Tapu - Bora Bora
West End Wall, for us, is a classic Roatán dive, one you’ll probably find yourself returning to. It’s got that easy access, just a quick boat ride from the village, but it never feels overdone. What we love most is the sheer drama of the drop-off; it just plunges down, a true vertical face that makes you feel tiny. We always find ourselves scanning the blue here, often spotting tarpon gliding by or, if you’re lucky, an eagle ray or two ghosting past the deeper sections. The wall itself is a riot of colour and texture. Enormous barrel sponges jut out, big enough to sit in, and the sea fans sway gently with the surge. Keep an eye out for those smaller residents – we’ve had great luck spotting tiny yellow basslets tucked into crevices and needlefish hanging just below the surface. The max depth of 22 metres means it’s a comfortable dive for almost everyone, allowing plenty of time to explore the nooks and crannies. Just be aware that the current can pick up at the end of the dive, sometimes turning it into a brisk drift, but nothing too wild. It’s a site that suits anyone looking for a relaxed, visually rich wall dive with a good chance of encountering some larger pelagics too.
- Location
- Bora Bora, French Polynesia, Central & South Pacific
- Coordinates
- -16.498400, -151.784300
- Type
- wall
Marine Protected Area: Motu Tapu
Best Time to Dive in Bora Bora
The warmest water temperatures in Bora Bora occur in April, averaging 29.3°C. The coolest conditions are in September at 26.8°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 28.4°C
- February: 28.6°C
- March: 29.3°C
- April: 29.3°C
- May: 28.9°C
- June: 28.1°C
- July: 27.2°C
- August: 26.9°C
- September: 26.8°C
- October: 27.2°C
- November: 27.8°C
- December: 28.1°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Bora Bora
- Anau (cenote)
- Anau
- Aquarium (reef)
- Aquarium (reef)
- Avapeihi pass (drift)
- Cite corail (reef)
- Coral Garden (reef)
- Eagle-rays station
- Eleuthera Bora Diving Center
- Fafapiti
- Haapiti (wall)
- Iriru
- L'Aquarium
- Le Nordby (wreck)
- Les rairas
Nearest Dive Centres to Tapu
Marine Life in Bora Bora
Home to 141 recorded species including 121 reef fish, 7 sea snails & nudibranchs, 4 hard corals, 3 whales & dolphins, 2 sharks & rays, 1 other.
Notable Species
- Lemon Peel (Centropyge flavissima) - Reef Fish
- Six-line wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia) - Reef Fish
- Banded Goatfish (Parupeneus multifasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Orange-lined Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) - Reef Fish
- Arc-eye Hawkfish (Paracirrhites arcatus) - Reef Fish
- Flea Cone (Conus pulicarius) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Argus Grouper (Cephalopholis argus) - Reef Fish
- Dot and dash Butterflyfish (Chaetodon pelewensis) - Reef Fish
- Citron Butterfly (Chaetodon citrinellus) - Reef Fish
- Spotted Toby (Canthigaster solandri) - Reef Fish
- Armed Squirrel-fish (Neoniphon sammara) - Reef Fish
- Lineated Butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Brilliant Red Hawkfish (Neocirrhites armatus) - Reef Fish
- Pinktail triggerfish (Melichthys vidua) - Reef Fish
- Bullethead Parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) - Reef Fish
- Honeycomb Grouper (Epinephelus merra) - Reef Fish
- Yellowtail Dascyllus (Dascyllus flavicaudus) - Reef Fish
- Giant Squirrelfish (Sargocentron spiniferum) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) - Reef Fish
- Savigny's Brittle Star (Ophiactis savignyi)
Recommended Packing List for Tapu
Based on average water temperature of 28.0°C, currents 6 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 28°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories