AD 2017 Q3

Raccoon butterflyfish are found
throughout French Polynesia.
Below, from left: A school of
Heller’s barracuda patrols a shallow
reef. On Rangiroa, encounters with
bottlenose dolphin have become
quite predictable and productive.
JOE POE
Dives in the Tuamotus are typically done at the
shoulders of the passes, where currents are not as
strong, or in the passes as intentional drift dives on
the incoming tide. The tidal flow is determined by
the width of the passes as well as the lunar cycle, with
water flowing faster through narrower channels. Dives
in the passes are carefully planned around the tides
with the goal of having sufficient flow to concentrate
the marine life, but not so much that it’s hard for
divers to manage.
Our first dive in Rangiroa was at the shoulder of Tiputa
Pass. My immediate reaction upon rolling into the water
was astonishment at its clarity. Some pristine hard corals
were scattered about, but hard coral gardens aren’t really
the attraction here. The Tuamotus are about pelagic
encounters, big schools of fish and breathtakingly clear
aquamarine water. While there may be better places in
the world to see muck-dwelling critters or pastel soft
corals, the Tuamotus are hard to beat when it comes to
sharks, dolphins, fish and gorgeous water. Underwater
photographers who have spent too many hours
retouching backscatter out of otherwise good photos will
adore these islands — all the clever backscatter-removal
tools and techniques you’ve learned will rarely be needed.
I can’t say that my two-day Rangiroa experience was
encyclopedic — we never hit the current just right for
an incoming pass dive. That’s what really congregates
the gray reef sharks for the iconic wall-of-sharks view
for which the site is most famous. I had four great
dives along the shoulder of the pass though, featuring
close encounters with hawksbill turtles on every dive,
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