One might be mistaken
for thinking that diving the same pass each day would become a little
monotonous but with the volume and variety of life which passes through
Fakarava Atoll’s Tumakohua Pass there is little time for boredom or
complacency. Fakarava is renowned as a remote destination less frequently
visited and for its parade of grey reef sharks.
One of a group of many
low lying atolls in the South Pacific’s Tuamotus group of French Polynesia,
like its sister island, Rangiroa; Fakarava has two deep water passes which
concentrate marine life entering and egressing its large rectangular shaped
lagoon. A higher proportion of divers visit the more easily reachable north
pass which is relatively close to the airport. The only way to reach the
Tumakohua (south) pass is by boat; a fact which in my opinion places this
location in my ‘special places to visit’ category. The waters of the
protected lagoon are vast and it is not possible to see land when facing
inwards looking up its 60 kilometre length.
After researching the
atoll for dive sites I decided on spending all my time at the south pass
which, at 200 metres wide, has the appeal of being more confined when
compared with the other atoll passes in the region. The pass itself has a
maximum depth of roughly 33 metres and during the incoming tide life passes
through this marine bottleneck, at speed, providing photo opportunities for
the underwater photographer.
Once in the lagoon
proper, conditions are generally calm and protected although not nearly as
interesting from a marine wildlife photography perspective as the pass
itself. The pass, the depths surrounding the pass entrance and the outer
reef are really what make for the action: one of the few places on our
planet where it is still possible to see schools of more than 200 grey reef
sharks gathered in parade as tidal flows turn over water in the lagoon. On a
single dive, I encountered six species of shark: grey reef shark, blacktip
shark, blacktip reef shark, whitetip reef shark, silky shark, and tawny
nurse shark. In addition to this, other species of shark including giant
hammerheads are reported. Grouper, mantas, eagle rays and many other big
fish were evident along with cetaceans. The hard coral harbours many
interesting varieties of smaller creatures including molluscs and
nudibranchs but a ‘muck diving’ destination this is not.
The influx of fresh
water on an incoming tide provides best visibility for image making and
while diving on the outgoing tide is interesting, more turbid conditions are
generally experienced. Timing is everything with pass diving and the
knowledge of the guide or boatman of where and when to drop you in is key. I
began my 8 days of diving here around the new moon and each day’s incoming
pass dive was later than the previous with the boatman assessing the timing
of still water for the drop-in. Staying at the Tetamanu village on the pass
itself provided an added benefit of quickly being able to assess tidal
conditions. We observed significant tidal flow and a ‘river’ was quite
evident in the pass around mid tide.
Some days we entered
outside the pass in blue deep water of 300 metres plus and on one particular
dive at 30 metres depth we were visited by a curious pair of silky sharks
coming in from opposite directions to investigate us. Having only blue
water; no bottom or reef walls as a point of reference in such a situation
can make things a little disorientating and on this occasion our guide
needed to surface in order to reacquaint himself with the direction of the
pass entrance. Once resigned to ‘going with the flow’ the diving can be
effortless and tantamount to simply being an observer on a moving stage. On
other days I made use of a reef hook to remain stationary and capture the
action.
The ‘incoming tide’
dives mostly end in a small channel leading up to the dive centre at the
village and here the resident napoleon wrasse wait to greet you along with
numerous blacktip reef sharks whose antics in breaking the surface of the
water while hunting provide entertainment. In the evenings at dusk I found
the appearance of the blacktips to be strangely comforting in the calm and
tranquility of the lagoon. One night as we were sitting in the small
‘restaurant’, built on poles on the water located just on the edge of the
channel, we were distracted by the sound of a cetacean blow. Moments later
in the moonlight just metres away from where we sat, a humpback whale
emerged and blew again, this time so close that it startled us and its back
glinted in the moonlight as it gently submerged and continued on its way out
the pass to the open sea.
At the time of my
visit, excluding other guests, there were only six people resident at the
intimate village of Tetamanu. The main attraction of this locale is that it
is situated on the south pass itself. While day trippers from the north may
get to dive the south pass on occasion, the only practical way of doing so
over a number of days is to stay close to the pass itself to avoid lengthy
commutes by boat. Accommodation wise one cannot get any closer to the action
with the restaurant above water and peak-tide water lapping the poles of the
small sleeping bungalows.
The village is run
along traditional lines and it would be hard not to get to know the locals
during a ten day stay. Locally grown herbs, fruit and vegetables in season
are used for meals with fish and coconut delicacies in abundance. Chickens
are kept in the village mainly for eggs but fish and rice definitely form
the staples. This diet of mostly fish and rice resulted in some weight loss
during my ten day stay and not being fully conversant in French turned into
an opportunity to catch up on reading. Solar power provides lighting in the
village and battery recharging is available in the restaurant; preferably
during daylight hours. A torch is useful after dusk and if it rains for a
few consecutive days then power becomes a scarce resource and charging of
camera batteries must be carefully managed. Mosquito repellant is also
useful. While I did not find these limitations to be particularly
inconvenient; they are to be expected when visiting remote locations and it
is worthwhile knowing about them from a planning perspective. The focus of
this visit for me was really all about diving the pass and the photo
opportunities this presented.
Getting to Tetamanu
from Fakarava airport involves a brief car journey to the wharf followed by
a speed boat trip down the length of the lagoon. Depending on conditions the
boat trip can take two hours or more. The domestic internal flight between
Fakarava and Papeete takes just over an hour. The cost was high and in my
case matched the price of the fare for the international leg. International
flights to Tahiti (Papeete) are available from many destinations including
Paris and Auckland with Air Tahiti Nui.
Staying at Tetamanu
village on the Tumakohua pass of Fakarava in order to experience consecutive
days of diving here is best enjoyed by intrepid underwater photographers who
can create their own entertainment and are not too phased by language
barriers or more limited menus. This is very special location and one whose
shark population and ecosystem will hopefully survive in environmentally
challenging years to come.
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