All activities / Scuba Diving / Rangiroa
Scuba Diving in Rangiroa
One of the largest coral atolls in the world, in the Tuamotus, with a lagoon so big the far shore drops below the horizon. Its two passes, Tiputa and Avatoru, are famous drift dives where resident bottlenose dolphins, grey reef sharks and eagle rays ride the tide between ocean and lagoon.
Why here
Rangiroa is the classic Tuamotu pass dive, a giant atoll where the whole lagoon breathes through two narrow channels and pulls the big animals with it. On an incoming tide at the Tiputa pass you fly over the reef with the current while grey reef sharks, eagle rays and schools of barracuda hold station around you, and a resident pod of bottlenose dolphins comes to surf the flow and play with divers, one of the few places in the world where that happens reliably. In the cooler months great hammerheads and manta rays move through, and the outer walls fall away into deep blue. Between dives the lagoon itself is a draw, from the pink sand motu to the natural aquarium shallows, and the passes work again on the outgoing tide for a completely different dive.
Best months
The passes are tidal drift dives, best on the incoming current for clear ocean water and the biggest animals, so operators plan around the tide. Dolphins are resident year round; hammerheads and mantas are more likely in the cooler, wetter months from around December to March. Water stays warm, visibility in the passes is excellent, and the current can be strong, so drift experience and an Advanced level are recommended for the pass dives, though there are calm lagoon sites for beginners.
Getting there & around
Rangiroa has its own airport with direct Air Tahiti flights from Tahiti and Bora Bora, and the dive centres, pensions and the Kia Ora resort cluster along the strip of land between the Avatoru and Tiputa passes. Most diving is a short boat ride to one of the two passes, so you can dive without internal transfers. Accommodation runs from family pensions to one resort, and dives sell out in high season, so book operator and room together ahead of time.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Rangiroa Plongee
OutfitterRangiroa Plongee is a small dive centre established in 2008 a short walk from the Avatoru wharf, close to the Tiputa pass, the atoll's most famous dive. It trains and guides through FFESSM, ANMP and CMAS with Aqualung equipment and multilingual instructors, and keeps groups small for the strong drift dives. Open seven days a week all year, it dives the passes for grey reef sharks, dolphins, manta and eagle rays, plus sheltered lagoon sites for beginners.
The 6 Passengers
OutfitterThe 6 Passengers is a family dive centre on Rangiroa's Ohutu Bay near the Kia Ora village, founded by Frederic Lhermitte, known locally as Pitou. A PADI five-star and National Geographic dive centre, it takes its name from the six-diver cap it keeps on every boat. Guides run the drift dives through the Tiputa and Avatoru passes, where bottlenose dolphins, grey reef sharks and eagle rays ride the current, and dive the lagoon year round.