Scuba diving locations in French Polynesia:

• Rangiroa is the largest coral atoll in French Polynesia, encircling a luminous turquoise lagoon.
• In Bora Bora, it's not uncommon to encounter groups of up to 10 Manta ray swimming in the shallow as well as deep waters.
• Moorea has well preserved coral reefs with abundant marine life and the visibility there is often greater than 130 feet.
• The Raiatea-Tahaa lagoon has numerous passes offering plenty of diving opportunities. There are many good trenches, reefs, caves and walls found off-shore.
• Tahiti has clear, shallow waters, steep drop-offs into the ocean, wrecks, coral walls, and lots of smaller fish.

When to scuba dive in French Polynesia:

Year round but the best time to go is April to November. Bora Bora for the annual migrating humpback whales during August to late October. Manihi in June hosts hundreds of groupers which gather there to breed. Big hammerhead sharks can be seen in Rangiroa, the Tiputa Pass, from December to March.

Local standards for gear:

The best scuba diving spots in French Polynesia:

• Tikehau Pass has magical corals and, as with many of the passes here, a variety of sealife at different times.
• In Rangiroa, the Tiputa Pass is renowned for encounters with manta rays, huge eagle rays, hammerhead sharks, reef sharks, dolphins and more.
• At Avatoru Pass, along the outer rim of the reef, expect large silvertip sharks, schools of big eyes, silver fish, and blacktips, to mention a few.
• Manihi has shark feeding at The Break, which draws some very hungry Blacktip shark, gray sharks and even large lemon sharks.
  
• The Tairapa Pass is a drift dive that ends up in the lagoon of manta rays.
• The Drop Off is a wall descending from 10ft to the depths of the ocean itself, harbouring a variety of sea life which varies by depth.

The best spots to snorkel in French Polynesia:

• The calm lagoon ofRangiroa has an abundance and variety of marine life, being one of the richest spots in the number of native marine species.
• Bora Bora has a lagoon which offers brilliant displays of coral ledges and cliffs, along with varieties of colorful reef fish and graceful manta rays, eagle rays, schools of barracuda and the ever-present shark population.

Fun scuba facts:

Country data:

Administrative details

• Currency: CFP franc (XPF)
• Population: is about 260,000 (2010)
• Time Zone: varies by location (GMT-10) to (GMT-9)
• Main languages spoken: French, Tahitian, local languages ## Diveable overseas territories:

French Polynesian diving federations:

FÉDÉRATION FRANÇAISE D'ETUDES ET DE SPORTS SOUS-MARINS (FFESSM) is a member of Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS)

Local diving laws and regulations (and PADI-equivalent certifications):