Photo: Sémhur · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAnchorage· Nuku Hiva· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
Taiohae Bay Anchorage (Nuku Hiva)
8° 55.2′ S · 140° 6.2′ W
The capital bay of the Marquesas: a big, U-shaped drowned crater under green ridges, where most Puddle Jump boats clear in, provision and fix things. It is the busiest anchorage in the archipelago and the only one with a real town ashore.
Practical
Sugar Shack (Feb 2020) anchored at 08°55.183'S / 140°06.209'W in 12 m with good holding in mud; other boats have used 9-17 m (Taitonga, Jan 2019: 17 m with 70 m chain, grey mud). Noonsite (May 2026) says up to 100 boats are permitted here, anchoring is prohibited on the western side of the bay, the area between the large (cruise-ship) quay and the small municipal quay in the NE corner is a no-mooring zone, and there is an underwater cable to keep clear of. The 2016 order (1084/CM) defines the no-anchoring zone as 8°54.74'S 140°05.91'W to 8°55.31'S 140°05.89'W to 8°55.33'S 140°05.74'W; the gendarmerie will move you and fines are possible. Rolly: southerly swell wraps in and the tide often holds boats beam-on, so many use a stern anchor (anchor bow-and-stern close to the beach, not in the middle of the fleet). Something in the water attacks galvanized and stainless chain left more than about 30 days; several boats left for 6 months had to replace chain, and fouling is severe, so pressure-wash chain and bridle. Visibility 4-5 m, near zero after heavy rain. Night entry is feasible on the red flashing range lights (watch for unlit boats). A tsunami siren is tested at noon on the 1st of each month (2022). Cruiser net: Noonsite (May 2026) lists Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30am on VHF 68; the compendium (2024) reported it suspended, so check. Monthly mairie fees apply (see Taiohae Water and Mairie Fees). In Dec 2023, 160 boats anchored here for the Matava'a festival.
Best for
Clearing in, provisioning, repairs and the only real services in the northern Marquesas
Season
Year-round; most comfortable in E-NE trades, rolly to untenable in strong S swell (southern winter)
Itineraries that stop here
Nearby
- Marquesas Cyclone-Season Refuge (Taiohae)Right here
- Marquesas Puddle Jump Arrival SeasonRight here
- No-No Sand Flies (Nuku Hiva Beaches)Right here
- Nuku Hiva Anchorage Quotas and Boater RulesRight here
- Southern Winter Swell (Nuku Hiva South Coast)Right here
- Taiohae Bay Manta RaysRight here
- Keikahanui Pearl Lodge (Taiohae)0.3 NM away
- Mokai Bar Happy Hour (Le Nuku Hiva by Pearl Resorts)0.3 NM away
Place data includes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).