French Polynesia
Comprised of five archipelagos, the Austral, Gambier, Marquesas, Society and Tuamotu Islands, the 35 islands and 83 atolls of French Polynesia are certainly the most famous, and arguably the most beautiful exotic destination on the planet. Officially part of France, the islands offer the traveller a rare mix of exotic paradise with French sophistication. The island groups themselves offer widely differing experiences. The Society Islands which include Moorea and Bora Bora are probably the most famous and certainly the most sophisticated with wonderful hotels offering every luxury to the visitor. At the other end of the spectrum are the Tuamotu Islands which are 78 tiny, remote atolls offering a true Polynesian experience with frontier style diving.
Each Island group in French Polynesia has one or more particular scuba traits or special things that make it different from the rest... Moorea has the shark feeding, humpback whales and turtles... Bora bora has the fantastic lagoon drift dives and Manta Rays. Raiatea has the wrecks, deep lagoon, and octopus dives, etc, etc. In the case of the Tuamotu Islands, not only is the entire chain of atolls the perfect combination of many interesting diving features, but each atoll also has additional attributes all to themselves!
Located over 200 miles north of French Polynesia's Society Islands, the Tuamotu islands is the largest chain of atolls in the world. Geologically speaking, polynesian atolls are the tops of ancient collapsed volcanoes, now consisting of various sized motus (or small islands) surrounded by magnificent rings of coral built up over the centuries. Rangiroa is the largest atoll of the chain. Rangiroa is the place where drift diving or shooting the pass is a daily occurrence. The steady 5 knot current offers an exhilarating dive and the regular scheduled dives are run on a 12 hour cycle so as to get the slack water. Rangiroa dive sites include Napoleon Manta Point, Motu Fara Pass, Mahuta, The Avatoru, Tiputa Aquariums and Tiputa Shark Cave.
All the Tuamotu atolls are surrounded by steep drop offs and cliffs overlooking vast expanses of remote and tropical South Pacific Ocean waters. At the centre of every atoll is a large, relatively calm lagoon fed by just a few passes from the open ocean. Most of the diving action occurs in or near these passes, as these are the spots with an almost continuous water flow resulting from 2 daily tides rushing in and out of the lagoons. These tides are affected by various factors including not only the moon and gravitational pulls of the earth but also the weather and swells of the open ocean just outside the coral fringes. Typical depths within the lagoons average around 20-30 meters, but can be as deep as 100 meters in some places.
In terms of diving, all this means deep and clean ocean waters outside and large quantities of fish of innumerable species in the lagoons. As for visibility, the open ocean is best with clear and clean waters giving superb visibility of hundreds of feet all day long. Within the lagoons, the situation is completely different and constantly changing due to daily plankton build-up and tidal changes. In fact, it can be next to zero in certain places at certain times, with the passes being the only reliable places for non-local divers.
Moorea, the perfect south sea island, is 10 minutes by air or 30 minutes by luxury catamaran from Papeete. Moorea is probably best known for its fish and shark feeding. Dive sites include The Blue Island, Napoleon Plateau offering large 80lb Napoleon fish plus sharks, the Canyon, and Shark Dining Room.
Bora Bora, which many people believe to be the most beautiful place on Earth, is a central emerald island surrounded by a myriad of islets. The colours of the lagoon vary from pale turquoise to deepest cobalt, and the range of depth almost assures you of sighting the gentle manta rays. The reefs are home to a great deal of smaller lagoon dwelling species, and locals can introduce you to the 4.5 foot barracuda named Romeo.
Raiatea-Tahaa, the two sister islands, attract large schools of pelagic fish, Dog-toothed Tuna, Barracuda, Leopard Rays and sometimes Manta Rays when in season. Divers can assist with shark feeding.
Huahine, the garden island, is home to Avafehia Pass, Coral City notable for formations rising 10 foot off the bottom and the 15lb red snapper, Yellow Valley rich in multi-coloured fish, the aquarium for beginners and the dive school. At Huahine you can see giant Jewfish or Black Sea Bass weighing in at 400lbs.
Tikehau was declared to contain the most fish by Jacques Cousteau in 1987. Manihi, famous for its black pearls, has an array of sites offering frequent encounters with Manta Rays, drift dives or the Pass Entrance. 'Grouper City' has a notable aggregation of marbled grouper.
There are basically two seasons: from November through March, the climate is warmer and humid, while from April through October the climate is cooler and drier. The yearly average temperature at Faaa International Airport is 79 degrees. The average water temperature is 79 degrees in the winter, and 84 degrees in the summer.
Getting There:
Air New Zealand (0800 028 4149; Website flies three times a week from Heathrow to Tahiti via Los Angeles. Air Tahiti Nui (01293 596627; email: mailto:airtahitinui@aviareps.co.uk; Website does not fly from London but flies daily from Paris to Tahiti via Los Angeles.Turquoise Holidays (01494 678400; Website, Talpacific (020 8288 8400; Website, Always Pacific (01494 432 747); Elegant Resorts (0870 333 3380); ITC Classics (0870 751 9330); Sunset Faraway (020 7498 9922) and Transpacific (01293 567 722).
Worldwise
International flights are lengthy, arrive into Tahiti, and it is then necessary to take local transport flights to the outer islands. Packages will probably work out cheaper. Long distance flights are rarely pleasant so make sure you build in some “catch up” time. The French influence may mean that food in the tourist centres is well above average but it also means that coupled with the long distances, everything tends to be very expensive. Some hotels, particularly in Bora Bora and Moorea are very popular with honeymoon couples particularly from the U.S.A. and Japan. If you’re not in a romantic mood, choose carefully. French is more widely spoken than English in some areas.
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Bora Bora - Paradise Revisited! by Eddie Clamp
Flying the passes
Sunny and Cher
Whale Whisperers
Scuba Diving Guide to French Polynesia
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