Dérivante aux tortues - Moorea & Tahiti

Ibel D’Orange, just a five-minute boat ride from Tinabo Besar, is a standout pinnacle dive, a real favourite of ours in Flores. We drop in at about 18 metres, descending onto a vibrant reef that slopes down to 23 metres. This site really hums with activity, especially in the mornings. We love the soft corals here; they carpet the pinnacle in purples and oranges, swaying gently in the mild current. Keep an eye out for the white tip and black tip reef sharks, usually cruising the deeper sections. We’ve had incredible luck spotting marble rays gliding past, their spots almost iridescent against the blue. Schools of tuna often zip by, a silver flash in the periphery. For the macro enthusiasts, the nudibranchs here are surprisingly diverse, and we often find peacock-tail anemone shrimp tucked into their host anemones. It’s a fairly easy dive, perfect for advanced open water divers looking for a relaxing drift with plenty to see. The average 15-metre visibility is good enough to appreciate the larger pelagics and the intricate coral formations. We’d suggest going early; the light hitting the pinnacle around 8 AM really makes the colours pop.

Location
Moorea & Tahiti, French Polynesia, Central & South Pacific
Coordinates
-17.783300, -149.379800
Type
reef

Marine Protected Area: Grottes de Maraa

Best Time to Dive in Moorea & Tahiti

The warmest water temperatures in Moorea & Tahiti occur in April, averaging 29.0°C. The coolest conditions are in September at 26.3°C.

Monthly Water Temperatures

  • January: 28.2°C
  • February: 28.5°C
  • March: 28.9°C
  • April: 29.0°C
  • May: 28.4°C
  • June: 27.6°C
  • July: 26.7°C
  • August: 26.4°C
  • September: 26.3°C
  • October: 26.6°C
  • November: 27.2°C
  • December: 27.8°C

Nearby Dive Sites in Moorea & Tahiti

Nearest Dive Centres to Dérivante aux tortues

Marine Life in Moorea & Tahiti

Home to 141 recorded species including 116 reef fish, 7 hard corals, 6 sea snails & nudibranchs, 5 sea cucumbers, 2 whales & dolphins, 1 clams & mussels.

Notable Species

Recommended Packing List for Dérivante aux tortues

Based on average water temperature of 27.6°C, currents 8 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