Wildlife· Bora Bora· French Polynesia — Society Islands
Toopua Lemon Shark & Stingray Snorkel
16° 30.5′ S · 151° 46.7′ W · approximate
The waist-deep sandbank between Motu Tapu and Toopua where tour guides feed southern stingrays and blacktip reef sharks cruise around the snorkelers. It is the classic Bora Bora wildlife encounter, a short dinghy ride from the Toopua moorings.
Practical
Position from the OSM 'raie' (stingray) attraction node on the sandbank (approx). Tour boats anchor on the sand and guides hand-feed the rays (NCL excursion page). Expect a crowd from mid-morning. Lemon sharks are more typical of the outer-reef Tapu dive. Tahiti Tourisme's Toopua/Toopua Iti site lists leopard rays, stingrays, clownfish and a coral garden south of Toopua. Don't feed or touch the animals yourself, keep the propeller well away from swimmers, and anchor the dinghy only on sand. NauticEd describes a drift snorkel holding the dinghy painter with eagle rays in 2–3 knots of current.
Best for
Rays and sharks in knee-to-waist-deep water
Itineraries that stop here
Nearby
- Motu Tapu (private island, view from the water)0.3 NM away
- Motu Toopua BBMS Mooring Zone (Bora Bora)0.4 NM away
- Sunken Sailboat Snorkel (Toopua channel)0.6 NM away
- Tapu Shark Dive Site0.7 NM away
- Bora Bora Yacht Zones 20–90 m (Faanui, Hitiaa, Toopua, Vaitape, Bloody Mary's)0.9 NM away
- Teavanui Pass Dive Site0.9 NM away
- Bora Bora Coral Garden (Motu Tapu)1.2 NM away
- Conrad Bora Bora Nui Beach (Motu Toopua, resort only)1.2 NM away