DIVE TAHITI DIVE TRAVEL GUIDETahiti - Cyber Diver Top 10 Dive Destination >>  n the make-believe world fabricated by travel agents, tourism bureaus, scuba rags and travel magazines, Tahiti is a tropical paradise. After all, there is still a lot of money to be made perpetuating the tired, 200-year-old myth of free love and happy-go-lucky natives joyfully paddling their outriggers into the beautiful sunset.
In reality, Tahiti is an extremely troubled, often unromantic place, and unarguably the most overpriced travel destination on the face of the planet. Yet, despite the hostilities between the French and native polynesians over nuclear testing, independence and political corruption, the high islands are gorgeous and the outermost atolls offer fairly good drift diving. Yes, there are far better places to dive, equally beautiful islands, much friendlier natives and infinitely better deals, but a trip to French Polynesia celebrates the myth that if you find the right island, you CAN drop out, even if only for a week at an EXTREMELY overpriced beachfront resort. (Historical note: Most of the Bounty mutineers who thought they had found a free love paradise ended up killing each other over women. If you are looking for free love in modern Tahiti, try crashing the Club Med compound or omnipresent "mahu" bars frequented by native tranvestites.)There are some 120 islands and atolls in French Polynesia but only 11 offer dive support facilities: Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Raiatea, Huahine, Rangiroa, Tubuai, Rurutu, Manihi, Tikehau and Nuku Hiva. Due to limited visibility and somewhat monochromatic reefs, dive operators lean towards thrill diving gimmicks, including sharkfeeding and pass diving, which is drift diving through openings in the barrier reefs that encircle most of the islands. If the primary focus of your trip is on diving, the best dive sites, by far, are in Rangiroa, the world's second largest atoll. The huge 75km (46mi) long lagoon is like an inland sea and nourishes a rich diversity and abundance of marine life. But Rangiroa's big attraction is the high-voltage, big animal action in Avatoru Pass and Tiputa Pass where tidal flows create powerful currents. You will need to catch another flight from Faa airport in Tahiti to reach Rangiroa but why not go the extra distance for the best diving in French Polynesia? When to Go Best time to travel? June to November. The rest of the year can be unpleasantly hot and humid. Click image to enlarge map |
Facts about French Polynesia- Capital City: Papeete
- Area: 5 million sq km (2,000,000 sq mi). Land area: 3500 sq km (1370 sq mi)
- Population: 220,000 (Tahiti pop: 150,000)
- People: 83% Polynesians (Maohis), 12% Europeans, 5% Asians
- Languages: Tahitian, French and English
- Religion: 55% Protestant, 30% Catholic, 6% Mormon, 2% Seventh-Day Adventist, 2% Buddhist and Confucianist
- Government: Overseas territory of the Republic of France
- GDP: US$2.8 billion (1993)
- GDP per head: US$12,750 (1993)
- Major Industries: Tourism, pearling
- Major Trading Partners: France, USA, Japan and New Zealand
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