Pufana - Fakarava
Pufana, tucked inside the Fakarava lagoon, offers a relaxed dive suitable for beginners. You'll find a gentle slope here, bottoming out around 15 metres, which is perfect for refining buoyancy or for a long, easy exploration. Look out for reef sharks cruising by and small schools of snapper sheltering in the coral heads. It's a peaceful spot for a second dive or for those new to French Polynesia's currents.
- Location
- Fakarava, French Polynesia, Central & South Pacific
- Coordinates
- -16.082000, -145.693300
- Maximum Depth
- 15m
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Marine Protected Area: Atoll de Fakarava
Nearby Dive Sites in Fakarava
- Alibaba - 28m
- Garuae Pass (drift)
- Garuae Pass (wall)
- The channel - 15-30m (drift)
- Tombant d Ohotu - 23m (wall)
- Tumakohua Pass (drift)
Nearest Dive Centres to Pufana
Marine Life in Fakarava
Home to 206 recorded species including 178 reef fish, 8 sea cucumbers, 6 whales & dolphins, 5 sharks & rays, 4 sea snails & nudibranchs, 1 clams & mussels.
Notable Species
- Small giant clam (Tridacna maxima) - Clams & Mussels
- Bullethead Parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) - Reef Fish
- Banded Goatfish (Parupeneus multifasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Bristle-toothed Surgeonfish (Ctenochaetus striatus) - Reef Fish
- Arc-eye Hawkfish (Paracirrhites arcatus) - Reef Fish
- Dot and dash Butterflyfish (Chaetodon pelewensis) - Reef Fish
- Argus Grouper (Cephalopholis argus) - Reef Fish
- Blunt-head Parrotfish (Chlorurus microrhinos) - Reef Fish
- Lemon Peel (Centropyge flavissima) - Reef Fish
- Redfin Butterflyfish (Chaetodon lunulatus) - Reef Fish
- Orange-lined Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) - Reef Fish
- Long-nosed Parrotfish (Hipposcarus longiceps) - Reef Fish
- Australian Squirrel-fish (Myripristis violacea) - Reef Fish
- Sickle Butterflyfish (Chaetodon ulietensis) - Reef Fish
- Six-line wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia) - Reef Fish
- Big-nose Unicorn (Naso vlamingii) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) - Reef Fish
- Yellowtail Dascyllus (Dascyllus flavicaudus) - Reef Fish
- Kihikihi (Zanclus cornutus) - Reef Fish
- Desjardin's Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma velifer) - Reef Fish