Ultimate diving sites guide of Tahiti

by spotmydive

TAHITI DIVING SITES

Tahiti in FRENCH POLYNESIA

Tahiti is the main island of French Polynesia and is the only one to have an international airport. It is therefore an obligatory step of any trip diving in French Polynesia. The island has many quality diving centers as well as a wide variety of hotel.

The island also has many dive sites, some of which are internationally renowned. Although most advanced open water divers will prefer to go diving on the Tuamotu diving spots, PADI open water divers or beginners will find exceptional sites. It should be noted that the visibility is absolutely extraordinary in Polynesia and that it is possible to dive 30 feets deeper compared to the rest of the world with equivalent diver certification.

What to see while diving in Tahiti

On the dive sites of Tahiti, you can dive with reef sharks, black tips and white tips, gray sharks, lemon sharks, eagle rays and leopard rays, large titanic ballis, moray eels, Napoleon, turtles, dolphins and even humpback whales from August to November.

The best scuba diving spots in Tahiti

The Arue Faults, La Faille d’Arue

  • Type of dive: Ocean
  • Depth at anchor: 15 meters
  • Max Depth: 60 meters

This is one of the best dive sites of Tahiti. The fault of Arue is a magnificent coral plateau that dominates an impressive drop-off. Although the site is deep, the beautiful falling starts at about 5 meters and divers of any level can enjoy this spot.

The magnificent cave of Arue, which is between 28 and 33 meters is not accessible to Open Water Diver divers. The scuba diving spot the Gorgones d’Arue is located along the shore of the Yacht Club of Tahiti. It is particularly known for its magnificent orange gorgonas and black corals that clump together on the long wall.

La Vallée Blanche, The White Valley

  • Type of dive: Ocean
  • Depth at anchor: 15 meters
  • Max Depth: 60 meters

La Vallée Blanche is drift diving site is located at the tip of the Faa’a lagoon. It is particularly known for its underwater fauna and is often considered as the best dive site of Tahiti. Indeed, you will certainly come across reef sharks, black tips and white tips, as well as numerous silver trevally, titanic trigger fishes and most of Polynesia’s common fishes.

Also note that from 35 meters deep, you can dive with gray sharks as well as lemon sharks. Some have even dived with tiger sharks. In addition, some lucky divers have been diving with whales on the site of the white valley from August to October. If you do not believe me I invite you to watch the video below from the second minute :

La Zélée

  • Type of dive: Ocean
  • Depth at anchor: 10 meters
  • Max Depth: 60 meters

La Zélée is an old shipwreck cast in 1916 which rests between 10 meters and 20 meters of bottom. Although the latter is in pieces and very attacked by the use of time and currents, a local reef fauna has settled there. It is also possible to observe numerous black corals and pelagics. Down to 25 meters, the color of the corals degrades towards a beautiful pale pink.

The aquarium of Tahiti

  • Type of dive: Lagoon
  • Depth at anchor: 2 meters
  • Max Depth: 12 meters

This site is undoubtedly the most adapted to try scuba diving in Tahiti. It is actually a large circle of coral laid on the sand. Thousands of tropical fish, accustomed to the presence of the divers, come to swim with the latter. Another very interesting point of this site, three dive wrecks at very shallow depths cover the sandy bottom. It is the wreck of an old Cessna and two small boats.

You will be able to observe this magnificent diving site and the underwater Cessna wreck on the video below.

Papa Whisky

  • Type of diving: Ocean
  • Depth at anchor: 25 meters
  • Max Depth: 50 meters

“Papa whiskey” is the name of an artificial island that is clearly distinguishable from the surface and is located in the axis of the airport. This immense amphitheater nearly 75 meters long, only accessible to advanced open water divers because of its depth, was created by the collapse of a wide section of the plateau. Once inside this immense semicircle, the currents are very weak or nonexistent. Inside, the effects of the current are much less apparent and the visibility excellent. Two separate dives can be carried out on this site.

The first, at the southern end, consists of magnificent geographical structures covered with yellow gorgonians. The second, to the north, is rich in gorgonians and inhabited by numerous groups of purple altas as well as an immense tuna. Around 55 to 60 meters, the slope becomes steeper and transforms into a vertical wall inhabited by even larger gorgonas.

La Source

  • Type of diving: Ocean
  • Depth at anchor: 15 meters
  • Max Depth: 30 meters

The scuba diving site takes its name from a source of fresh water that dilutes to sea at only 5 meters deep. On both sides of this source, immense valleys, parallel to the coast and about 25 or 30 meters deep can be explored. The latter are particularly fishy and the fauna is very rich. You can dive with reef sharks, turtles, napoleons and even eagle rays.

Temaruata

  • Type of diving: Ocean
  • Depth of wetting: 22 meters
  • Max Depth: 30 meters

This site, located opposite Temaruata, is exceptionally beautiful and particularly suitable for reef shark diving since it is possible to feed them easily on the dive spot. Moreover, the view is exceptional and the colorful corals that line the site will amaze you while moray eels, barracudas and a multitude of tropical fish swim by your side.

Spotmydive does not endorse the shark feeding and leaves it to the diving centers of Tahiti to judge, as a professional in the scuba diving sector, the impact of this practice on local fauna and flora.

Les Gorgones

  • Type of diving: Ocean
  • Depth at anchor: 10 meters
  • Max Depth: 60 meters

This magnificent dive is located in the pass at the Paea level. The site is particularly deep and is only accessible to experienced divers. It takes its name from a magnificent roof covered with magnificent gorgonians. It is also possible to observe reef sharks evolving in the faults.

Les Epaves , Shipwrecks

  • Type of dive: Lagoon
  • Depth at anchor: 6 meters
  • Max Depth: 25 meters

This wreck diving site allows you to explore not one but two magnificent wrecks. The one of a huge airplane and the one of an old schooner used to move goods and people between the Polynesian islands. The wreckage of the aircraft rests on its right wing on a sandy bottom about fifteen meters and can be safely explored by entering through a door located on the left flank. A little further on, although worn-out, the Schooner wreck is a magnificent wooden wreck, historic and masterly. It is possible to observe the magnificent wrecks and the video below. The one of the plane is particularly impressive.

Le site aux murènes, the moray spot

  • Type of dive: Ocean
  • Depth at anchor: 20 meters
  • Max depth: 45 meters

This scuba diving site is a huge plateau of coral covered with rocky asperity and canyons of all shapes. There are magnificent moray eels, hence its name, but also turtles, sharks, including reefs, black tips and white tips.

Le plateau aux Tortues, The turtle

  • Type of diving: Ocean
  • Depth at anchor: 15 meters
  • Max Depth: 40 meters

This magnificent dive site is a large underwater tomb covered with large blue corals. The scuba diving spot got its name from the turtle family, usually composed of 4 or 5 individuals, particularly affectionate with the divers, who lives on the spot.

Do you know of other diving sites in Tahiti that should appear on this list of the best diving spots in Tahiti? Feel free to share with the community and comment on our article. Thank you.