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Enhance your vacation with the following
experience:
Unique in Every Respect
The mystique of the Marquesas Islands doesn't stop
at sea level. The diving here is unlike anything in French Polynesia,
due to the absence of a protective coral reef. Visibility is reduced
because of wave action and upwelling. The result is spectacularly
blue water and a huge population of pelagics that come to feed in
these remote waters. Hammerhead sharks and melon-headed whales (also
known as Pygmy Orcas) are the main attraction. When the conditions
are calm, even novice divers can experience the thrill of seeing
these unique creatures in a totally pristine environment. The hammerheads
are most prolific between June and October; the Pygmy Orcas are
best seen between November and April. The only commercial dive center
is on the island of Nuku Hiva. It is situated in the main village
of Taiohae. |
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 Beginners
The Pygmy Orcas is almost a 45-minute boat ride from
the village of Taiohae, and it's worth it. At a depth of just 35 feet,
melon-headed whales congregate in the hundreds. Lots of them 'hang
out' at the surface, with their noses sticking out of the water. Because
you can dive or snorkel at this site, it's easy to get up close and
see their hallmark white lips. Schools of yellowfin tuna and an occasional
sailfish can also be seen. The dive instructor will determine if the
site is calm enough to dive. Because it is on the eastern side of
the island it is frequently exposed to uninterrupted wave action.
 Ekamako
is an easily accessible cave dive, most of it just about 35 feet deep.
However, beginners may have to demonstrate their buoyancy skills to
the dive instructor before going in...the sandy bottom is fairly covered
with big stingrays. The cave has a large and easy to navigate opening,
which leads into a chamber that has a freshwater spring and an air
pocket. Huge lobsters hide in the many crevasses. |
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 Intermediate
and Advanced Divers
La Sentinelle des Marteaux (The Hammerhead Sentry Point)
is reserved for more practiced divers because of the current and the
depth, which reaches a little over 100 feet. Just ten minutes' ride
from the dive centre, this site gets its name from the pelagics that
cruise the dropoff at about 45 feet. The crevasses in the wall are
also very interesting, full of moray eels, scorpionfish, and an endemic
shell, Conus gauguini.
Names notwithstanding, Motumano Point is THE place to go for
hammerheads, whitetip reef sharks and giant manta rays. The sandy
floor, at between 120-130 feet, is scattered with boulders that are
home to lots of reef fishes. Trevallies, snappers, barracuda and other
schooling fishes also patrol the point. Motumano is a half-hour ride
from Taiohae.
At the exit of Taipivai Bay is Tikapo, a spectacular spot for
pelagics. The promontory is exposed to strong currents and swell,
so only experienced divers should attempt it. Expect to see large
groups of leopard rays, schools of barracuda and jackfish, eagle rays
and sometimes manta rays. The depth ranges from 33 to 115 feet. |
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Dive Centers
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Centre Plongée Marquises
Taiohaie - Nuku Hiva
Xavier CURVAT (State Instructor BEES 1st Level Monitor, PADI Instructor,
FFESSM, MF1)
Diving school, beginner dives. |
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At Tahiti Legends,
we provide you with all the information
you need to make the right vacation decision. |
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19891
Beach Blvd #107 - Huntington Beach - CA 92648 - USA
Tel: 1 (714) 374 5656 - Fax: 1 (714) 374 7262 - E-mail: info@tahitilegends.com |
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