French Polynesia, Best Of Tuamotus

French Polynesia – Grouper Spawning 🇵🇫 – Jun ’29

Travel details

Available spaces

9 spot(s)

Trip duration

14 nights

Travel dates

13 June, 2029 - 27 June, 2029

Price per person

8.745 € per person

Trip Highlights

Wall of Sharks 🦈 Fakarava's "Wall of Sharks" is much like a highway at rush hour, only this tine hundreds of grey reef sharks patrol the Corso in the South wall! This vertical drop off is a world renowned dive site, with stunning visibility and sharks effortlessly gliding into the current. While every diver in the world wants to have a shot at this site, only a few get it.

Aquatiki III ⛵ Zipping through French Polynesia by catamaran has so much advantages: it's spacious, agile and just so comfortable. The Aquatiki III is the best vessel to dive these waters by quite a distance.

Grouper Spawning 🌪️ Over 18,000 to tens of thousands of camouflage groupers (also known as marbled groupers) gather in the narrow channel to spawn in a synchronized burst. The massive aggregation draws hundreds of marine predators, including grey reef sharks, silvertips, and blacktips, creating a high-energy feeding frenz

Trip description

The waters of French Polynesia are remote and uninterrupted. The marine life is abundant, with manta and eagle rays, sharks of many species and sizes, stingrays, tunas, dolphins, even the occasional swordfish. Most divesites are entirely unfrequented, so we forget about bubbles from other dive groups.

We move between atolls by catamaran, which means the boat is the base. You sleep on board, eat on board, and most dives drop straight off the back. Cabins are comfortable, the crew handles everything, and the food is fresh and simple. No transfers, no checking in and out, no rush.

Above water it stays quiet in a way that is getting hard to find. Empty divesites, lagoons that genuinely look like the photos, sundowners on deck. The luxury here is not in the trim. It is in the space, the time, and the fact that for ten days almost nothing is asked of you.

Aquatiki Catamaran

Nights

Price per person

8.745 €

DATE START

13 June 2029

DATE END

27 June 2029

The Aquatiki III is a catamaran built by the Fountaine Pajot shipyard in La Rochelle, France.

Onboard comfort is hotel-like: a spacious, very comfortable foyer with a video corner, lounge library, and cocktail bar. Amenities include an American-style galley, a spacious, sun-protected cockpit with a sun awning, a large sun deck, a salon in the bow, two popular trampolines, and a plancha grill.

The catamaran is 20 meters long and 9.8 meters wide and has five cabins for a total of ten guests: two cabins with double or twin beds, one cabin with bunk beds for two people, and two VIP double cabins with TV/HiFi/DVD. These are equipped with individually controlled air conditioning, a sound system, and an en-suite bathroom with toilet.

Propulsion is provided by 230 m² of sail area and two 150-hp engines. The fuel tank has a capacity of over 1000 liters.

A powerful generator and inverter ensure a 220V power supply around the clock. Each cabin has its own 220V outlet.

The Aquatiki is self-sufficient in its freshwater supply: Over 800 liters of reserve water and two desalination plants, each with a capacity of 190 liters per hour, are available.

For maximum safety, the vessel is equipped with state-of-the-art navigation technology and the latest technological innovations: autopilot, GPS, BLU, VHF, navigation computer, radar, Standard-C weather service, and a Sarsat emergency beacon. The catamaran also offers every comfort: a hi-fi system with a separate sound system in each cabin and a CD library, a television with a VCR, and a DVD player with a video library. The library includes documentaries on the underwater world, Polynesia, and navigation, as well as numerous games for entertaining evenings.

Telephone, Wi-Fi, and satellite fax allow you to stay connected anytime, anywhere in the world!

Included

Airport transfers
Accommodation in your assigned cabin
2 dives per day including tank, weights, guide, and Nitrox
3 meals per day
Drinking water
Rental equipment

Not Included

Soft drinks, alcoholic beverages
Flights, travel arrangements, hotels
Dive and travel cancellation insurance
Gratuities for the crew (recommended €15-30 per person per day)

Day-by-day program

-The following is a sample itinerary; the actual schedule may vary depending on weather and sea conditions – Arrival at Fakarava airport, where the Aquatiki crew picks you up and brings you to the boat at Rotoava dock. Cabin allocation, dive briefing, and a welcome cocktail at sunset. First night on board in the lagoon, with a Polynesian welcome dinner to set the tone for what is coming.

Early morning departure through Fakarava’s lagoon down to the southern tip. Anchorage off the tiny village of Tetamanu (population: a handful). Afternoon checkout dive on the inner reef to find your weight and rhythm, with grey reef sharks already cruising past. Sunset on a deserted beach.

The dive everyone came for. Two drift dives in Tetamanu Pass with the incoming current, gliding over the legendary Wall of Sharks in Fakarava South. Hundreds of grey reef sharks holding in formation, with the occasional silvertip and a constant backdrop of jacks, snappers and Napoleon wrasse. Surface intervals on the catamaran, lunch served at anchor.

Sailing day with the trade winds. A few hours of glass water and reading on the trampolines, then arrival at Kauehi atoll, one of the lesser-visited gems of the central Tuamotus. Afternoon dive in the pass, manta and eagle ray territory.

Two dives in and around the Kauehi pass, plus time to explore the lagoon by kayak or paddle. Coral gardens that feel untouched, schools of bigeye trevally, occasional dolphin encounters in the surface intervals.

Morning crossing to Toau, an almost uninhabited atoll where time slows down. Anchorage off a coral sand beach with no other boats in sight. Afternoon dive on the outer reef, then a sunset swim and dinner under the stars.

Full day at Toau. Two dives, including the famous Otugi pass with its sloping reef and big pelagic action. Land excursion in the afternoon: shell collecting on an empty motu, coconut milk demonstration with the crew, and a chance to meet some of the few residents who farm copra here.

Sailing further north to Apataki, even less travelled than Toau. Dive the pass for grey reef sharks, eagle rays and the chance of hammerheads at depth. Apataki’s lagoon is a pearl-farming centre, and the welcome from local families is part of the experience.

Morning sail back south toward Fakarava’s northern end. Anchorage off the coral reef just outside the famous Garuae Pass, the largest pass in French Polynesia at over 1.6 kilometres wide. Afternoon dive to scout the pass on a calmer current.

Two drift dives through Garuae with the incoming tide, riding the conveyor belt past sharks, mantas (in season), and dense schools of fish. Smooth sail back to Rotoava village, sunset on board, farewell cocktail and dinner with the crew.

Morning dive on the inner reef pinnacles inside Kauehi lagoon, calm shallow water full of clownfish, moray eels and reef sharks in the coral heads, perfect for photo work. After lunch we set sail west back to Fakarava. Six hours crossing under sail, dolphins often riding the bow. Evening anchor at Fakarava South, farewell BBQ with the crew under the stars.

Sail overnight from Toau to Kauehi. Morning drift dive on the outgoing tide at Arikitamiro Pass, Kauehi’s only channel. Blacktips and greys cruising the reef edge, huge schools of surgeonfish, and eagle rays gliding through the pass on the current. Afternoon dive along the outer wall, then anchor inside the lagoon for the night. Sundowners on deck with the sunset over the atoll rim.

TRIP LEADER

Your Trip Leader

Our main Group Trip guide. A true adventurer with an unbreakable energy, born to dive, and a great eye for cinematic UW and topside shots. A man that lives for food, genuine interactions and raw exploration.

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