Anchorage· Tahanea· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Tahanea '7' Anchorage
16° 57.1′ S · 144° 44.5′ W
A shallow anchorage tucked inside a reef shaped like the numeral 7 on satellite images, beside the SW bird motus with pink sand and nesting boobies.
Practical
Position from Sugar Shack (2021): 2.2 m of sand with 2 floats to keep the chain off surrounding heads. Their other spot, 16°57.121'S 144°44.466'W, was 1.5 m sand well up in the 7, where they set a second anchor to stop swinging into the shallows at low tide. Jacaranda (2019) anchored at 16°57.1146'S 144°44.5333'W in 30 ft with some bommies, chain floated. They warn that most of the reef does not break the surface, so waves come over it and it gives little protection in strong wind; others have had bouncy nights. Sugar Shack (Sept 2019) found 2.8 m at 16°57.332'S 144°44.172'W rolly and unprotected. Fellow Traveler (2010) noted a reef pocket at 16°57.05'S 144°44.36'W with excellent protection from W of N round to S, but exposed from E to N. Light warning: coming back toward the pass from here you'll likely have poor light, so do pass → '7' → SE corner → pass (Jacaranda). The motus are a fragile bird refuge (Pitufa 2019): walk only at the water line.
Best for
Calm-weather visit to the bird motus
Season
Light trades only; untenable in strong wind
Nearby
- Tahanea Motu Walks0.2 NM away
- Tahanea Pink-Sand Bird Motus ('7')0.2 NM away
- Tahanea Seabird Nesting0.2 NM away
- Tahanea Protected Atoll Rules (Uninhabited Reserve)4.5 NM away
- Tahanea South Rim Sand Banks Anchorage5.3 NM away
- Tahanea South Rim Three Motus5.3 NM away
- Tahanea Blacktip Reef Sharks6.8 NM away
- Teavatapu Pass Anchorage (Tahanea)6.8 NM away