Anchorage· Toau· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Anse Amyot Moorings (Toau)
15° 48.2′ S · 146° 9.1′ W
A blind 'false pass' on Toau's NW corner: a 200 m wide basin cut into the reef that never reaches the lagoon, so it is flat and sheltered on almost every side. Gaston and Valentine's family keep a field of moorings here, and the snorkeling starts at your swim ladder.
Practical
Position 15°48.21'S 146°09.08'W (Sugar Shack, Nov 2020). The entrance carries 7-25 m with a coral sill under about 8 m, then opens into a closed basin about 200 m wide with 25 m in the middle. Moorings: 10 government-installed moorings went in by Nov 2021, rated to 18 m LOA, with bright yellow floats and 1 in. solid line (Sugar Shack); Noonsite (Mar 2023) found 10 in great shape; Cloudy Bay (May 2023) counted about 10 'very new' moorings renewed by the administration about a year earlier. Older moorings were chain around a dead coral head with a floating tag line, so have a sturdy 20-30 ft line ready. Fees have varied: 500 XPF/night (2013, 2020, Jan 2021), 700 XPF asked in 2018, and some boats in 2023 were told it was free; pay Valentine directly in cash (verify locally). If the moorings are full there is room to anchor in 3-4 spots, including a large sand patch just south of the green channel marker; float your chain over the bommies. Protection is about 350 degrees: open only through a narrow slot to the NW/W. In a forecast W or strong blow Valentine has asked moored boats to set a backup anchor (2013). Dive your mooring: in 2016 a neighbour found two of three old moorings badly chafed. Little current in the false pass, so entry works at any state of tide. Phone and data are patchy: Vini via an external antenna, and a Varua Hotspot paid Wi-Fi zone covers Anse Amyot (2021). No fuel, no shops; this is the family's private home, so ask before going ashore anywhere.
Best for
The calmest, easiest-entry mooring field in the western Tuamotus, with snorkeling and Valentine's dinners
Season
Apr-Oct best; protected except NW-W winds
Itineraries that stop here
Nearby
- Toau Cyclone and Maraamu SeasonRight here
- Anse Amyot Fuel and Water (Toau)0.1 NM away
- Anse Amyot Reef Snorkel (Toau)0.1 NM away
- Valentine and Gaston's Restaurant (Anse Amyot)0.1 NM away
- Anse Amyot Outer Wall Drift (Toau)0.3 NM away
- Snapper Hole Dive Site (Anse Amyot, Toau)0.6 NM away
- Yellow Dog Dive Site (Anse Amyot, Toau)0.8 NM away
- Anse Amyot Grottos (Toau)1.1 NM away