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Tikehau Diving

The Manta's Eden

An essential part of a dive trip to French Polynesia, diving on the atoll of Tikehau offers magnificent dives in a haven of tropical fish. This Tuamotu atoll remains unspoilt, with fauna such as Blacktip and White tip sharks, barracudas, napoleon wrasses, rays, lionfish and the famous manta rays.

Your dives, whether made in the lagoon of the atoll or at its outskirts are awesome for the avid divers.

Tikehau Dive sites

The Pearl farm

This dive takes you on a visit in the lagoon around the surroundings of an old pearl farm. At around the depth of 50 feet, you will feast your eyes on the majestic manta rays that come to the spot to get a beauty treatment from the wrasses and other "cleaner" fish that inhabit the lagoon. The sandy bottom punctuated by coral heads is an ideal spot to observe these gentle giants sailing overhead. This site is ideal for all diving levels from the beginner to the seasoned diver.

Teonai

A gentle slope overlooking a reef that drops off to a depth of around 60 feet. Follow the left hand side of the drop-off in the direction of the pass; you may be surprised what marine encounters await you. Play with the clown fish, photograph picturesque lionfish but don't forget to look up at the surface, here life is everywhere, swarming and beautiful, sometimes you will see shoals of fish intermingle. The undersea reef life unfolds before your eyes...watch and observe its beauty.

Tuheiava

Fly with the incoming current to the secure enclosure of the lagoon. Along the way, you will surely encounter Silvertip and White-tip reef sharks as well as Napoleon wrasses, jacks, barracudas, tuna, turtles and moray eels... the little pass is teeming with life and you will be amazed as to how close you can get to the wildlife.

In the outgoing current, the south angle of the pass becomes the meeting point. Attempt to make out a leaffish or a stone fish hidden in the reef bed while the sharks and barracudas wander above in the blue.

The sharks hole

This deep dive reserved for seasoned divers starts with a drop off at the depth of 45 feet right above a carpet of scarlet squirrel fish. The more aventurous brave up to 150 feet, where the famous "hole" begins - A vertical passage that hosts anemones, clown fish and a wall of gray sharks. There may be a dozen or a hundred, a huge shoal dwells deeper and surfaces with the currents. Continue you descent slowly along the wall where you feel thousands of eyes watching you from the reef.

Right corner

Nice wall rich of schools of fish, barracudas, caranx, lutjans, surgeon fishes, etc...

Left corner

Amidst the napoleon fish, the majestic manta rays come to Mara to rid themselves of small parasites by little cleaner fish. Mara is also a good place to run into whitetip Reef sharks (Carcharrhinus albimarginatus).

Turtle refuge

Escorted by dolphins, our boat will anchor above a dip in the sea floor used as a nocturnal refuge by sea turtles. This dip in the reef allows the diver to observe numerous species in a small area. This is an easy dive in relatively shallow waters (18 meters), but unmatched for the diversity of species observed.

Raira Cave

Formed by a long fault in the coral reef, Raira Cave shelters many grey sharks. Barracudas and hundreds of snappers are also present.

Hina' s Bell

This is a deep dive (45 meters), restricted to experienced divers. This is where you can observe the big fish, such as tunas, marlins, or whitetip reef sharks.

Tikehau Dive Resorts

The selected dive resorts in Tikehau are represented here.

	Ninamu Resort
	Tikehau Pearl Beach Resort

TOPDIVE Tikehau - Dive Center

The TOPDIVE center is located in the Tikehau Pearl Beach Resort south of the atoll. The center offers a service that meets this 3-star hotel for you to discover the atoll at its best. This journey will take you to 4 notable dive sites.

Superior service

• Open 7 days a week, all year round
• Diveshop for purchase of equipment and merchandise
• Latest Aqualung brand gear used for all dives
• Dive boats: semi-rigid zodiac dive boats fit for diving safety and fast paced dives
• Multi-lingual staff with instructors and dive masters versed in English, French.

Safety

• 5 Star PADI dive facility
• Professionally trained divemasters, instructors (PADI, ANMP, FFESSM, CMAS)

Dive schedule

• Schedule depending on the slack tide
• Every morning for 2 dives, baptism and introduction dive
• Every afternoon on request
• Sunset dive on request