Shark Diving in French Polynesia: Rangiroa and Fakarava
ENIn 2012, I discovered Rangiroa and its spectacular shark gathering. My dream is to go back there and then, next time, dive Fakarava, another mythical Polynesian spot for shark watching. (Spoiler: I finally went... in 2023.)
The sharks of Rangiroa
Ah, Rangiroa ! It's the best-known and most legendary spot, fascinating divers the world over. A wall of sharks can be seen at the entrance to Tiputa Pass, when the current is right.
For my first immersion, with the excellent small center Y Aka Diving, in this October 2012I'm lucky: the sharks, mainly reef grays, are there in large numbers, at a depth of about 40 metres. So we're at their level and it's an incredible feeling to be able to play right in the middle of the shoal. You almost feel like a shark among sharks!
The spectacle is both magnificent and... peaceful. The cattle swim in the current, indifferent to our presence. 😲
No autofocus, no photos...
With my heart pounding, I aimed my lens at a large grey for my first shot... To no avail. My camera's autofocus remained in manual mode inside the waterproof box ! Impossible, therefore, to focus. Impossible to make a single image... Rageant! 😡
Frustrated, I still take the time to enjoy this fabulous dive, just with my eyes, before having to run with the rest of the team in the current.
On my second attempt, the camera worked (this time, I checked before launching). Unfortunately, on this day, the shoal was far too deep, at around 60 meters. Impossible for our group to descend among the sharks this time. We had to contemplate them from above, some twenty meters away. Instead of a "wall", it's more like a "carpet" of sharks...
In Rangiroa, you can also dive with the sharks in the open sea, in the blue. It is strictly forbidden to feed or bait them, but it is permissible to attract them as long as you are sufficiently far from the coast, by spreading a fish "fumet" in the water. (the practice was still authorized in 2012). It's quite impressive: I invite you to return see the video I posted at the time, with a silky shark quite insistent.
Fakarava, I dream of it!
When I return to dive in Polynesia, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, I'll be sure to put Rangiroa back on the agenda, as well as the Fakarava atoll, also in the Tuamotus, which I haven't yet discovered but hope to one day. Its southern pass, Tumakohua, also has its "wall" of sharks.
Judging by the comments on diving forums and blogs, the site is just as spectacular as Rangiroa, if not more so, and easier to dive... I can only dream!
UPDATE 2018. In June 2018, Arte broadcast the documentary 700 sharks in the night by Luc Marescot, about the expeditions led by the biologist and underwater photographer Laurent Ballesta in Fakarava. A fascinating film with spectacular images of the behavior of these sharks, especially at night when they are hunting. Laurent Ballesta also published a book about this extraordinary adventure. On YouTube, Arte then uploaded two 7-minute episodes of 360-degree underwater footage shot there during these expeditions (I had posted the links, but they're no longer available).
➡️ Also read: Diving with Laurent Ballesta to Photograph the Oldest Fish in the World
The sharks of Fakarava
UPDATE 2023. As for me, I returned to Polynesia in October 2023 (eleven years after my very first trip there, which I describe above). This time I went to Fakarava. I was able to admire hundreds of sharks up close, in both the South and North Passes.
Below are the short videos I made for my social networks, which give a good idea of the profusion of them, at each tide's turn... It's splendid 😍
the mere appearance of the word "shark" makes me swoon; question of semantics!
the picture where we see 4 of them in "torpedoes" impresses me a lot, almost shells coming out of a mysterious submarine!
That said, the photo is beautiful and the article interesting 😉
@Ysbilia: This is the photo I would have dreamed of taking... It is signed by another photographer and was provided to me by the Tahitian tourist office. It gives a good idea of the atmosphere when we are in the middle of the sharks' "carpet". Conclusion: I will have to go back there, one day soon, to make my own pictures... 😉
If I had the chance to dive in the open sea in the middle of wild species, I would rather turn to dolphins or whales... Sharks... I am in awe!
@Corinne : My biggest regret is not having been able to dive in the Tuamotu, and in particular to do "shark" dives as it was originally planned for my stay in Polynesia this year, for the reasons you know. 🙁
But, I hope to come back one day to snorkel in Fakarava, I know it's possible, and it's better than nothing ! Snif, snif!!! 😥
So go quickly, so we can enjoy your beautiful images 😉
@Didier: Fakarava is definitely the place to go... It won't be for a while for me. But I will go. For sure!!! 8)
South Fakarava : I will be there in April, I will tell you about it 😉 8)
@ Maltête: raaaah, yes! Come back and give me a little debriefing. This should be great... 🙄
OK, sold, with images also 😉 🙄
@Robin Maltête: I feel like it's going to piss me off...
I hope so! A little justice, though! Your story about the waow got me pretty worked up too... 😀
@Robin: hi, hi... And it's not over yet, I still have a few more little things to post on the subject... 😀
I confirm: the south pass, at Tetamanu, is just heaven!
The center is in the middle of the channel, there is a great atmosphere, and the shark wall is incredible. The corals are in very good condition and Eric, the dive director, has stories to tell every night until the end of the night.
I really loved the southern pass (much more than the northern pass where you need 20 minutes of navigation in a RIB before each dive).
I really don't recommend the center "Dive Spirit Fakarava" in the north, which was very unpleasant with me, refused to pass me the camera in the water, with disastrous consequences: the box that opens, the loss of the complete camera. 😡
@Robin Maltête: and me, I went to read your impressions on the crazy discussion of Plongeur.com and, as a girl who wisely avoids as much as possible to jump into the water with my tank, I took good note of your recommendations and non-recommendations for my future trip... 😉 A thousand thanks for this precious feedback!!!
you are brave, it's longer to go through than "love, glory and beauty"! 🙄
Hello, I would also like to do this dive and had planned to pass the level 1 this year but I realize that it will not be enough. What level did you pass to do this dive? If the level 2 is enough, I'll take it too, otherwise I think I'll have to say goodbye to sharks...
I am a level 4 and have logged 400 dives. I would not recommend the south pass of Fakarava to a level 1 diver: the briefings are quite short (that's an understatement), there is a lot of current, it would be a real pity to be blocked at 29m (in Polynesia, it's +9m) and the 700 grey sharks in one go, it can still be scary for beginners... Finally, for me, this place is a kind of grail for the diver, so it is more reasonable to have already done a lot of dives all over the world before approaching it, otherwise the Mediterranean will seem very bland afterwards...
Thank you for this quick response!
I understand, but I am particularly fond of sharks ..
and as it's part of my world tour I will have done a lot of diving before.
you're talking about Fakarava, it's the same for Rangiroa I guess?