Permit· Tahanea· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Tahanea Protected Atoll Rules (Uninhabited Reserve)
16° 53.2′ S · 144° 46.6′ W
Uninhabited Tahanea, with neighbouring Motutunga, was listed by the commune and region in February 2001 as a protected and managed natural area of the Tuamotus for its rare birds. Cruisers often call it a 'national park'.
Practical
Coordinate is the atoll centre (OpenStreetMap). Status: listed in Feb 2001 among the Tuamotu 'espaces naturels protégés et gérés' (Wikipedia FR); no permit or fee is required of yachts (Kokopeli 2018: 'no fees were assessed'). An island caretaker/guardian may come by boat and ask you to sign a logbook with arrival and departure dates. He is friendly and speaks French, little English. Since 2017, sea-cucumber fishing has been allowed in the eastern two-thirds of the lagoon, east of a line from motu Okou (N) to motu Toheteu (S). Tahanea belongs to the commune of Anaa (Faaite associated commune). Cruiser etiquette from Pitufa (2019), who watched nesting birds decline: no anchoring on coral (float your chain), no kitesurfing off nesting beaches, no bonfires on bird motus, no dogs ashore, no night coconut-crab hunts. Copra camps are private homes.
Best for
Visiting a fragile uninhabited atoll the right way
Nearby
- Tahanea '7' Anchorage4.5 NM away
- Tahanea Motu Walks4.6 NM away
- Tahanea Pink-Sand Bird Motus ('7')4.6 NM away
- Tahanea Seabird Nesting4.6 NM away
- Tahanea Blacktip Reef Sharks5.3 NM away
- Tahanea NW Pass Sand Patch Anchorage5.3 NM away
- Teavatapu Pass Anchorage (Tahanea)5.3 NM away
- Motupuapua Pass Manta Snorkel (Tahanea North)5.4 NM away