Society Islands: Raiatea, Huahine & Bora Bora

DAY 1 · Marina Apooiti (Raiatea)

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Leave 2:00 pm

The charter base for The Moorings, Sunsail and Tahiti Yacht Charter, on Raiatea's north-west shore beside the airport. Expect the briefing and chart check here, and buy fresh food at the grocery outside the gate before you leave. Lagoon sailing is daylight only, so plan to be on a mooring before sunset every night.

• 10:00 amBriefing and provisioningAsk your charter company which zones it restricts, and book your first ZMR night on escales.gov.pf.

4.5 NM · about 45 mto ZMR de Tevaitoa (Raiatea)

ZMR de Tevaitoa (Raiatea)

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Arrive 4:00 pm

A small anchorage off Tevaitoa, a west-coast village with a public beach, crafts stalls and a supermarket. It is a short first hop and a quiet first night before the crossing to Huahine. Overnight stays in a ZMR (regulated anchorage zone) must be booked in advance on escales.gov.pf, and you anchor only inside the zone. The boat quota is only four, so book early.

29.5 NM · about 4 h 55 mto ZMR de Faaua (Huahine, off Fare)

DAY 2 · ZMR de Faaua (Huahine, off Fare)

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Arrive 3:00 pm

The largest small-boat zone on Huahine: twenty boats on sand inside the west reef, with views back to Raiatea. This is the first open-ocean crossing, about 20 nm from Teavapiti Pass, so leave early and expect trade-wind swell outside the pass. Stay within the zone, and keep to 5 knots inside it.

• 6:30 amCross to HuahineMotor inside the lagoon round the north of Raiatea and leave through Teavapiti Pass on the east side, before the afternoon wind builds.

1 NM · about 10 mto I Love Huahine Coral Garden (off Faaua)

DAY 3 · I Love Huahine Coral Garden (off Faaua)

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Arrive 9:30 am · leave 11:30 am

A coral garden just opposite the Faaua zone that the excursion boats visit. Go before or after them. Use the dinghy buoys rather than anchoring, and do not feed or collect anything.

• 9:45 amSnorkel the coral gardenWear a shirt rather than sunscreen where you can, and keep fins off the shallow coral.

3.5 NM · about 35 mto ZMR d'Avea Sud (Huahine)

ZMR d'Avea Sud (Huahine)

Photo: DANIEL JULIE (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY 2.0

Arrive 2:00 pm

A ten-boat zone on a sand bottom in Avea Bay, off a long white beach with Huahine Iti's peaks behind. Dinghy over to the south pass motu to snorkel, or walk to Marae Anini. Theft has been reported here, so lock the boat when you go ashore. Overnight stays in a ZMR (regulated anchorage zone) must be booked in advance on escales.gov.pf, and you anchor only inside the zone.

27.5 NM · about 4 h 35 mto ZMR de Faaroa (Raiatea)

DAY 4 · ZMR de Faaroa (Raiatea)

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Arrive 4:00 pm

Raiatea's deep east-coast bay, shaped like a fjord, and the base for the Faaroa River dinghy trip and guided visits to Taputapuatea marae. Valley gusts can come down in strong south-east trades. This is the second crossing, about 28 nm back to Raiatea, so allow a full day. Overnight stays in a ZMR (regulated anchorage zone) must be booked in advance on escales.gov.pf, and you anchor only inside the zone.

• 5:00 pmRow or dinghy up the Faaroa RiverLand at the floating dock at the head of the bay.

16.5 NM · about 2 h 45 mto ZMR de Tapuamu (Taha'a)

DAY 5 · ZMR de Tapuamu (Taha'a)

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Arrive 3:30 pm

A six-boat zone on Taha'a's west coast, north of Tapuamu village, close to the Pari Pari distillery and the village quay. The quay has the only yacht rubbish bins on Taha'a and a fuel station (bring jerry cans). Avoid anchoring on the cable line running west toward Motu Tautau. Overnight stays in a ZMR (regulated anchorage zone) must be booked in advance on escales.gov.pf, and you anchor only inside the zone.

1.5 NM · about 15 mto Taha'a Coral Garden (Motu Tautau drift snorkel)

DAY 6 · Taha'a Coral Garden (Motu Tautau drift snorkel)

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Arrive 8:00 am · leave 9:30 am

The best-known snorkel in the Leewards: you drift with the current through a coral channel between two motus on the west reef. Boats may not anchor here, so go by dinghy from Tapuamu, leave it on the Maharare beach and drift back. Wear booties rather than fins, tow a buoy, and go early to avoid the tour boats.

• 8:15 amDrift snorkelWalk to the end of the motu, enter the channel and let the current bring you back to the dinghy.

15 NM · about 2 h 30 mto Bora Bora Yacht Club & Fare Piti Mooring Zone

Bora Bora Yacht Club & Fare Piti Mooring Zone

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Arrive 3:00 pm

The traditional landfall, about a mile inside Teavanui Pass, with a paid BBMS mooring field off the yacht club. The crossing from Taha'a is about 15 nm in open water, so keep the pass for last and enter in good light. Stays on these balls are limited to two nights, and you should book ahead with BBMS by VHF 9 or email.

• 5:30 pmSunset at the yacht club barDinghy to the club and watch the sun go down over the pass.

2 NM · about 20 mto Motu Toopua BBMS Mooring Zone (Bora Bora)

DAY 7 · Motu Toopua BBMS Mooring Zone (Bora Bora)

Photo: rachel_thecat (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 2.0

Arrive 11:00 am

Twenty BBMS balls on the sand off Motu Toopua's west side, with Mount Otemanu across the lagoon. It is sheltered from the east and south-east trades but more open to the west. Stay inside the zone and out of the lit channel on its east edge.

0.5 NM · about 5 mto Toopua Lemon Shark & Stingray Snorkel

Toopua Lemon Shark & Stingray Snorkel

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Arrive 2:00 pm

A waist-deep sandbank between Motu Tapu and Toopua where southern stingrays and blacktip reef sharks gather. It is a short dinghy ride from the moorings. Go early, before the tour boats arrive, and do not feed or touch the animals. Anchor the dinghy only on sand, away from swimmers.

1.5 NM · about 15 mto Bora Bora Coral Garden (Motu Tapu)

DAY 8 · Bora Bora Coral Garden (Motu Tapu)

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Arrive 10:00 am · leave 12:00 pm

Shallow coral gardens near the western barrier reef, behind Motu Tapu. Take the dinghy about 1.7 km from the Toopua moorings with a lookout at the bow and the outboard tilted up, because coral heads lie just under the surface. There is current, so do not stand on the coral.

• 10:30 amSnorkel the gardenBest between 10am and 2pm when the sun is high.

2.5 NM · about 25 mto Povai BBMS Mooring Zone (Bora Bora)

Povai BBMS Mooring Zone (Bora Bora)

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Arrive 2:00 pm

Twenty BBMS balls in the south of Povai Bay under the cliffs of Mount Otemanu, a dinghy ride from Matira Beach. Cruise-ship tenders use the bay, so expect some traffic. Follow the channel markers closely toward Matira, where the water is deeper off Raititi Point.

• 5:00 pmWalk Matira BeachDinghy or take a taxi to the public beach for a swim and an early dinner.

17 NM · about 2 h 50 mto ZMR de Hurepiti (Taha'a)

DAY 9 · ZMR de Hurepiti (Taha'a)

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Arrive 4:00 pm

A small, quiet zone deep inside Hurepiti Bay on Taha'a's south-west coast, sheltered from the trades. The crossing from Bora Bora is about 20 nm, so go as early as the light allows. Take care anchoring near the reef flat, and keep engines off at night because the bay echoes. Overnight stays in a ZMR (regulated anchorage zone) must be booked in advance on escales.gov.pf, and you anchor only inside the zone.

6.5 NM · about 1 h 5 mto Marina Apooiti (Raiatea)

DAY 10 · Marina Apooiti (Raiatea)

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Arrive 12:00 pm

The end of the charter, a short run of about 7 nm inside the shared lagoon from Hurepiti. Allow time to refuel, clean the boat and complete the check-out before the base closes for the day. Keep your phone and passports handy for the airport.