Rangiroa and Fakarava

Rangiroa and Fakarava are coral atolls in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia, northeast of Tahiti. Each atoll is a ring of low islands around a huge lagoon, connected to the ocean by narrow passes. Twice a day the tide pushes ocean water through these passes, and the current brings in sharks, schooling fish, rays and dolphins. Fakarava is part of a UNESCO biosphere reserve.

Diving here means drift diving. Boats drop divers outside the pass on the incoming tide, and the current carries everyone into the lagoon past reef walls where grey reef sharks hold in the flow. At Rangiroa's Tiputa Pass, bottlenose dolphins often play in the tidal wave at the entrance. At Fakarava's South Pass, hundreds of grey reef sharks can gather in what is often called the wall of sharks. Currents in the passes are strong, and in Fakarava's North Pass they can exceed three knots, so Advanced Open Water and real drift experience are recommended. Operators plan every dive around the tide table.

The water is about 26 to 29°C and visibility is often 15 to 30 m or more. Diving is possible all year, and the best time depends on what you want to see. Great hammerheads visit Tiputa Pass mainly from about December to March. In Fakarava, groupers gather to spawn in the South Pass around the full moon in June or July, attracting even more sharks. June to October is the drier season, although the southeast wind can make crossings rough.

Most divers stay on the atolls and dive with local centres, while a few liveaboards combine several atolls on one trip. These are remote islands, so check your dive insurance and plan conservatively.