elusive tiger and hammerhead sharks.

Along the right (west) edge of the pass can be found “caves”, or at least that’s what the folks at Top Dive referred to them as. The one afternoon dive spent trying to find these caves didn’t work out as planned (more on that later), but my guess is that these are more likely small caverns. This more western route through the pass also positions you to end your dive near a small island Nui Nui just inside the lagoon, where to the right (west) of the island is a site known as The Aquarium, which is also a good spot for snorkeling. To the left (east) of the island is white sands, where, based on recent sightings, you might spot a manta ray or tiger shark.

As a preface to the following detail on individual dives, I’m not going to recount every parrotfish, wrasse, porcupinefish or trumpetfish seen, which, like the smaller, colorful reef fish, were frequently see and/or seen in great abundance. Ditto the small handful of lionfish sightings. I will highlight a few notable things about each dive.

Monday, 12/11, Dive Day 1

11:04 AM – Morning Reef Dive

Length: 61 minutes
Max Depth: 79.3 feet
Average Depth: 46.5 feet
Water Temperature: 82°F
Air Temperature: 84°F
Gas: EANx 27%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable:

First time ever encountering large schools of barracuda, which I originally thought were the juvenile form of barracuda I was used to seeing in the Caribbean but turned out to be a smaller Indo-Pacific species known as brass striped barracuda (Sphyraena helleri), which can grow to 2 ½ feet.

There were also several huge schools of what I was informed were Perche pegaie, which were spawning. These large schools were seen on every morning reef dive, which I will refrain from repeating.

Sharks patrolling the reef: grey reef, blacktip reef, and whitetip reef.

A spotted eagle ray and moray eel (species unknown) made an appearance.

3:06 PM – Afternoon Reef Dive

Length: 46 minutes
Max Depth: 96.8 feet
Average Depth: 55 feet
Water Temperature: 82°F
Air Temperature: 83°F
Gas: EANx 25%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable:

A moment forever etched on my memory occurred during this dive, which happened early in the dive while spending some time out in the blue in deeper water before heading in towards the reef. At one point, the dive guide pointed above my head to a large school of blackfin or blacktail “chevron” barracuda (Sphyraena genie), which is another Indo-Pacific species new to me that can grow to 4 ½ feet. Before I knew it, this school of barracuda had surrounded me and was now circling me instead of my bubbles above me that it turns out they were initially attracted to. Was it my imagination that the circle around me seemed to be getting tighter and tighter? What are they up to? Sizing me up? As I was busy being mesmerized by this barracuda tornedo, a large, fast-moving dark shape darted from behind me and zoomed by a few feet to the left of me, which gave me quite a surprise. What I thought was a large shark for a split-second was my first underwater encounter with a (bottlenose) dolphin! 2 more bottlenose dolphins made an appearance towards the end of the dive.

Sharks patrolling the reef: grey reef, blacktip reef.

This dive was shorter due to what I assumed was a beginner diver who was there with his friend/girlfriend/wife; she seemed to be the stronger, more experienced, and more enthusiastic diver. The diver in question was initially having difficulty descending, which turned into what I assumed was some sort of anxiety-related issue that included difficulty breathing. Regardless, the dive guide assisted while the distressed diver’s partner and I hung out for a while at depth and then resurfaced upon request. After the dive guide did a good job preventing the distressed diver from bolting to the surface, and getting him back on the boat, we descended again without him and restarted the dive.

Tuesday, 12/12, Dive Day 2

10:55 AM – Morning Reef Dive

Length: 61 minutes
Max Depth: 79.9 feet
Average Depth: 53 feet
Water Temperature: 82°F
Air Temperature: 82°F
Gas: EANx 27%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable:

The diver who was having issues the previous afternoon was able to join us on this dive. Whatever the issues were, he seemed to have them sorted out.

This dive featured more large schools of blackfin “chevron” barracudas.

Sharks patrolling the reef: whitetip reef.

First flounder sightings, along with another eagle ray.

2:48 PM – Shoot the Tiputa Pass

Length: 57 minutes
Max Depth: 101.5 feet
Average Depth: 58.1 feet
Water Temperature: 81 - 82°F
Air Temperature: 81°F
Gas: EANx 27%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable:

More large schools of blackfin “chevron” barracuda and flounder sightings.

Our dive plan for shooting the pass was based on the leftward (eastward) route and a stop along the way in the canyons. The strong currents and ripping currents around the canyons made for an exhilarating dive.

Many sharks along the seabed as we approached the mouth of the pass – mostly grey reef and some blacktip reef. The larger silvertip sharks make their first appearance; yet another first for me.

I did incur 1 minute of deco (at 10 feet) at 37 minutes into the dive that resolved on its own at 42 minutes into the dive after ascending to 38 feet. I use a Shearwater Perdix 2 as my primary computer with default settings. A richer EANx mix would have helped on these dives that involved shooting the pass, which became even more apparent on a subsequent dive. I should note that there are places where I have dived where this deco obligation would have, if known, resulted in a stern talking to and probably having to sit out a dive or more. Rangiroa is not one of those places, as would also become more apparent.

(To be continued.)

 

[Tumblin' Dice]

Wednesday, 12/13, Dive Day 3

8:27 AM – Morning Reef Dive

Length: 53 minutes
Max Depth: 81.1 feet
Average Depth: 45.7 feet
Water Temperature: 82°F
Air Temperature: 81°F
Gas: Air
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable:

I did this morning dive on air with a different dive shop a short distance away, Rangiroa Plongee, that sent a van to pick me up in the morning at my hotel. This dive shop does not have or make use of a pier, but it’s a short walk from their shop to the beach and their semi-rigid boat.

The dive guide had led a dive the previous morning in this area where a tiger shark was spotted towards the end of the dive near the pass, and we were all hoping for a repeat performance.

More encounters with bottlenose dolphin, schools of brass striped and blackfin barracuda, and the common grey reef, blacktip reef and whitetip reef sharks. No tiger sharks, however.

I started noticing schools of yellowfin tuna for the first time on this dive.

2:28 PM – Shoot the Tiputa Pass

Length: 59 minutes
Max Depth: 111.5 feet
Average Depth: 59.0 feet
Water Temperature: 80 - 82°F
Air Temperature: 84°F
Gas: EANx 27%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable:

For this dive, it’s just me and a couple of the dive guides that work for Top Dive, and it’s a good illustration of how not every dive in this hobby of ours goes according to plan. The dive plan was to take the more rightward (westward) route through the pass and find the “caves” along that edge, where sharks and other fish like to hang out. We wanted to end up towards the end of the dive to the left (east) of Nui Nui island in the white sand area, in hopes of spotting a tiger shark or manta ray. That’s not at all what happened.

The dive begins with another unforgettable moment out in blue when we’re dropped into the middle of a large school of fast-swimming yellowfin tuna, with a couple of grey reef sharks swimming amongst them to add even more excitement to moment, as did the large schools of brass striped and blackfin barracuda seen right after.

Towards the end of the dive, the dive guide stated he caught a glimpse of “something big” that he determined was not a hammerhead shark. Tiger shark? That was the assumption. I had to be content with the grey reef, blacktip reef and whitetip reef sharks that all made their regular and by now expected appearance, and the triggerfish and stonefish sightings.

As far as things not going to plan, this is my second dive of the day, with my earlier dive on air, but the first dive of the day for my dive buddies. What I don’t yet realize, and I don’t recall it being communicated to me, incurring a few minutes of deco obligation while shooting the pass is routine for these dives and part of the plan. This may have been due to the nitrox scarcity they had been dealing with in Rangiroa, but regardless, I’m not used to or trained for the type of deco dive profiles I’m being led on, even though I’m well familiar with my computer and how to follow its deco instructions. Besides this trip, the only other time in what is now 124 logged dives when I’ve tripped a deco obligation alarm is at the Blue Hole in Belize during a 140-foot dive, and that deco obligation quickly resolved on its own during the ascent.

14.5 minutes into the dive the haptic, 5-minute no deco alarm on my Perdix 2 starts going off. This causes me to start managing my deco so I don’t incur any obligations by ascending to 62 feet, which causes me to separate from my buddies who are now below me. To compound things, even though there’s an ongoing transition to high tide and an incoming current, the current is still outgoing on the right (west) side of the pass. Although there are tide tables to consult, timing the tide transitions is not an exact science; it is what it is. Now I’m finning against the current, which I’m guessing was stronger higher up in the water column where I was compared to my dive buddies who were deeper. This causes me to also get even more separated from them as they are not only deeper than me but also ahead of me. Now I’m working even harder against the current to catch up to them and becoming frustrated. They are probably wondering what I’m doing up at what at one point is 38 feet deep and 30 minutes into the dive trying to manage my deco.

As I close the gap with my dive buddies as we approach the mouth of the pass, I descend to where they are at 94 feet deep and incur 1 minute of deco obligation (10 feet), which at one point turns into 2 minutes and back to 1 minute again as the pass becomes shallower and we’re at 38 feet deep 44 minutes into the dive.

There’s more! The visibility is not that good, and as a result we’re off course. There will be no seeing the “caves” on this dive. The incoming currents are strong and ripping at spots at this point in the dive inside the pass, and one of the dive guides keeps trying to steer us in more of a leftward direction, but the currents are too strong to make much lateral progress in that direction. Due to all the exertion up to this point, I’m low on air at 350 PSI, so I ascend to 10 feet and complete my 1-minute of deco obligation at 46.5 minutes into the dive at 210 PSI.

I hang out near the surface at 10 – 20 feet for a couple of additional minutes or so as an additional safety stop and prepare to surface. The bottom is at ~10 feet depth at this point and there’s not much current. My dive guide is insistent that I join them on the bottom, which just adds to my frustration as I’m ready to end the dive, but I do join them after some back and forth. He wants us surfacing as a group, so I don’t end up separated from them further out in the lagoon as they complete what turns out to be a 7-minute deco obligation. I start sharing my dive guide’s air when my tank is at < 50 PSI and wait on them until they’re ready to surface. At the surface, I manually inflate my BCD via lung power, and we wait for the boat to pick us up.

There were times during the dive when my SAC rate was spiking to 31 – 37 PSI due to all the exertion, with extended periods above 27 PSI, whereas during the easier diving during the trip it was staying in a tighter band and averaging 13 – 16 PSI/minute.

Although this was not an easy dive, there was never a time that I was too concerned, and I was aware of everything that was happening at all times. However, this was a dive that took me out of my comfort zone and was a cause of some frustration. Upon reflection, there was a lack of communication from both sides both before and during the dive and room for improvement, which I proceeded to immediately sort out after the dive. The remainder of my dives for this trip went as planned and there were no more issues.

Thursday, 12/14, Dive Day 4

10:58 AM – Morning Reef Dive

Length: 58 minutes
Max Depth: 68.2 feet
Average Depth: 40.8 feet
Water Temperature: 82 - 83°F
Air Temperature: 84°F
Gas: EANx 25%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable:

A couple of more bottlenose dolphin encounters, as well as more schools of barracudas and yellowfin tuna.

I started to notice some marbled groupers for the first time on this dive and saw the first of what would be several leaf scorpionfish sightings on this trip. Another stonefish and additional triggerfish seen.

2:32 PM – Shoot the Tiputa Pass

Length: 47 minutes
Max Depth: 115.0 feet
Average Depth: 60.9 feet
Water Temperature: 82 - 83°F
Air Temperature: 84°F
Gas: EANx 26%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable: Another dive where it was just me and people who worked for Top Dive, although not all of us were following the same dive plan. My dive guide and I ended up making it all the way through the pass and to the left (east) of Nui Nui island to the white sand area, while the other divers went off to do their own thing. The communication between me and my dive guide was a lot tighter on this dive, and we managed to not get separated like the previous afternoon. Overall things went very smoothly. I did again incur 1 minute of deco obligation, this time 19 minutes into the dive, but it was expected, part of the plan, and the alarm resolved on its own after we ascended to 33 feet entering the pass.

The most notable thing about this dive was the density of sharks; mostly grey reef. At one point I counted around 50 sharks within my range of visibility in one direction, although by extrapolating there must have been hundreds in the area at the time.

(To be continued. Next up to conclude this trip report I’ll cover my time on the Fakarava Atoll.)

 

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Fakarava Atoll, 12/15 – 12/19, 2023

Fakarava is the second-largest atoll (behind Rangiroa) in the Tuamotus. It lies in the center of the archipelago, about 155 miles southeast of Rangiroa and 270 miles northeast of Tahiti. By plane, this puts it 45 minutes from Rangiroa and 75 minutes from Tahiti.

Fakarava’s 80 small islets (motus) surround a 429 square-mile lagoon that is 37 miles long by 15 miles wide, with a maximum depth of 196 feet.

Fakarava’s 9 square-miles of land area is home to 900 people, who primarily live in the village of Rotoava located on the largest motu at the northern end of the atoll.

Like Rangiroa, Fakarava is bisected by 2 passes: Passe Garuae is on the north end of the atoll near Rotoava village, and the Passe Tumakohua, which is 33 miles to the south.

Rotoava is 2.5 miles east of the airport and is where most of Fakarava’s accommodations, restaurants, dive centers and tour operators are located. There’s an 18-mile road that runs from the edge of the Garuae (North) Pass to the south side of this main motu. There’s also tiny Tetamanu Village located at the edge of the Tumakohua (South) Pass.

Rotoava Village from the air:

Fakarava from the air:

In 1977, UNESCO established the 1,030 square miles Fakarava Biosphere Reserve. In addition to Fakarava, it also includes the atolls of Aratika, Kauehi, Niau, Raraka, Taiaro, and Toau. These atolls are all distinct and biologically diverse from one another, from hypersaline and brackish lagoons to lagoons that receive large water flows from the open ocean. Taiaro is the world’s only atoll with a completely closed lagoon, and Niau features a kingfisher that is endemic to that atoll. These protected biospheres are also home to rare crustaceans, including squills and sea cicadas.

It's worth mentioning that the dive cruise circuits offered by AquaPolynesie mentioned earlier in this report include stops at the Aratika, Kauehi and Toau atolls.

Accommodations

In the north on the main motu, you have Havaiki Lodge, which is one of Fakarava’s largest accommodations with 15 bungalows. It may be as far as I can determine the only place to stay on Fakarava offering air conditioning. Other options include Fafapiti Lodge, Vaiama Village, Relais Marama, and Kori Kori Lodge.

In the south there’s Tetamanu Village located within view of Tumakohua Pass in the old village of Tetamanu, where the first church in the Tuamotus was built. There’s also Raimiti, located on its own motu and a 20-minute boat ride away from Tumakohua Pass.

Checking sites such as Airbnb might open some other possibilities for places to stay.

The accommodations in Fakarava South are few and basic compared to Fakarava North, which poses a dilemma for scuba divers looking to dive both the North and South passes. You can roll the dice as I did and choose to stay in the north, in the hopes that a 2-dive day trip with lunch to Fakarava South becomes available, depending on conditions and a minimum number of people per trip to justify the ~1.5-hour boat ride. Alternatively, you can choose to spend 1 or more nights of your stay in Fakarava South. I chose to spend all of my nights in Fakarava North, but the planned day trip to the south didn’t pan out.

Restaurants

In the north there’s Rotoava Grill, where you can see reef sharks cruising the waters near the restaurant’s dock. There’s also the Meko Bar, which is the on-site restaurant and bar for the Havaiki Lodge. These two restaurants may be the only proper ones on the atoll, although there are smaller “snacks” such as Snack Elda, and Snack Korikori located at the Kori Kori Lodge.

Catamaran Itemata

My original plan to stay at Havaiki Lodge didn’t work out since I was in Fakarava during the time they close for the year. This was a blessing in disguise as I did something completely different, which was to stay on the Catamaran Itemata, which is a 60-foot catamaran anchored just off the village of Rotoava.

The Itemata is owned by a lovely French couple – Jean-Marie and Frédérique – who I hit it off with immediately. Between them they have many years of experience in the diving industry, including the operation of dive cruises in French Polynesia, which they stopped doing in late 2022. They were a wealth of information on not just area diving but French Polynesia in general, which made for interesting and informative mealtime conversation.

You couldn’t have asked for a better setup for diving. Top Dive picked me up from and dropped me off right there on the boat, and the diving was a short ~10-minute boat ride away. I was doing 3 dives per day at this point in my trip, so the convenience of this arrangement was ideal. Although Jean-Marie and Fredi are available to ferry you to the nearby village of Rotoava whenever needed, I spent the entire time on the boat (when not diving).

As for meals, I ate all my meals including breakfast and dinner on the Itemata. Breakfast was included in the $149 per night I paid for a cabin, which also included taxes and fees. I took Fredi up on her offer of 3,000 CFP (~$27) per night for home-cooked dinners.

Despite the small cabin (as you would expect on a 60-foot boat) and lack of air conditioning, which were quite a contrast to the luxury resort I stayed at on Rangiroa, I really enjoyed the time I spent on the Itemata with Jean-Marie and Fredi. I told Fredi, only half-jokingly, that I was going to come live with them in the Marquesas, where they plan on building a house. When it came time for this part-time vagabond to head back to Pape'etē and home, I was sad to have to say goodbye to my new friends. Maybe our paths will cross again one day.

View of Rotoava Village at dusk from Catamaran Itemata:

View of Catamaran Itemata from a drone:

Catamaran Itemata layout:

(To be continued)

 

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Scuba Diving in Fakarava

Similar to Rangiroa, the scuba diving in Fakarava typically occurs in and around one of the passes.

Passe Garuae (North Pass), with an impressive width of 5,249 feet – just shy of a mile – is the widest pass in French Polynesia. The entry into the pass is a dramatic 1,600 feet deep, which rises to 164 feet at the mouth. No less dramatic is the density of fish in the pass, which is probably the highest in French Polynesia and includes larger species such as sharks and manta rays. There are also dolphins, but I only saw them once from the boat. The currents in the pass can be strong and even ripping, making “shooting the pass” an advanced drift dive.

Passe Tumakohua (South Pass) by contrast is much narrower at 656 feet wide, with an average depth of 66 feet and maximum depth of 131 feet. Featuring many of the same species of fish as can be found in the north, it’s most famous for its “wall of sharks”, which consists of the largest concentration of grey reef sharks ever observed anywhere in the world. The currents in the South Pass are weaker by far in comparison to the North Pass, making “shooting the pass” a more suitable drift dive for newer divers.

As previously mentioned, my planned day trip to the South Pass didn’t happen, so the remainder of this report will focus on my dives in the north, which included morning dives along the ocean-facing reef to the east of the pass during an outgoing tide, and afternoon dives through the pass on a slack or incoming tide.

Garuae Pass:

Bathymetric Map of Garuae Pass (depth in meters):

Saturday, 12/16, Dive Day 5

10:20 AM – Morning Reef Dive

Length: 58 minutes
Max Depth: 76.4 feet
Average Depth: 52.4 feet
Water Temperature: 81 - 82°F
Air Temperature: 84°F
Gas: EANx 35%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable: My first ever sightings of manta rays occurred on this dive. These were reef mantas, which are the smaller cousins of and very similar in appearance to the giant oceanic mantas. It was also the first time I’ve ever seen giant clams, and trumpetfish in a bright yellow color.

There were of course the ever-present grey reef sharks, as well as some whitetip reef sharks. Also seen were schools of the same brass striped barracuda that were seen initially seen in Rangiroa.

One of the guides who joined us on this and most of the remainder of the dives was good at spotting colorful nudibranch, and a couple were spotted on this dive.

Like Rangiroa, sightings of parrotfish, napoleon bumphead wrasse, trumpetfish and porcupine fish were frequent – assume for the remainder of this report that they were seen on every dive. Although not seen on every dive, there were also quite a few sea cucumbers and starfish.

12:28 PM – Shoot the Garuae Pass

Length: 51 minutes
Max Depth: 76.6 feet
Average Depth: 57.4 feet
Water Temperature: 81°F
Air Temperature: 84°F
Gas: EANx 35%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable: This was my first dive shooting the North Pass. Early in the dive we set up on one of the ridges overlooking the bottom of the pass and watched as a huge number of grey reef sharks made their way through the pass from the lagoon on their way to the ocean. Whitetip reef sharks were part of the mix here as well.

The grey reef sharks did something on this dive that I hadn’t noticed before, which was swimming with their mouth open; an obvious invitation I soon realized for cleaner fish to do their thing.

The large anemone measuring perhaps 4 feet in diameter and host to several clownfish I mentioned in the introduction to this report was seen on this dive.

Other sightings included triggerfish, flounder and tiny cleaner shrimp.

2:43 PM – Shoot the Garuae Pass

Length: 44 minutes
Max Depth: 77.8 feet
Average Depth: 50.1 feet
Water Temperature: 79 - 81°F
Air Temperature: 84°F
Gas: EANx 35%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable: I had previously written about a dive in Rangiroa that didn’t go as planned and resulted in a lot of unexpected exertion. I commented that the remainder of the dives for the trip went as planned, but I had temporarily forgotten about this one.

One of the highlights of the North Pass is a large canyon that runs perpendicular to the current referred to as Ali Baba. It is a truly amazing spot where you can hide from the strong current amongst the biggest schools of fish I’ve ever seen. These include seemingly endless schools running in all directions of paddle tail snapper, yellow margined snapper and glasseye.

Normally, getting to Ali Baba involves an exhilarating but not too strenuous drift dive with the current. On this dive however, the guide I was paired with got turned around trying to find the canyon, which resulted in both of us climbing hand-over-hand along the bottom of the pass at 50 – 60 feet depth for at least 10 minutes to get back on track. This occurred in ripping current that was way too strong to fin against and made for quite a workout, as evidenced by my SAC rate peaking at one point during the effort at 42 PSI/minute.

The main takeaway is not that currents in French Polynesia can be strong. Strong currents can be fun and exhilarating when you’re drifting with them. The point is that the 2 dives on this trip where things didn’t go as planned put me in situations where those same strong currents were working against me. I’ll assume the reader is familiar with the risks of (over) exertion at depth, but I will say from personal experience a couple of times over 2 years ago when I had much fewer dives under my belt that hypercapnia is no kind of fun.

Additional sightings included grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, and nudibranch.

Sunday, 12/17, Dive Day 6

8:37 AM – Morning Reef Dive

Length: 56 minutes
Max Depth: 88.8 feet
Average Depth: 56.4 feet
Water Temperature: 81 - 82°F
Air Temperature: 84°F
Gas: EANx 35%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable: More reef manta encounters, along with grey reef sharks, marbled grouper, schools of both blackfin and brass striped barracuda, flounder, and leaf scorpion fish.

1:39 PM – Shoot the Garuae Pass

Length: 58 minutes
Max Depth: 81.8 feet
Average Depth: 53.2 feet
Water Temperature: 81 - 82°F
Air Temperature: 83°F
Gas: EANx 35%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable: Since the North Pass is so wide, there are several different ways to dive it. One of the focuses of this dive was a series of what the dive guides referred to “caves” but were actually a series of small caverns and swim throughs where you can find nurse sharks and whitetip reef sharks motionless and chilling out on the sand under the overhangs. The “tawny” nurse sharks here are a different type of nurse shark than those you find in the Caribbean. There’s one here in the pass that is maybe 9+ feet and real fat – one of the largest nurse sharks I’ve ever seen.

Additional sightings included grey reef sharks, schools of both blackfin and brass striped barracuda, a moray eel, nudibranch, and remora that took a liking to me and followed me around during the dive.

3:48 PM – Shoot the Garuae Pass

Length: 55 minutes
Max Depth: 88.9 feet
Average Depth: 59.4 feet
Water Temperature: 79 - 81°F
Air Temperature: 83°F
Gas: EANx 35%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable: Another trip to the Ali Baba canyon and the big schools of snapper and glasseye. In addition to the usual grey and whitetip reef sharks and schools of barracuda, some silvertip sharks made an appearance on this dive.

There were also marbled grouper, nudibranch, and some more friendly remora.

(To be continued)

 

[Tumblin' Dice]

Monday, 12/18, Dive Day 7

9:15 AM – Morning Reef Dive

Length: 60 minutes
Max Depth: 100.5 feet
Average Depth: 54.6 feet
Water Temperature: 81 - 82°F
Air Temperature: 84°F
Gas: EANx 35%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable: I really had good luck in Fakarava with the morning reef manta encounters and this morning’s dive was no exception. Grey reef sharks and schools of brass striped barracuda also showed up along the reef, and the remora were back.

2:44 PM – Shoot the Garuae Pass

Length: 60 minutes
Max Depth: 88.2 feet
Average Depth: 57.2 feet
Water Temperature: 81 - 83°F
Air Temperature: 83°F
Gas: EANx 35%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable: This dive involved another trip to the “caves” and the nurse and whitetip reef sharks found there, but the most memorable part of the dive was when we set up in the sand at ~80 feet on a small ledge overlooking the bottom of the pass and the traffic of grey reef sharks making their way through the pass. The dive guide then breaks out a plastic bottle and a laser pointer. The sound made from squeezing the plastic bottle brought the grey reef sharks closer. The laser pointer was used to get schools of fish chasing the laser dot along the bottom of the pass. The frantic commotion of the schools of fish chasing the laser dot allowed us to see a very different, more hunting type of behavior from the sharks as they reacted to what the fish were doing.

The second most memorable part of this dive was the large school of yellow goatfish that we found that allowed us to maneuver slowly right through the middle of them while remaining no more than a few inches away.

Other notables included a great barracuda, a moray eel, marbled grouper, yellowfin tuna, flounder, and nudibranch.

4:50 PM – Shoot the Garuae Pass

Length: 59 minutes
Max Depth: 90.3 feet
Average Depth: 57.2 feet
Water Temperature: 78 - 81°F
Air Temperature: 83°F
Gas: EANx 35%
Tank: Aluminum 80 cuft

Notable: The last dive of the trip was a sunset dive that started out with us dropping into the middle of a large school of yellowfin tuna, before making our way towards and through the pass and one last visit to the Ali Baba canyon, where the dive guide again created a laser pointer-driven circus of amped up schools of fish and sharks.

Another moray eel was encountered on this dive.

My last dive of the trip was initially supposed to be a night dive, which I was admittedly a little apprehensive about. It’s one thing to encounter sharks in these numbers during the day when their behavior is relaxed. It’s another thing entirely to do so at night when they’re in a hunting mode and visibility is limited.

See this video of a couple of night dives at Fakarava’s South Pass:

SHARK Feeding FRENZY – He Almost Lost a Foot || Night Dive Fakarava

The diving starts at 5:57 if you want to skip ahead, but beforehand there are some really nice clips of the area around the South Pass that are worth checking out. The second dive is when things start to get out of hand when the sharks get into a feeding frenzy. There are sharks bouncing off divers, sharks biting each other, cameras bitten, and a fin temporarily lost to one of the sharks. I noticed that the fins in question were black with bright yellow contrast, which is not the color I would have chosen for that kind of a dive. I wouldn’t be wearing any bright, contrasting colors and would have as little bare skin showing as possible.

I don’t know if the North Pass would have made for a less intense night dive since it’s much wider. Although there are still a lot of sharks, they aren’t found in the same densities.

How many of you would do this sort of night dive? I was down for it, but there was a couple I was diving with at this point in the trip who didn’t want to miss supper at their hotel, so the planned night dive was changed to a sunset dive instead.

Final Thoughts

It's been 5 weeks since I returned home from this trip and I’m still dwelling on the diving. I’ve been tempted to grab an available space this year on one of the AquaPolynesie catamarans to visit some of the other atolls around Fakarava, and maybe include some snorkeling with humpback whales and diving in Moorea. I will most likely end up traveling this year to some new places I’m narrowing in on, but French Polynesia has its hooks in me, and I look forward to a return trip.

 

[Sushi Boy]

Great trip report! Thanks for sharing.