Review Diving in Bora Bora

Bora-Bora is located about 250 kilometers from the main island of Tahiti. This beautiful volcanic island, surrounded by a lagoon of turquoise water protected by the various small atolls surrounding this little paradise, is also called the gem of French Polynesia. Mount Otemanu, 727 meters, and Pahia, 661 meters, in the center of bora bora are the remains of an extinct volcano. A large coral necklace, a barrier reef, offering numerous diving sites, protects the island and the lagoon. Only the pass of Teavanui, which is also a very good diving site, presents an opening towards the ocean.

Although tourism has developed strongly and the island has about 20,000 tourists per year, the island manages its environment and resources perfectly. It has been rewarded many times for its actions to protect natural and cultural heritage but also for the management of its water resources. Many hotels of very high standing have settled on the island. Moreover, this beautiful diamond, intelligently cut, is a true haven of peace and a crossing point for pelagic and underwater fauna.

Where to dive in Bora Bora?

To the north-west, the famous and magnificent isolated atoll in the form of a heart, Tupai, administrative dependency of Bora-Bora, offers a diving experience of another kind. This small haven of peace, away from tourism and far the crowd is a compulsory crossing point for the whale migration from August to October. Moreover, many pelagics come there and the flora is impressive and unchanged by the human kind. Rare are the scuba diving centers that ventures there. Some of the dive centers of Bora Bora such as Top Dive and Eleuthera Bora Diving offer private excursions to Tupai but you have to book in advance. You can book your dives in Tupai directly on the pages of the dive shops of Bora-Bora.

When to go diving in Bora Bora?

The best time to dive in Bora Bora is definitely from April to November during the dry season period. The climate in Bora Bora is warm throughout the year and the air temperatures vary between 22 ° C and 30 ° C. The rainy season is between November and April and severe thunderstorms sometimes disrupt this little paradise but, although the latter may last a few days, the sun is often shining during the rainy season. The dry season in Bora-bora is between April and October, but it might rain a little bit and strong winds often hit during this season.

Diving conditions

Underwater visibility in Bora Bora is simply outstanding. It can reach up to 50 meters. This is the reason why French Polynesia is an exception to the rules of depth of the different levels of diving. Indeed, in Polynesia, you will have the right to dive 10 meters deeper than anywhere else in the world. The PADI Open Water diver can dive to depths of 28 meters!

The currents are usually weak in the lagoon but are relatively strong in the Taevanui pass. The latter offers an exceptional drift dive.

Diving levels. All diving levels will find their best spot in Bora-Bora. Divers wishing to try scuba diving for the first time in Bora-Bora will probably dive in the aquarium while more experienced divers will dive on the site Anau or at the Toopua site in Bora Bora.

The temperature of the water varies between 26 ° and 29 ° C depending on the season. The water is therefore at the perfect temperature to dive all year around.

What to see in diving and snorkeling?

Best scuba diving sites in Bora-Bora

Do not hesitate to consult our article about the the Best dive sites of Bora-Bora for more details. Bora Bora has nearly 15 diving sites. The 4 best dive sites are probably:

– Tupai: The heart shaped island, presented a little higher, is a haven of peace and a true unexplored paradise for divers. You can dive with whales, turtles, reef sharks, eagle rays or leopard rays and many other reef fishes. The setting is exceptional and the place has remained in the natural state. A must for a memorable afternoon dive.

– Anau: The perfect diving site to dive with Manta rays. This dive spot, which is located on the eastern part of the island of bora bora, is particularly known for its beautiful Manta ray but has much more to offer.

– Teavanui Pass: The drift dive of the island but also its only pass. You can dive with reef sharks, trevally, barracudas, tuna and sometimes even Manta rays.

– Tapu: The shark dive site of bora bora. Apart of grey sharks, lemon sharks and reef sharks, you can also see blue trevallies, napoleons, turtles, triggerfishes, moray eels and many tropical fishes. On the other hand, corals are not exceptional on this scuba diving site.

The underwater fauna and flora of Bora-Bora

This island, which is part of the Archipelago of the Society, offers a well preserved and exceptionally diverse fauna and flora. The island has an incredible diversity and quantity of tropical fish. There are clown fish, trumpets, parrots’ fishes, moray eels, Titan triggerfish, lemon sharks, grey sharks, reef sharks, eagle rays, Manta rays, Napoleons, and many other species. Diving in bora-bora and its translucent waters also offer the possibility to observe numerous soft and hard corals of a flamboyant color.