Tuamotu (cruise)
Introduction
Part of the French Polynesia archipelago, the Tuamotus are for many divers the ultimate destination, the one where the most amazing dives are expected. Made of 77 atolls and of a single tall island, the Tuamotus are spreading over a length of 1500 km and a width of 500 km, and are among the most isolated islands in the world. Two atolls are especially attractive for divers: Rangiroa, known for its famous pass and offering many accommodations and diving centers, and Fakarava, located more to the east and a perfect gateway for a cruise that will bring divers on more remote spots.
Because crossing the world to finally dive together with other groups at the same time is quite a pity, we are listing here diving sites located on the Fakarava atoll and on the neighbourhood, namely Toau and Kauehi atolls.
A general comment on prices in French Polynesia: they are stiff. A dive itself is one of the most expensive in the world; plus, since everything has to be imported, all products used in the daily life , including food, cost much more than anywhere else. And this is the same on every island of Polynesia. So if you even want to spend time on a tourist area like Moorea or Bora Bora, be ready to spend a lot of money...
Travel facts
Calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 30 | 30 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 30 |
| 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
Infrastructures
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Aquatiki (liveaboard)telephone : 33 (1) 64 90 50 10 (in Europe)fax : 33 (1) 64 90 59 09 (in Europe)address : 4, rue de Quincampoix, 91 640 Fontenay Les Briisemail : aquatiki@aquapolynesie.cominternet : www.aquatiki.comrating : 4 / 4 starscomments :If you could only choose one location to do a liveaboard diving cruise, the Tuamotu archipelago would be the place to select. Of course, there are dive centers located near famous passes, but to be able to dive comfortably on several different atolls, you'll need to choose a cruise. We were immediately amazed over the Aquatiki concept, a 6-passenger catamaran with 3 crew members (skipper, divemaster and cook). Because of its structure, the space available on the boat is considerably greater than on other smaller boat carrying the same number of passengers, and life on board is so much more pleasant.
The Aquatiki is 14 meters long and 7 meters wide, and has two cabins at the bow and one at the stern for passengers, with the last cabin at the stern reserved for the crew. Each cabin has a double bed and a bathroom with shower and toilet. Amidships, a truly enormous living and dining area allows meals to be taken indoor, although the large sundeck means that divers and crew generally prefer to eat outside, all together at the same table. At the bow of the boat, a trampoline - a net stretched between the two keels - allows you to lie down just above the water.
Many cruising boats have sails, but few actually use them. On the Aquatiki, however, Eole is often called upon to ensure the boat's propulsion, thanks to its 80 m2 main sail and 60 m2 genoa. Thus, crossings between atolls - which can happen at night - will be performed using sails. Although the two 38 hp diesel engines can be used if needed.
Apart from diving, other activities available include swimming, waterskiing (extra charge), fishing, sailing, kayaking, and also shore excursions which are offered according to guests' wishes.
Diving Sites
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description :Passe Arikitamirorating : 5.0level : only for advanced divers!
This dive requires careful planning, and is only accessible for a few hours a day. It is important to dive with an incoming current, which will carry the diver from the outside to the inside of the lagoon; an outgoing current is potentially very dangerous, as divers can be swept away by currents plunging very deep after the pass. Lateral currents can also be encountered, in which case the dive becomes a drift dive on the outer drop-off. If conditions are good, a rapid descent to 25 meters from the outside of the pass allows divers to hang on to the stony bottom, where a few sharks are often present. We also encountered a manta ray.
After enjoying this spectacle, divers ascend a few meters and are immediately swept away by the current, which can be very violent. They then follow a canyon 1-3 meters deep, some 18 meters below the surface. Many fish are seen along the way. The canyon finally leads to a small cirque where divers can take shelter from the current. This is truly an aquarium, with an unusual concentration - even by Polynesian standards - of fish, including schools of parrotfish, surgeonfish, hogfish and other angelfish. In the immediate vicinity is the shark arena, a large circus up to 25 metres deep where between 10 and 25 grey sharks circle; skirting the wall, you can get a panoramic view of the whole, until you reach a cave from which, with a flick of the fins, you can swim up a few metres to join the current that will carry divers into the blue for decompression or safety stops. -
description :Passe Tumakohua (entrante) [Fakarava (south) atoll]rating : 5.0level : for advanced divers
When the current is incoming, visibility can be truly fantastic, especially near the surface. Divers begin the dive on a rose-shaped coral bed (Montipora) at around 30 meters; the view of this coral field is particularly impressive, especially on the descent. The first sharks are soon encountered. Continuing towards the interior of the lagoon, a long tongue of white sand is easily identifiable: swimming above this sand, between two coral reefs, is an eery experience. You then arrive at the 'shark promontory', a sandy area where white-tip sharks are often found. Towards the center of the pass, numerous grey sharks can be observed from this promontory. This is one of the largest concentrations of sharks we've seen to date, with more than 50 swimming together!
Following for 10 minutes a slope covered with coral and black sponges, where all the usual reef fauna of the region can be found, we finally arrive at the pontoon of Sane & Anabelle's guesthouse, an aquarium-like place with 1 or 2 napoleons... and of course a few more sharks. It is possible to continue the dive a little further along the coast: the current accelerates as the depth decreases, taking divers to a depth of some 3-4 meters. Plenty of fish, before finally arriving in an area where most of the coral is dead, characterized by the presence of a tree trunk at a depth of 3 meters. This is usually where divers get picked up. -
description :Passe Fakatahuna - Tombant Extérieur [Toau atoll]rating : 4.0
Magnificent dive on the drop-off. Schools of 35 small sharks at 40 meters, a manta, a napoleon and lots of fish. -
description :Passe Tumakohua - Coffre Intérieur Lagon [Fakarava (south) atoll]rating : 4.0depth : 6 m
Below the boat, a night dive at a depth of only 5-6 meters. Note that it is best not to ventur too far from the boat's mooring, as the current in the channel, whether in or out, can be strong. In fact, the boat's crew wasn't too keen on the idea of diving here at night. But this dive proove to be one of the most impressive night dives we've had the chance to make. Not because of the relief or the small fish, but because of the presence of 6-7 grey sharks, constantly circling around the divers. Although small, at less than 1.5 meters long, they are impressive and their eyes shine under the effect of the divers' headlights. We also saw 2 huge moray eels, and numerous other fish, particularly nasons and parrotfish. And note the presence around certain corals of krill that come to stick to the divers' lamps. -
description :Passe Tumakohua (entrante) et Grotte aux Requins [Fakarava (south) atoll]rating : 4.0level : for advanced divers
Small variation of the dive Pass Tumakohua (incoming). Continuing along the middle of the pass past the shark promontory, at around 30 meters depth, divers can reach a small cave - sometimes occupied by a white-tip shark - from which the view is unobstructed of grey sharks, circling around. This dive is usually made by diving immediately onto the promontory to limit nitrogen saturation which is high at these depths. It is completed in the same way as the classic inward dive. -
description :Passe Tumakohua (sortante) [Fakarava (south) atoll]rating : 4.0
One of the few passes that can be made safely as an outbound dive, i.e. starting the dive inside the lagoon and heading outwards. Typically, you can start directly under the boat's mooring, opposite Sane and Anabelle's guesthouse. Then it is simply a matter of drifting off into the deep blue, watching the fascinating scenery and in particular the impressive number of grey sharks that can be encountered - often around thirty swimming together. And even more amazingly, we ended the dive accompanied by dolphins. -
description :Anse Amiot - Cathédrale [Toau atoll]rating : 3.0level : for advanced diversdepth : 40 m
Located close to the motu, this dive site starts from the anchor on a 10-12 metre seabed. Relatively few fish, but the main attraction is the relief. The drop-off, an almost vertical wall plunging 10 meters into the blue, is almost parallel to the coast, with the exception of a semicircle shape digging directly into the plateau. From the ancho, divers quickly reach this gaping hole which, if it didn't open out into the blue, would be a magnificent blue hole. The descent along the walls is vertiginous, with a blue wall in the background. This huge chimney is lined with coral. At around 40 meters, divers reach the drop-off before returning to the boat. A must for those looking for relief and thrills. -
description :Anse Amiot - l'Eperon [Toau atoll]rating : 3.0
Starting from the same anchor as the Cathédrale site, you can head off in the opposite direction to the chimney, towards the pass known as Tehere. This dive is made along the wall on the left, before climbing back up and returning to the anchor - it's important not to get caught in the current of the pass if it is an outgoing one. Lots of coral, 4 morays, numerous triggerfish, some barracuda and tuna. -
description :Coffre entre les deux Passes [Toau atoll]rating : 3.0
Dive site located under the buoy where the boat is moored, in an area relatively protected from currents. This was a very interesting dive, especially as there aren't many interesting sites for night diving. Only one shark was seen, and it disappeared very quickly. On the other hand, there were plenty of reef fish, particularly large numbers of parrotfish and nasons. -
description :Passe Arikitamiro - Tombant Extérieur [Kauehi atoll]rating : 3.0
From a buoy positioned to the south-west of the pass, we descended to the drop-off at around 25 meters and moved in the direction of the pass. The aim is to get as close as possible to the pass to take advantage of the many fish to be found there, without getting carried away by the current leaving or entering the pass. Lots of coral fish and numerous schools, especially near the pass: barracudas, paddlefish. Still at this precise spot, where it's obviously worth staying as long as possible, we also saw a few sharks - especially white tips - and a manta ray that came to swim very close to us. On the way back, two feathery trevally, juvenile trevally recognizable by the filaments on their caudal fin. -
description :Passe Otugi - Tombant Extérieur [Toau atoll]rating : 3.0
Site very similar to Fakatahuna Pass (Tombant Extérieur), and close to the latter. Large numbers of blue-striped perch. -
description :Tombant de Ohotu [Fakarava (north) atoll]rating : 3.0
When the current in Passe Garuae is outgoing (making it dangerous to venture directly into the pass), this dive site offers an interesting alternative, diving in the shelter of the motu Ohotu. The relief is quite characteristic, with a plateau at a depth of 10-15 meters at the edge of the island, then a drop-off sloping at 45 degrees to 40-50 meters and arrival on a sandy bottom. As is often the case, the descent takes place into the blue, arriving at the drop-off at a depth of 30 meters. At this depth, surprising encounters are sometimes possible; when this is not the case, divers will probably enjoy schools of long-snouted duckbill perch (lethrinus miniatus, Oeo Uturoa) and young triggerfish, tuna, napoleon wrasse and of course a few sharks. Near the pass, it is time to head back up to the plateau and turn around. You can then observe a multitude of fish, in particular very compact shoals of paddle perch (lutjanus gibbus), which from a distance look like homogeneous balls. We even saw a nudibranch, which is rare in the Tuamotus. -
description :Le Central [Fakarava (north) atoll]rating : 2.0
Diving under the rain, not much. A few small sharks, 3-4 morays, snappers, napoleon wrasse, big tuna. -
description :Passe Arikitamiro - Coffre Intérieur Lagon [Kauehi atoll]rating : 1.0
Diving under the boat's mooring, inside the lagoon and a few hundred meters south of the pass. The site is not really interesting, even for a night dive; there was even a slight current. It's essentially a sandy bottom with a small number of coral spats. About 5 moray eels, green and yellow, and a few tiny sharks. The only thing that really stood out was the presence of a large school of nasons, which didn't let us get close. Lots of worms on the corals, characterized by the presence of external gills forming little umbrellas that retract when a diver gets too close... or when it's no longer illuminated by a dive light.
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