Anchorage· Makemo· French Polynesia: Tuamotus, Marquesas, Gambier & Australs
West Pass Anchorage (Makemo)
16° 27.2′ S · 143° 57.9′ W
A small bay just south of Tapuhiria (West) Pass, ringed by tall bommies and patch reefs, used as a base for drift-snorkeling and diving the pass.
Practical
Visions of Johanna (April 2010): 16°27.21S / 143°57.91W; work in from the SE in good light, then it is protected from most directions by small patch reefs. Ari B (May 2020): 16°27.1S / 143°58W, sand patches among very tall bommies; floating your chain is a must. Moana (Sept 2018) found a 50 x 30 m sand patch in 14 m at 16°26.596S / 143°56.971W, well protected E-N-SW but not good in strong SE. Villa Veritas (June 2022) could not find a big enough sand patch in Ari B's bay and used a fallback near 16°26.8S / 143°57.1W that was open to the east. Good snorkeling around the anchorage. Leave on a slack; at least one boat (Sugar Shack, Nov 2019) caught its chain on coral despite floats, missed slack and met standing waves in the pass.
Best for
Staging for Tapuhiria Pass dives and exits west to Katiu or Fakarava
Nearby
- Tapuhiria Pass Drift Snorkel (Makemo West)0.6 NM away
- Punaruku North Sand Flat Anchorage (Makemo)8.3 NM away
- Punaruku Anchorage (Makemo)9.1 NM away
- Punaruku Beach (Makemo)9.1 NM away
- Punaruku Beach Pearls (Makemo)9.2 NM away
- Arikinui Beach (Makemo North Rim)14.3 NM away
- Makemo Lagoon Bommie Field16.5 NM away
- Katiu East End Beach17.8 NM away