FRENCH POLYNESIA - 2

TAHITI

Tahiti, the biggest of the Polynesian islands is situated in the south pacific, half-way between Australia and California and right in between Tokyo and Santiago. Tahiti covers a surface of 402 square miles. This magnificient island with its luxuriant vegetation is dominated by the summits of the Orohena (7,337 ft.) and the Aorai (6,786 ft.).

1	The aquarium	2	One dive visite two wrecks
3	The Tahiti Wall	4	Underwater fresh water springs
5	The blue hole	6	The Vavi Area
7	The Vaiau Cove	8	The Arue Faults
9	The Matavai Roses	10	The Arue Gorgonias
11	The "Dolphin Bench"

The most accesible of the exterior islands from Tahiti. At only 10 minutes by air, 30 minutes by catamaran of 1 hour by ferry boat, Moorea offers a spectacuar bay dominated by crevassed balsatic mountains and surrounded by both lagoons and white sand beaches.

If we had to give a particular characteristic of the Moorea underwater world, it would be: "The meeting between man and the fish and sharks".

The Moorea fauna includes white and lemon sharks and ocasionnaly napoleons and muraenas. Diving is easy and safe, the waters are very clear and the currents insignificant.

Moorea gets 25,000 divers per year. We recommend you to start your dives in Tahiti and then move on to Moorea. Tahiti and Moorea constitute a quality destination and also not too expensive - a good way to start off an itinerary towards the more "high-grade" islands of French Polynesia.

PRINCIPAL DIVING SITES IN MOOREA

The island of Huahine, far away from the exiting life of Tahiti, is at the very beginning of it's international touristic development. Including Huahine Hui (Great Huahine) and Huahine Lti (Small Huahine), these two islands are joint together by a narrow isthmus in the center of the corral barrier. Huahine offers magnificient sub-aquatic excursions.

Raiatea is the second largest island of French Polynesia. For the "Maohi" Polynesians, ancesters of the actual Tahitians, Raiatea is known as the sacred "Hava'i" and is the center of religion, culture, history and heraldic sciences.

Tahaa is often named "vanilla island" for it's numerous plantations. Lots of "Motu" small islands emerging out of the coral reef are ideal picnic sites. With their sand beaches and beautiful coral gardens, these small islands are also ideal sites for apnoea diving.

The islands of Tahaa and Raiatea are surrounded by a simple coral barrier and are today part of one same lagoon. We can easily count on the two islands together 50 diving sites. The sacred island and vanilla island lagoon offer a large number of places to discover, both inside and ouside the coral barrier. Her, you will have the opportunity to dive a French Polynesian region recognized for it's richness in colours and you will be amazed by it's abundance and variety.

The principle island is in the center of a multicoloured lagoon surrounded also by "Motu" small islands, all of these protected by a coral collar. This island has only one navigable pass, right in front of Viatape village. Bora Bora is internationnaly acclaimed for the beauty of it's lagoon, and famous for it's abundant marine life, espescially the manta rays. This pacific perl is waiting for you to discover it's marine-life treasure.

Rangiroa is the biggest atoll in the south pacific, and also one of the biggest in the world. It's lagoon is gigantic with dimensions of 77km long by 28km wide and depths variating between 30 and 40 meters. It communicates with the ocean by the Avatoru and Tiputa passes.

The lagoon excursions include apnoea, surrounded by hundreds of fish and sharks, and fishing in the passes.

The Rangiroa lagoon is also a fabulous world for scuba diving. It is pricipally renowned for it's manta rays, it's huge napoleons and it's sharks.

Manihi is best known for it's black perl production. It's translucid lagoon, grouping a large amount of perl production sites, has a deep navigable pass through the reef called Tairapa. This is a site of preference for a great number of excursions because it contains most of what French Polynesia has to offer in it's sub-marine fauna and flora. Manihi is accessible to everyone and is an ideal location to observe these ocean queens: the manta rays - enormous, majetic and gracious.

Tikehau is a virtually circular atoll in the Toamotu archipelago, with a 26 km lagoon and one only small passage way where only small boats can enter. In 1987, a Jacques Cousteau research group declared the Tikehau as the most populated and dense lagoons of all French Polynesia, including the smallest coralline atolls.

An excursion in the "fish parc" and the "Motu" island, including a dive in the morning, picnic on the island and a second dive in the afternoon gives us the opportunity of an under-water chase and an outside exploration of the lagoon and it's abundant marine life.

The diving center, open seven days a week, is situated in the village and neccesitates only a half-hour boat ride to get to the diving sites.

Nuku Hiva, with a 330 square kilometer suface, is the largest island of the Marquises archipelago. The beauty of the sea combined with the magnificent moutains falling into the sea will simply amaze you! The Muake hill offers a magnificent view of the whole Taiohae bay. In this French Polynesian archipelago, different types of diving await amateurs as much as the most experienced divers. Nuku Hiva island in the middle the the lagoon is ready to receive any divers looking for a good thrill: a large number of under-water caves and a spectacular fauna are waiting for you, and also not to forget the sharks

Diving cruises in the Marquises islands

Technical information
Boat type: Catamaran	Boat name : - Motu ITI
Length: 18 meters (60 feet)	Diving tank : 10
Compressor: 2 electric Bauers 6.6 Cbm/h	Acc. boat : Makuita -10 meters
Compressor: 1 - 12 Cbm/h	Diving equipement : Included, no charge