Page 65 - French Polynesia
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Scuba Diving in French Polynesia
There are 118 islands and atolls in the vast in the passes leading into the lagoons. Most
area known as French Polynesia, and 11 that dive sites are along or just outside the barrier
have diving centers: Bora Bora, Raiatea, Hua- reefs and within short boat rides of the resorts.
hine, Moorea, Tahiti, Tikehau, Nuku Hiva, Tubuai, The best diving and snorkeling are at Rangiroa,
Rurutu, Rangiroa and Manihi. The lagoons in Tikehau, Manihi, and Fakarava in the Tuamotu
French Polynesia are known less for colorful soft Archipelago, where the huge lagoons harbor an
corals than for the wide variety of sea life they incredible variety of fish and sharks.
contain. Both the number and variety of colorful
tropical fish are astounding. Stingrays and manta The atolls are also home to heart-stopping
rays are prevalent, and some in the Society Island “ride the rip” dives, on which you literally
lagoons are quite friendly to humans, the result ride the tidal current through the passes into the
of having been hand-fed. All the islands have lagoons. There are low-growing corals, stingrays,
excellent scuba diving and snorkeling, and all but dolphins, sharks and reef fish on Moorea. Bora
a few of the resorts have their own dive opera- Bora is home to manta ray and shark feeding
tions or can easily make arrangements with a excursions. Raiatea and Huahine have more
local company. colorful coral ledges and cliffs. The Tuamotu
atolls of Fakarava, Manihi Tikehau and Rangiroa
Rare is the diver who doesn’t encounter sharks are a divers paradise. The drift diving through
here, though most will be of the relatively the passes is filled with not only countless sealife
harmless reef varieties -- blacktip, silvertip, but has the added excitement of black-tip and
whitetip, and gray. The most visited islands now white-tip sharks.
have shark-feeding encounters. Hammerheads
and other large sharks live outside the reef and
