Snorkel· Tahiti· French Polynesia — Society Islands
Vaiava (PK18) Lagoon Snorkel (Punaauia)
17° 39.5′ S · 149° 36.0′ W · approximate
Free shore snorkelling off Tahiti's favourite white-sand beach: coral heads 1–2 m high on a sand floor, schools of convict surgeonfish and half a dozen kinds of butterflyfish.
Practical
Approximate: placed about 150 m offshore of the OpenStreetMap outline of Plage publique de Vaiava; snorkel anywhere along the beach. Maximum depth about 2 m. The lagoon is roughly 500 m wide; snorkeling-report advises staying within 200 m of the beach (page updated April 2021). Also look for parrotfish, trumpetfish, pufferfish and cushion stars. Mahana Park, about 600 m south, has deeper coral (2–4 m) with juvenile blacktip sharks, eagle rays and stingrays; hazards there are swell, current, stonefish and fire coral, and never swim out past the reef. The beach is very busy at weekends. No yacht anchoring here: the nearest legal stops are the Taina mooring zones.
Best for
Easy shore snorkel on a day ashore
Nearby
- Plage de Vaiava (PK18), Punaauia0.1 NM away
- Temaruata (off PK18, Punaauia)0.5 NM away
- Plage de Toaroto (PK15.4), Punaauia1.2 NM away
- Paea Passes Dives (Fausse Passe, Arche & Voûte de Paea)1.3 NM away
- Musée de Tahiti et des Îles (Punaauia)1.7 NM away
- Pointe des Pêcheurs (La Source) Snorkel, Punaauia1.7 NM away
- La Source & Plateau aux Tortues (Pointe des Pêcheurs)1.8 NM away
- Marae Arahurahu (Paea)2.6 NM away