Fakarava 

Fakarava

Fakarava - Vive La Difference!
Our diving highlight for 2003 was visiting the island of Fakarava, a spectacular atoll in the Tuomoto Islands of French Polynesia.
After a brief stay in Tahiti we flew on to Fakarava - a white oval sandbar 60 km long encompassing a beautiful blue lagoon.

The island has 2 passes connecting the lagoon with the sea and it is these passes that particularly teem with life. In the larger Garaue Pass we knew we could expect sharks in abundance and we weren't disappointed. Any fears Jane may have had about sharks were quickly dissipated as we swum by watching juvenile sharks just a few feet long, as perfectly formed as their patrolling parents. They were mainly reef sharks, black tips, white tips, silver tips and lemon sharks who eyed us from a distance with no interest at all. We were amused as some nomadic remoras stalked us like movie stars on one dive - after all they had their pick of sharks to buddy with. Of course sharks were just one of the attractions on this spectacular reef, schools of barracuda and napoleon wrasse hovered about over the healthy reefs of their coral homes.
Nothing could prepare us for our last dive in the Garuae Pass. As we descended to the reef we were visited by a female dolphin keen to take a good look at us. This wild bottlenose dolphin has recently become inquisitive and sometimes comes to say hello to divers.

It was one of the most wonderful and surreal experiences of our diving life when she swam up. This is why we learn to dive!

****While in Fakarava we stayed at the Maitai Dream hotel. It was brand new and the only major resort on the atoll. The service was good though the food became a trifle monotonous. The setting was lovely and to hear the water lapping up on the beach at night was special. We even saw sharks cruising past the dock during the day. What a fantastic place, and amazing dive destination.

****To get to Fakarava you need to take a flight from Tahiti or catch a connection on from Rangiroa.