Opunohu Bay (Moorea)

17° 30.2′ S · 149° 51.4′ W

A 3 km fjord-like bay on Moorea's north coast with Mount Rotui on one side and Mouaroa (Bali Hai) on the other, entered through Tareu Pass. Captain Cook landed here on 30 September 1777, and it is still one of the most dramatic places to drop a hook in the Pacific.

Society Islands Tahiti & Moorea

Practical

Enter by Tareu Pass (leading lights on 156.8°). The bay is about 80 m deep at the mouth and the inner bay bottom is reported as very muddy (Noonsite cruiser report, Nov 2022). The 2025 decree gave sailboats under 20 m no ZMR inside the bay itself: the middle of the bay was reserved for 20–90 m yachts (MO-5-Opunohu) and cruise ships (MO-1). Small-boat options are the berths/moorings at Moorea Marina at the head of the bay (book ahead) or the sand shelves at the mouth (Ta'ahiamanu on the east side, Papetoai/Tiki on the west). The bay mouth is a PGEM whale rest area: no approaching humpbacks inside the lagoon, passes or bays. Heavy traffic from tour boats, jet skis and cruise-ship tenders. Water and trash (500 CFP/bag, 2026) at Moorea Marina. Legal status (Oct 2026): the ZMR quotas come from arrêté 910 CM of 26 June 2025, which the Administrative Tribunal of French Polynesia annulled on 15 July 2026 (case 2500441, brought by the Association des Voiliers en Polynésie); the anchoring articles of the 2021 PGEM were also annulled by the Paris appeal court with effect from 1 June 2026. Noonsite (Aug 2026) reports the restrictions are not currently ratified and talks between AVP and local groups are ongoing. Until a replacement rule is published, treat the ZMR quotas and 48-hour limit as the expected good practice, check escales.gov.pf or call DPAM (40 54 45 78, 24/7) before arriving, and expect the nautical patrol (87 704 657) to ask about your stay.

Opunohu Bay (Moorea)

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