Dive· Tahanea· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Tahanea Pass Dive
16° 51.0′ S · 144° 41.0′ W
Self-guided drift dives through Tahanea's three side-by-side passes: walls of live coral, reef fish, sharks, dolphins and pelagics on the outside.
Practical
Coordinate is the Teavatapu (middle) pass waypoint. There is no dive operation and no air fill on Tahanea (compendium table): bring your own gear and compressor. Soggy Paws (Oct 2010): drift dives in the passes, 'tons and tons of live coral of every variety'; outside they saw sharks, dolphins and big pelagic fish. Sugar Shack saw mantas, hammerheads and marlin in the north pass; Villa Veritas (2022) found the current picked up very quickly after slack. Dive the flood only, with a dinghy tender following or towed on a leash. Remember the compendium's warning: it's a long way to a recompression chamber, so keep profiles conservative. In May 2023 the passes ebbed continuously for 3 days at up to 8 kt during a big SW swell (Migration), so don't dive then.
Best for
Experienced divers with their own gear
Nearby
- Teavatapu Pass Drift Snorkel (Tahanea)Right here
- Tahanea Blacktip Reef Sharks0.5 NM away
- Teavatapu Pass Anchorage (Tahanea)0.5 NM away
- Tahanea NW Pass Sand Patch Anchorage0.8 NM away
- Motupuapua Pass Manta Snorkel (Tahanea North)1.2 NM away
- Otao Pass Anchorage (Tahanea)1.3 NM away
- Otao Pass Snorkel (Tahanea East)1.5 NM away
- Tahanea Lagoon Pinnacle Snorkel (TAHA6)3.3 NM away