Snorkel· Tahiti Iti (Taiarapu peninsula)· French Polynesia — Society Islands

Vaiau Cove Reef Tunnel (Teahupo'o)

17° 52.8′ S · 149° 12.1′ W · approximate

A calm horseshoe cove in the barrier reef past Teahupo'o where a tunnel runs right through the reef from lagoon to ocean, with napoleons, unicornfish and large parrotfish on the coral heads outside.

Society IslandsTahiti & Moorea

Practical

Approximate: placed on the reef about 1.2 km west of Passe Vaiau (OpenStreetMap), per the guide's 'about 1,200 m before Vaiau pass'. Diving in Tahiti (Zysman, a 1990s guide, verify locally) rates it easy, to 20 m, for snorkel and scuba. The tunnel entrance is in the middle of the horseshoe a few dozen centimetres under the surface; find it by the slight surge and an isolated rock nearby, and scout it with mask and snorkel first. Approach through the lagoon from Havae Pass (about 3 nm): round Faremahora Point keeping the black-and-white posts on the landward side, then steer for the first red buoy (the last of five on the left bank of Vaiau pass) and creep in engine-up over shoaling coral. Always calm except in strong south-west swell. Puuotohe Pass on the way is dangerous. Anchoring rules: Teahupo'o waters fall under the Taiarapu-Ouest plan (arrêté 41 CM), so visit by tender or local boat from a legal zone.

Best for

Adventure snorkel at the end of the road

Nearby