At 10:00 on July 6th, we weighed anchor and headed for Fakarava, one of the largest and most frequented atolls in the Tuamotu Archipelago. We arrived at the north pass of Fakarava around 16:00, managing to achieve our goal of entering and exiting the pass at the most favorable time. We then proceeded to Rotoava, the main town, where there is a nice sheltered marina that makes it easy to dock the dinghy and access the village.
Rotoava’s catholic church
We spent part of the following days exploring the village, restocking our food supplies (thanks to the arrival of the supply ship from Tahiti), and discovering numerous small beaches and a nice resort next to the showroom of a pearl farming company. There, we watched an explanation of how pearls form inside cultivated oysters; the process involves inserting a sphere of natural material into the soft tissues of the mollusk, which reacts to defend itself by secreting an organic substance called nacre. This accumulates around the foreign object in millions of layers, forming the pearl— a process that takes about 2 years.
Havaiki LodgeThe showroom where we watched the explanation of how pearl oysters are cultivatedPearl oyster
In the evening, we treated ourselves to dinner at the best restaurant in Fakarava (being the only one open…), where we enjoyed some excellent raw fish marinated in coconut milk accompanied by a nice glass of wine.
The following day, we did a “refresher” dive to reacquaint ourselves with the scuba equipment and basic practices, guided by an instructor from one of the many dive centers on the island.
On July 10th, our friend Marie-Helene arrived from Paris via Tahiti to spend about ten days with us. To explore the surroundings of the village, we rented bicycles and rode along a stretch of the road that runs along the atoll for about 30 km.
The road on the outskirts of the village of Rotoava is adorned with buoys used in pearl farming.
We crossed paths multiple times with a group of friends from Martinique whom we had met in the Marquesas. We found ourselves on their catamaran for an aperitif dinner. The next day, according to our plan, we prepared to depart for Hirifa, in the south of the island. Unfortunately, we realized that the chain had become tangled on multiple coral heads at a depth of 13 meters, despite the four buoys that were supposed to prevent this problem! It was thanks to the help of Frederick, one of the friends from Martinique, who repeatedly free-dived to guide us in the disentangling operations, that we were able, it’s safe to say, to weigh anchor!
After a few hours of navigation, we arrived at Motu Hirifa. The word “Motu” means “island” and is used to define a sandy elevation on the edge of coral reefs; the ring that constitutes the edge of an atoll is indeed formed by a series of “motu”, usually without interruption (except for the passes).
In Hirifa, there is a very small village made up of a few huts in front of which we anchored. We allowed ourselves a couple of days of total relaxation, sheltered from the southeast wind, with walks along the beach and snorkeling in the waters dotted with coral formations; here we had our first close encounter with the blacktip reef shark, a harmless species that is very common in this archipelago so much so that it is easy to come across the young ones that are ubiquitous in the shallow waters.
The “black tip” shark
In the following days, we reached the southern pass of Fakarava, which is universally known for its rich marine life, making it one of the most sought-after destinations for diving enthusiasts. Accompanied by an instructor, we dove to a depth of 25 meters after the dive center’s boat dropped us off at the entrance of the pass, allowing us to use the current to cross the pass while diving. We were able to observe hundreds of sharks of various species, which, undisturbed, swam past us. The following videos show the spectacle we witnessed.
The pass of Fakarava is truly spectacular, as in addition to the described seabeds, it features extensive carpets of coral in various shapes and colors, where you can observe myriads of fish of different species. Below are some drone footage and photos taken in the village of Tetamanu, which has developed on the right side of the pass.
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The south pass of Fakarava seen from aboveOne of the lagoons to the left of the passThe anchorage in front of the village of Tetamanu
A carpet of coral extending beneath the housesThe “main” road of the village of Tetamanu
Children playing in the village of Tetamanu
On July 18, we returned to Rotoava, the main village, because Marie-Helene was flying to Moorea the following day. On the morning of the 19th, we took her ashore and, with a touch of sadness, continued our journey to the atoll of Toau.
Fakarava
At 10:00 on July 6th, we weighed anchor and headed for Fakarava, one of the largest and most frequented atolls in the Tuamotu Archipelago. We arrived at the north pass of Fakarava around 16:00, managing to achieve our goal of entering and exiting the pass at the most favorable time. We then proceeded to Rotoava, the main town, where there is a nice sheltered marina that makes it easy to dock the dinghy and access the village.
We spent part of the following days exploring the village, restocking our food supplies (thanks to the arrival of the supply ship from Tahiti), and discovering numerous small beaches and a nice resort next to the showroom of a pearl farming company. There, we watched an explanation of how pearls form inside cultivated oysters; the process involves inserting a sphere of natural material into the soft tissues of the mollusk, which reacts to defend itself by secreting an organic substance called nacre. This accumulates around the foreign object in millions of layers, forming the pearl— a process that takes about 2 years.
In the evening, we treated ourselves to dinner at the best restaurant in Fakarava (being the only one open…), where we enjoyed some excellent raw fish marinated in coconut milk accompanied by a nice glass of wine.
The following day, we did a “refresher” dive to reacquaint ourselves with the scuba equipment and basic practices, guided by an instructor from one of the many dive centers on the island.
On July 10th, our friend Marie-Helene arrived from Paris via Tahiti to spend about ten days with us. To explore the surroundings of the village, we rented bicycles and rode along a stretch of the road that runs along the atoll for about 30 km.
We crossed paths multiple times with a group of friends from Martinique whom we had met in the Marquesas. We found ourselves on their catamaran for an aperitif dinner. The next day, according to our plan, we prepared to depart for Hirifa, in the south of the island. Unfortunately, we realized that the chain had become tangled on multiple coral heads at a depth of 13 meters, despite the four buoys that were supposed to prevent this problem! It was thanks to the help of Frederick, one of the friends from Martinique, who repeatedly free-dived to guide us in the disentangling operations, that we were able, it’s safe to say, to weigh anchor!
After a few hours of navigation, we arrived at Motu Hirifa. The word “Motu” means “island” and is used to define a sandy elevation on the edge of coral reefs; the ring that constitutes the edge of an atoll is indeed formed by a series of “motu”, usually without interruption (except for the passes).
In Hirifa, there is a very small village made up of a few huts in front of which we anchored. We allowed ourselves a couple of days of total relaxation, sheltered from the southeast wind, with walks along the beach and snorkeling in the waters dotted with coral formations; here we had our first close encounter with the blacktip reef shark, a harmless species that is very common in this archipelago so much so that it is easy to come across the young ones that are ubiquitous in the shallow waters.
In the following days, we reached the southern pass of Fakarava, which is universally known for its rich marine life, making it one of the most sought-after destinations for diving enthusiasts. Accompanied by an instructor, we dove to a depth of 25 meters after the dive center’s boat dropped us off at the entrance of the pass, allowing us to use the current to cross the pass while diving. We were able to observe hundreds of sharks of various species, which, undisturbed, swam past us. The following videos show the spectacle we witnessed.
The pass of Fakarava is truly spectacular, as in addition to the described seabeds, it features extensive carpets of coral in various shapes and colors, where you can observe myriads of fish of different species. Below are some drone footage and photos taken in the village of Tetamanu, which has developed on the right side of the pass.
.
Children playing in the village of Tetamanu
On July 18, we returned to Rotoava, the main village, because Marie-Helene was flying to Moorea the following day. On the morning of the 19th, we took her ashore and, with a touch of sadness, continued our journey to the atoll of Toau.