Fakarava Fakarava, French Polynesia's second-largest atoll, is part of a UNESCO classified nature reserve. The gigantic Garuae Pass in the north of the island is a pristine meeting place for dozens of deep sea species. The smaller Tumakohua Pass offers both an easy drift dive and excellent snorkeling. Owing to its status as a protected biosphere, Fakarava is home to the rare mantis-shrimp and sea squill. In July, schools of great marbled groupers, called "haapu" in Tahitian and "mérous" in French, come here to breed.

Intermediate - Advanced Divers The diving in Fakarava is most suitable for intermediate to advanced divers. Beginners can dive here but may have difficulty managing the currents. Teavanui, northwest and outside of the reef, boasts a beautiful coral landscape. You can expect to encounter grey and hammerhead sharks, dolphins, Napoleon wrasse, and myriad reef fishes. The depth range is 45-90 feet. Central Park is a similar site, where you can also see lots of tuna, pompano and marbled groupers. Eight hundred meters wide, washed by powerful currents of unimaginably blue water, Garuae Pass is a diver's dream. Experienced divers can drift through the pass at depths of between 50 and 130 feet and marvel at the sea life - silvertip sharks, grey sharks, hammerheads, white tips, and schooling fishes by the thousands. The conditions in the pass have allowed spectacular staghorn, cauliflower and branching coral to form. Many well-seasoned divers consider Garuae one of the most spectacular dives in all of French Polynesia. Tumakohua Pass is smaller than Garuae, and easier to navigate. The dive begins outside the reef at about 90 feet. Drifting through the pass, you rise over a ridge that comes up to about 45 feet, then descend again to 90 feet. The dive finishes in shallow water inside the lagoon, where the snorkeling is excellent. Visibility is usually superb, and there's plenty to see: unicorn fish, grey sharks, whitetip sharks, bigeyes, Moorish idols, groupers, Napoleon wrasses, and angelfish, all against a backdrop of healthy coral. At the beginning of the dive you'll come across a cave full of soldierfish.

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