Scuba Diving in Raiatea Tahitians have a word to describe deep, cobalt blue water: moana. This is what you will experience diving in Raiatea. Whether you're a veteran diver, newly certified, or just putting on scuba gear for the first time, Raiatea will delight. The fish life is rich, the corals healthy and profuse. And Raiatea has two more drawcards: the Nordby shipwreck and a great population of fascinating nudibranchs, or sea-slugs. In Taha'a, Raiatea's sister island, advanced divers can head for the twin seamounts of the Ceran Pass.

Beginners Seventy-five feet below the surface at the hotel Raiatea Pearl Beach Resort lies French Polynesia's most famous shipwreck. Nordby (pronounced, "nor-boo") is accessible even to beginners. A three-masted Danish merchant ship, she met her demise in Raiatea in 1900 while picking up copra before heading back to Liverpool from New Zealand. While sitting at anchor, a fierce storm came up, causing her to slip anchor and run aground on hard coral. Now she provides an underwater playground for scuba divers and a home to cadres of brightly-colored nudibranchs. The iron hull of the ship remains mostly intact, although there is a big hole in the aft section where you can enter. Light filters through but it's a good idea to bring a lamp to see the 'residents' - lionfish, groupers, soldierfish, and of course, sea slugs. Miri Miri Pass is an ocean dive, in about 85 feet of water, but it is calm and open to divers of all levels. Black and purple coral inhabit the reef. Whitetip sharks lurk in the overhangs, and snappers, Napoleons and porcupine fish are common. North of the pass is a spectacular site called Napoleons of Miri Miri and the Roses. Beginners and newly-certified (or rusty) divers spend the dive at about 60 feet. A couple of huge Napoleon wrasses frequent the area, and they are accustomed to being fed by the local dive shop's instructors, so they come in close. Depending on the instructor and the mood of the fish, you may get a chance to pet the Napoleon like you would a cat. The site thrives with snappers, butterfly fish, eels, Moorish idols, damselfish and more. Advanced divers can descend to 100 ft+ to see the carpet of montipora coral. Intermediate and Advanced Divers On the east side of the island is Teavapiti Pass, a drift dive done on incoming tide. This dive is limited to certified divers, due to the current and the presence of boats in the pass. Expect to see bigeye jack fish, grey sharks, whitetip and blacktip sharks, Napoloeons, eagle rays, Moorish idols, Emperor angelfish...expect to see a lot! Teavapiti Pass is one of the most densely populated sites in all of the Society Islands. Ceran Pass, Taha'a, is unusual due to the presence of two seamounts at about 80 feet deep. The seamounts themselves are not the attraction: it's the schooling fishes and reef fishes that 'orbit' the spires. Trevallies, surgeonfish, eagle rays, batfish, and barracuda are common. After observing the fish life from the pinnacles, you drift through the pass into the lagoon. Dive Centers Hemisphere Sub At Raiatea Pearl Beach Resort and Apooiti Marina Hubert Clot (BEES1 State Instructor; CMAS*** International Instructor; PADI Instructor) PADI Open Water check-out dive; initiation dives; wreck dives; night dives.

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