Tropical Diving - Tuamotu Islands, French Polynesia

The Atolls of French Polynesia

Two Expeditions departing Papeete, Tahiti - Arriving Papeete, Tahiti 31st March - 14th April 2005 and 13th April - 27th April 2005

For over twenty years adventurer and explorer Mike McDowell has been offering remote and exciting dive expeditions to a variety of "out of the way" dive destinations throughout Oceania. Deep Ocean Expeditions are pleased to announce that 2005 is no exception, with an exciting expedition planned to the world-famous atolls and passes of French Polynesia ( Tahiti ).

French Polynesia is made up of five archipelago groups, and we will devote our expedition to an in-depth exploration of the largest, the Tuamotu group. The Tuamotus is located approx 180 nautical miles northeast of Tahiti and includes seventy-six islets and atolls spread out over more than 7,500 square miles.

Many archaeologists believe the Tuamotus were settled around 850 AD, by ocean-going Polynesian explorers. They settled in numerous small villages throughout the archipelago, the small Islets being unable to support large settlements. From 1520 the atolls were discovered by various intrepid sailors from Spain, Netherlands, England and France. Known as the "dangerous archipelago", because their shallow reefs and strong currents made them infamously dangerous to seafarers, the Tuamotus are not Islands, but motus (small islets) surrounded by fringing reef. The waters between these motus are thousands of feet deep but inside the atolls are lagoons featuring enormous ecosystems at depths accessible to scuba divers and snorkellers.

The capital of French Polynesia Papeete, located on the island of Tahiti, offers the only international airport in the archipelago and for this reason our expeditions will operate from Papeete. We are offering two similar expeditions, both departing through the March through April 2005 period. The itinerary below is valid for both departures but as always come with a flexible approach as we will explore new areas to take advantage of local information and weather/sea conditions.

Many of the dive sites provide world-class diving for snorkellers, novice and experienced scuba divers alike. More adventurous diving is provided by strong current dives in local Tuamotu "passes". These passes are the gaps in the atolls open to the deep blue ocean through which large volumes of water rush during peak tidal times creating strong currents. It is this process that creates magnificent amounts of marine life feeding on the nutrient rich racing current.

All divers will need to show a level of competency before making these current (or "drift") dives, of which we will make one daily, recommended only for experienced divers. If you are a learner diver do not despair as we will always offer a full range of activities including snorkeling, atoll visits and excursions to island communities to purchase local produce and souvenirs.

French Polynesia Dive Expedition (PDF)