Anchorage· Hao· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Otepa Town Anchorage (Hao)
18° 6.4′ S · 140° 54.6′ W
The lagoon anchorage off Otepa, Hao's only village, about 6 nm SE of Kaki Pass. It puts you a short dinghy ride from the quay, three well-stocked magasins, the gendarmerie and the best internet in the SE Tuamotus.
Practical
Sugar Shack (June 2020) anchored at 18°06.380S / 140°54.560W in 10 m sand among many bommies and floated the chain on 7 floats. Jacaranda (Jan 2019) found sand in about 12 m (40 ft) close to the entrance of the town basin at 18°06.381S / 140°54.581W, and a 46 ft cat used sandy spots just off the main wharf at 18°06.503S / 140°54.514W. Duplicat (2017) found more sand at 18°06.151S / 140°54.656W. Hazards: metal fish traps, lines and dead floats in front of the village snagged three boats in 2019, so look before you drop and float your chain. Visibility is often poor (one boat saw 35 ft only one day in 23), so you may not see the bottom past 35 ft. Open to the west and southwest across a long fetch: boats left before a forecast 30-40 kt NW blow in 2019, and the old military basin is the better hidey-hole. Loud on weekends; local kids swim out from the wharf, and one boat reported a theft through an open portlight in Feb 2019 (reported to the gendarmerie, who were helpful), so lock up when ashore. The lagoon route from the pass is fairly clear: a few big bommies are marked, a couple of smaller ones are not. Ciguatera is reported in the Hao lagoon. Noonsite (updated July 2025) gives the anchorage off Otepa as 18°06'S / 140°54'W and also warns of many coral heads off the town, recommending the old Navy basin as the safer choice.
Best for
Base for clearing in, provisioning, fuel and internet in the SE Tuamotus
Season
Usable in E-SE trades; poor in W-NW winds