{"id":9492,"date":"2015-10-18T10:33:51","date_gmt":"2015-10-18T08:33:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/petitesbullesdailleurs\/?p=9492"},"modified":"2025-09-09T06:41:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T04:41:33","slug":"plonger-requins-rangiroa-fakarava","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/petitesbullesdailleurs.fr\/en\/plonger-requins-rangiroa-fakarava-20151018\/","title":{"rendered":"Shark Diving in French Polynesia: Rangiroa and Fakarava"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 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.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The sharks of Rangiroa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ah, Rangiroa<\/a> ! 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"Sharks$ <\/a>
The sharks at Tiputa Pass, Rangiroa. (Photo: \u00a9 GIE Tahiti Tourisme \/ Philippe Bacchet)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
For my first immersion, with the excellent small center Y Aka Diving<\/a>, in this October 2012<\/a>I'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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The spectacle is both magnificent and... peaceful. The cattle swim in the current, indifferent to our presence. \ud83d\ude32<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No autofocus, no photos...<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a> ! Impossible, therefore, to focus. Impossible to make a single image... Rageant! \ud83d\ude21<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"The$ <\/a>
Above, the kind of picture I would have dreamed of taking... (Credit: \u00a9 GIE Tahiti Tourisme \/ Philippe Bacchet)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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...<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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)<\/em>. It's quite impressive: I invite you to return see the video I posted at the time<\/a>, with a silky shark quite insistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$\"Shark$ <\/a>
Shark photographed off Rangiroa (French Polynesia, October 2012)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Fakarava, I dream of it!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
UPDATE 2018.<\/mark><\/strong> In June 2018, Arte broadcast the documentary 700 sharks in the night<\/em><\/a> by Luc Marescot, about the expeditions led by the biologist and underwater photographer Laurent Ballesta<\/a> 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<\/a> 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). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u27a1\ufe0f Also read: Diving with Laurent Ballesta to Photograph the Oldest Fish in the World<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The sharks of Fakarava <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
UPDATE 2023.<\/mark><\/strong> 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Video : Fakarava - North Pass - Polynesia (October 2023)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"Sharks$ <\/a>
Sharks in Fakarava (French Polynesia, October 2023)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"Grey$ <\/a>
Grey reef shark photographed on Fakarava (French Polynesia, October 2023).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
$\"At$ <\/a>
At night, hundreds of sharks hunt in Fakarava's southern pass (French Polynesia, October 2023).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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 \ud83d\ude0d<\/p>\n\n\n