Public domain (NASA astronaut photograph), Wikimedia Commons

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

Teavatapu Pass Anchorage (Tahanea)

16° 50.9′ S · 144° 41.5′ W

The main anchorage of uninhabited Tahanea: a bommie-studded shelf just inside the north rim, between the middle (Teavatapu) and NW (Motupuapua) passes, with two pass snorkels a dinghy ride away and gin-clear water.

TuamotusMarquesas

Practical

Position from Sugar Shack (July 2020): 4 m in a sandy patch surrounded by bommies, chain floated, great holding. 'Most boats anchor between the North and middle pass because it is protected and shallow', but it is covered in bommies, so you must float your chain. Other drops: Sugar Shack, May 2021, at 16°50.928'S 144°41.546'W in 5.5 m with floats at 12, 19 and 25 m and the bridle at 35 m, super holding and comfortable in northerlies. Viridian, May 2023, at 16°50.90'S 144°41.67'W. Sugar Shack, Sept 2019, about 11 m on a fairly sandy spot. Kokopeli (2018): turn to starboard after the middle pass and anchor SW of the motu, secure in normal trades. The motu between the passes shelters the anchorage from the prevailing E-SE. Hazards: Nereida (2023) had the chain caught on bommies twice. Noonsite (2023) recorded 42 kt overnight and moved behind a palm-covered motu on the north edge. Blacktip reef sharks (1-6 at a time) circle the boats; don't feed them. A caretaker may visit and ask you to sign his logbook (no fee reported). No services, water or shops; Tahanea is uninhabited apart from seasonal copra workers. Float your chain with fenders or pearl floats.

Best for

Base camp for Tahanea's pass snorkels

Season

Year-round in E-SE trades; northerlies OK (Sugar Shack 2021)

Nearby