Some decisions in life are hard to make. But deciding to go to Rangiroa in French Polynesia to dive with sharks is an easy one. Rangiroa is part of the Tuamoto Archipelago and is only an hour's flight from Tahiti. Being the second largest atoll in the world, it boasts some of world's best dive sites, specifically the Tiputa Pass. If you're tempted by diving in Rangiroa, then read on for our overview of this pelagic paradise.
Diving Avatoru Pass and Tiputa Pass
The most famous dive sites in Rangiroa are located in the north, near the two main channels flanking Avatoru Island. The western channel, home to the Avatoru Pass drift dive, is known for its reef shark encounters. This is a drift dive that is relatively accessible for all divers who have a few dives under their weight belt. You'll begin outside of the pass and then allow the currents to drift you into the lagoon spying reef sharks, colourful corals and flittering fish.
For something a little more challenging, Tiputa Pass is for the adventure seekers. This site, reserved for advanced divers, offers some of the atoll's most iconic experiences, including thrilling drifts with schools of jacks, surgeonfish and barracuda, along with leopard rays, mantas, dolphins and resident whitetip and grey reef sharks.
Between January and March, Tiputa Pass becomes even more spectacular as great hammerheads gather to hunt eagle rays. The thing with diving in Rangiroa is that you won't just see one shark at a time. You'll see up to two hundred at a time.
General dive sites in Rangiroa
Rangiroa, the largest atoll in French Polynesia and the second largest in the world, is a diver's paradise. With water temperatures ranging from 26°C to 29°C and visibility extending up to 40m, it's no wonder Jacques Cousteau ranked it as the most beautiful and richest dive site globally. Often called the world's largest natural aquarium, Rangiroa's crystal-clear waters and diverse marine life are spread across 415 islets and over 100 narrow passageways, with a range of sites suitable for everyone from newbie divers to experienced drifters.
Shark diving in Rangiroa
Rangiroa is a pelagic paradise for those divers seeking the big boys. Specifically sharks. When diving in Rangiroa you can expect to see anything from (deep breath) grey reefs, silkies, lemon, silvertip, whitetip, blacktip, hammerheads and tiger sharks (phew). But there's more than just the sharks. Roaming the waters divers will also spy (yet another deep breath), dolphins, jacks, barracudas, eagle rays and manta rays. We told you it wasn't a tricky decision to go diving in Rangiroa.
