Anchorage· Tatakoto· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs

Tatakoto Marginal Anchorage (no pass)

17° 21.1′ S · 138° 27.5′ W · approximate

Remote Tatakoto, 1,180 km from Tahiti with about 180 people in Tumukuru village, has no pass, only an open coral-shelf roadstead off the village at the west end. Few yachts ever stop.

Tuamotus Marquesas

Practical

South Pacific Anchorages (via the Soggy Paws compendium): anchoring is possible in favourable conditions on the coral shelf off the village at the west end of the atoll. Migration (2008) found it felt dangerous: one person stayed aboard while the other swam ashore on a pool raft, and came back loaded with gifts from the villagers. They noted the last sailboat had called four years earlier. Only in light winds and small swell, with someone always aboard, ready to leave if the wind or swell turns onshore. Older Charlie's Charts editions treated everything south of 17°20'S as part of the nuclear-test zone; more recent reports say only Moruroa and Fangataufa are off limits. Air Tahiti flies Tatakoto (TKV) to Papeete. Position approximate: about 1.4 km west of the Tatakoto Airport coordinate (17.35528S / 138.445W) on the west end. Verify on satellite imagery that you are on the shelf, not the reef.

Tatakoto Marginal Anchorage (no pass)

Practical

Best for

Season

Nearby