ITINERARY

The best diving in French Polynesia is in the Tuamotu Archipelago. It has it all: stunning coral reefs, deep walls, powerful drift diving in passes and abundant pelagic marine species. It is famous for it's "700 sharks" a huge population of grey reefs that like to surf the currents raging through the passes of Fakarava Atoll. But there are also white tips, black tips, tiger sharks, great hammerheads, and lemon sharks.

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Our tour will include three main locations - North and South of Fakarava and the lesser visited Kauehi Atoll.

The trip is only comprised of 7 guests plus Simon and the crew. So a very personal and private tour.

THE REGION

This archipelago, 350km (215 miles) north east of Tahiti, is made up of 78 atolls, hardly half of which are inhabited. It stretches over 160 000 square km (sq ft). The Paumotu atolls are rings of coral sand, dotted with coconut trees, harboring the turquoise waters of their inner lagoons. The locals' activities consists of copra, fishing and pearl culture.

The lagoon is a sheltered environment. Fakarava is the second largest Paumotu atoll and is still isolated from major touristic activity. This stunning atoll has two passes, one of which over 1 km wide (over half a mile) – the widest pass in all of Polynesia. Passes offer an amazing opportunity for scuba divers to observe pelagic fauna in remarkable density and diversity.

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THE diving & More

During our trip we will dive mostly 2 times a day, starting with very early morning dives to catch the activity of the early morning. You will dive the famous dive sites and lesser known areas. There are almost no boats out there diving, so we will mostly be alone with our small group.

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These cruises offer many activities beyond scuba-diving: land excursions, tours of ancient villages, of the oldest church in the Paumotu, and of coconut plantations, which will provide many opportunities to meet the particularly welcoming locals and experience life as it was a century ago. You will also discover the techniques for extracting copra, the secrets of the black pearl graft, and the skills to achieve tasty coconut-based recipes.

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Check out the video by Global Dive Media about the 700 sharks of Fakarava.

THE BOAT
AQUATIKI II has been specially built for scuba diving in the passes of the Tuamotu. The operator has been working here for 20 years and is best operator in these waters.  Owned an operated by a French family you can expect the highest quality of food using local ingredients and fresh fish catch. There is an extensive wine list as well as snacks.