Dive· Nuku Hiva· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Sentinel Hammerhead Dive Site (Taiohae Entrance)
8° 56.0′ S · 140° 5.7′ W
La Sentinelle, the basalt headland on the east side of Taiohae Bay's mouth, is Nuku Hiva's signature dive: walls and rocky scree with cleaning stations where manta rays, stingrays and scalloped hammerheads come in close, 10 minutes by boat from the quay.
Practical
Coordinate from the Tahiti Tourisme listing 'La Sentinelle aux Marteaux' (Google Maps link, -8.933472, -140.09447), at the eastern Sentinelle headland. Tahiti Tourisme describes it as a 20 to 40 m dive for mantas, stingrays and many hammerheads. Nuku Dive (site page, 2026) lists it as walls and scree with ray and shark cleaning stations, schools of anthias and fusiliers and many endemic species; Level 1 / Open Water; protected year-round. Big Fish Expeditions (2015 trip) dived 'The Sentinel' barely a mile from the village with very close scalloped hammerhead passes, but another report needed several dives to see any: sightings are not guaranteed. Visibility is typically 10 to 20 m in this plankton-rich water. Dive only with a local centre: the site sits at the bay entrance where swell breaks on the headlands, and cruisers use the breakers at the western Sentinelle as a gauge of conditions outside.
Best for
Hammerheads and mantas 10 minutes from town
Nearby
- Taiohae Sentinel and Palapa Hike0.2 NM away
- Champ Jaune Dive Site (Taiohae)0.6 NM away
- Aranui Supply Ship Days (Taiohae)0.7 NM away
- Naha Quincaillerie (Taiohae)0.7 NM away
- Taiohae Total Fuel Station0.7 NM away
- Motu Nui Dive Site (Taiohae)0.9 NM away
- Taiohae No-Anchoring Zone0.9 NM away
- Marquesas Cyclone-Season Refuge (Taiohae)1 NM away