Diving in Polynesia
A wall of hundreds of sharks at Fakarava, Rangiroa dolphins, Tikehau mantas and humpback whales
2 yachts for liveaboard diving, 2 resorts
Polynesia — the wall of hundreds of grey reef sharks in Fakarava’s Tumakohua pass, Tiputa dolphins, Tikehau mantas. Liveaboard schedules and prices.
Why divers come here
- Fakarava south pass Tumakohua — a wall of hundreds of grey reef sharks
- Marbled grouper spawning in June–July — thousands of fish and peak shark activity
- Tiputa pass at Rangiroa — a resident pod of bottlenose dolphins
- Drift diving on the incoming tide with visibility up to 40 metres
- Humpback whales off Rurutu and Moorea from August to October
- Reef manta cleaning stations at Tikehau atoll
What you'll meet underwater
Grey reef sharks (hundreds in the Fakarava pass)
Bottlenose dolphins (resident pod in Tiputa pass, Rangiroa)
Reef manta rays (cleaning stations at Tikehau)
Humpback whales (August–October, Rurutu and Moorea)
Marbled groupers (spawning aggregation in June–July)
Lemon sharks and whitetip reef sharks
Green and hawksbill sea turtles
Napoleon wrasse and schooling barracuda
Photos: credits and licences
- Grey reef sharks (hundreds in the Fakarava pass) — NOAA Photo Library, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bottlenose dolphins (resident pod in Tiputa pass, Rangiroa) — NASA, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Reef manta rays (cleaning stations at Tikehau) — Shiyam ElkCloner, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Humpback whales (August–October, Rurutu and Moorea) — Juan Cruzado Cortés, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Marbled groupers (spawning aggregation in June–July) — Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Lemon sharks and whitetip reef sharks — Albert Kok, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Green and hawksbill sea turtles — Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Napoleon wrasse and schooling barracuda — Julien Bidet for MDC Seamarc, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Practical information
- Best season
May–October (dry season, best visibility), June–July (grouper spawning at Fakarava), August–October (humpback whales)
- Water temperature
- 26–29 °C
- Visibility
- 20–40 m
- Wetsuit
3 mm (5 mm for multiple dives a day and in July–September)
- Experience level
Advanced (strong currents in the passes, drift diving, 30+ logged dives recommended)
- Getting there
Fly to Papeete (PPT) via Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Auckland or Santiago, then take an Air Tahiti domestic flight to Fakarava (FAV) or Rangiroa (RGI), about 1–1.5 hours.
- Airports
Papeete, Tahiti (PPT), Fakarava (FAV), Rangiroa (RGI)
- Visa
French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity and is not part of the Schengen area — a Schengen visa is not valid here.
Many nationalities (EU, UK, US, Canada, Japan, Australia and others) enter visa-free for up to 90 days
everyone else needs a French visa issued specifically for the overseas territories.
Check transit visa requirements for your connecting country as well.
- Climate
Tropical maritime, air 26–31°C year-round, wet season November–April
- Currency
- CFP franc (XPF)
- Language
- French, Tahitian
- Time zone
- UTC-10 (Tahiti and Tuamotu)
Yachts & liveaboards — Polynesia
Aqua Tiki II
Catamaran · Polynesia
18 m · 8 guests · 4 cabins
from 3990 EUR
Aqua Tiki III
Catamaran · Polynesia
20 m · 10 guests · 5 cabins
from 6210 EUR
Yachts for this destination are coming soon — get in touch and we'll find one for you.
Dive resorts — Polynesia
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