Scuba Diving
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GUIDE 2010-2011 SCUBA DIVING TAHITI & HER ISLANDS www.tahiti-diving.com 2010-2011 SCUBA DIVING GUIDE © Pacific-images – D’ap. ill. Saquet 04 GUIDE G N I V DI BA U EDITO 2010-2011 SC IA ORA NA E Maeva With its flourishing crystalline waters, over a hundred dive sites, impeccable infrastructure and some of the best-run dive clubs in the world, French Polynesia is a paradise for divers, for either the beginner or the advanced. In these waters there's a show on everywhere. You only need to don a mask and put your head into the water, with or without a scuba tank, to delight in the graceful dances of over 1000 species that frequent the lagoons, passes and drop-offs of Polynesian islands and atolls. Manta rays, whales, sharks of all sizes, turtles, schools of barracuda, trigger fish, rare and brightly colored Napoleon wrasses - an unforgettable experience awaits within a few kicks of your fins. Each island has developed its own specialties depending on what inhabits its waters. See lemon sharks off Moorea, grey reef sharks at Fakarava, manta rays around Bora Bora and Manihi, hammerhead sharks at Rangiroa and humpback whales off the coats of Rurutu. This incredible variety allows everyone to create their own spectacular and unforgettable itinerary. To discover all that French Polynesia's waters have to offer, go to www.tahiti-diving.com, where you'll find information on clubs and dive centers listed by island and archipelago. These certified professionals will accompany you in security, through unique adventures in virgin and preserved natural surroundings. Haere Mai Welcome and happy trails . Teva JANIcaUD CHIEF EXECUTIVE - GIE TAHITI TOURISME 05 06 GUIDE G N I V DI BA U SUMMARY 2010-2011 SC 08 A fascInatING HISTOry LINKED TO THE OCEAN 14 THE SOCIETY ISLANDS 20 Tahiti 24 Moorea 28 Raiatea 30 Tahaa 32 Huahine 34 Maupiti 36 Bora Bora 38 THE TUAMOTU ARCHIPELAGO 44 Rangiroa 46 Tikehau 49 Fakarava 50 Manihi 52 Makemo 54 THE MARQUESAS ARCHIPELAGO 60 Nuku Hiva 62 Hiva Oa 64 THE AUSTRAL ARCHIPELAGO 68 Tubuai 70 Rurutu 73 CONSErvatION OF UNDErwatER SPECIES 78 UnDErwatER PHOTOGRAPHY 80 SCUBA DIVING REGULATIONS 84 GOING THROUGH A COURSE DURING YOUR stay… 88 TO BE WELL PREparED FOR YOUR TRIP IN FRENCH POLYNESIA 92 SCUBA DIVING CENTERS 102 TAHITI TOURISME CONTACTS 104 GLOssary 105 BIBLIOGRAPHY 106 FAUNA AND METEOROLOGY www.tahiti-diving.com 07 08 A fascinating histoRY LINKED to GUIDE G N I V DI BA THEU OCEAN2010-2011 SC TE MOANA Nui… THE COURAGE OF THE FIRST MIGRANTS It is commonly thought that the first migrants arrived from Southeast Asia about 2,000 years ago. They traveled with lar- ge sailing outrig-gers canoe guided by celestial navigation and their amazing knowledge of the ocean. Isolated for 1,500 years, the ma’ohi developed ocean oriented society and culture. The Moana Nui still plays a prominent part for the Polynesians, es- pecially in the remote islands where life is only possible due to the ocean. IN SEARCH OF «TERRA AUSTRALIS INCOGNITA» The 17th and 18th centuries showed the advent of science and the powerful European kingdoms started to show interest in the new unexplored Austral lands. «Terra Australis Incognita», the imaginary continent, became a quest for the European kingdoms and their explorers. Fernando de Magellan was the first to disco- ver a part of Polynesian land in 1521 located at the far northeast corner of the Tuamotu Archipelago. In 1567, the Spanish ex- plorer Alvaro de Mendaña de Neira sailed throu-ghout French Polynesia from the east to the west without seeing a single piece A fascinating histoRY LINKED to THE OCEAN of land. Twenty-eight years later, however, in 1595 he discove- red the Marquesas Islands. His first mate onboard, Pedro Fer- nandez de Quiros, then, traveled through the Tuamotu atolls in 1606. Samuel Wallis, onboard the HMS Dolphin on its quest to circumnavigate the world was the first European to visit Tahiti in June 1767. The islanders’ fascination for this huge ship (we know it’s coming by water) caused fear and attacks. However, a friendly barter economy with the mates onboard soon replaced their first fears. »»»»»»»»»» THE EUROPEANS FASCINATION FOR THESE NEW LANDS The French Louis-Antoine de Bougainville named Tahiti «New Cythere» in April 1768. Thanks to his lyric travel book, he is greatly responsible for ha- ving created the myth of a new earthy paradise and the myth is still alive today. James Cook undertook a journey to Tahiti where he arrived in 1769 aboard the Endeavour ship to observe the passing of Venus between the Earth and the Sun. He came back twice and carried out the most important and descriptive scientific work about the local customs and the endemic fauna and flora. And yet public awareness really occurred when the www.tahiti-diving.com 09 10 GUIDE G N I V DI A fascinatingBA histoRY LINKED to U THE OCEAN 2010-2011 SC most famous mutiny of all naval history, took place in 1789. The mutiny on the Bounty is definitely engraved the minds repre- senting these marvelous islands and their generous nature and warmth people. Three Hollywood blockbusters have been pro- duced inspired by the story. Following the most famous rendition of Mutiny on the Bounty, the late actor Marlon Brando spent a part of his life on the atoll of Tetiaroa. Thus, the ocean was the only route to Tahiti and her islands for nearly two millen- niums… A VERY SPECIFIC GEOLOGY The islands and atolls of Tahiti are all of volcanic origin. Their formation began about 75 million years ago. Although the dif- ferent groups of islands do not date from the same period, the geological phenomenon is similar to all of them. This is a very simple explanation of the formation and geology of the Poly- nesian islands: The Earth’s crust, called lithosphere, moves by plates. Volcanic activity develops when a plate meets a set hot area. A volcano can emerge from the ocean. When the lithos- A fascinating histoRY LINKED to THE OCEAN phere moves again, the volcano becomes extinct. Coral deve- lops around the extinct volcano, which becomes a mountainous island. The island erodes in time. The coral continues to grow in the same place, close to the water’s surface, as it needs light to develop. Thus, a lagoon appears between the coral reef and the main island. After a few million years, the main island is completely eroded and has disappeared but the lagoon and the reef are still there. An atoll is born. »»»»»»»»»» PASSES: AN INTERESTING PHENOMENON To develop a coral reef, sun light with an average water tempe- rature of 26°C (78°F) and a salinity of 35°/.. degrees are both needed. The fresh water coming from the rivers prevents the formation of the reef. This is the reason why there is a breach in the amazing coral constructions facing riverbanks. This is par- ticularly striking in the Windward Islands such as Tahiti and Moorea. Fresh water flows through rugged impressive moun- tains and valleys to reach the lagoon and its reef creating a na- tural path to the ocean. www.tahiti-diving.com 11 12 GUIDE G N I V DI A fascinatingBA histoRY LINKED to U THE OCEAN 2010-2011 SC SCUBA DIVING The moana, or ocean, is a truly idyllic place for A fascinating histoRY LINKED to ocean lovers and scuba divers. Close your eyes and imagine that you are on a dive boat leaving the crystal clear blue lagoon and going through THE OCEAN the pass… You are now in the ocean and the boat cruises along the coral reef while you admire the lush mountains or the atolls motu (islets). A few minutes later, you are entering a fascinating underwater world. The weather conditions are perfect. The ocean is calm, clear and warm… The reef life is simply breathtaking… You will enjoy the rare feeling of being practically alone at a dive site with your guide. Many of the dive sites are close to the dive centers and transporta- tion to and from is usually fairly short. TAHITI AND HER ISLANDS ALSO OFFER… Numerous water activities such as surfing, kayaking and lagoon discovery eco-tours are available on most islands. Snorkeling around any island will give you the opportunity to en- counter the underwater life through hundreds of coral heads. You can discover the islands on a horseback hiking, or a 4WD safari trek through the lush valleys of the Society or Marquesas Islands. They will provide a new dimension to your stay. You will marvel while overlooking the aqua blue lagoons and be enthralled by the immensity of the ocean. »»»»»»»»»»ECOLOGY AND TOURISM DEVELOPMENT The islands of Moorea and Fakarava are lea- ders in the field of environmental protection. They are endowed with a regulatory system designed to make the most of their marine na- tural resources while respecting the biosphere. Thus, a management plan of the marine space has been established for both islands and pro- motes harmony between tourism development and environment. As the main witnesses of the use of natural resources in the water-based lei- sure industry, diving centres are privileged par- tners acting for the application and promotion of these management plans. ■ www.tahiti-diving.com 13 14 GUIDE G N I TV HE DI BA U S2010-2011 SC OCIETY ISLANDS THE THE archIPELAGO IS DIVIDED IntO TWO parts OF MOUntaINOUS ISLANDS: SOCIETY THE WINDwarD ISLANDS, SUCH AS TA- ISLANDS HITI anD MOOREA anD thE LEEwarD ISLANDS SUCH AS BORA BORA, RAIatEA, TAHA’A, AND HUAHINE.