Le Tombant Saint Étienne - Moorea & Tahiti
Nudi Rock, tucked between Ajoi and Nayak, is exactly what it sounds like – a big rock that’s excellent for finding the small stuff. It’s a shallow dive, maxing out around 24 meters, which makes for plenty of bottom time to scan for nudibranchs, flatworms, and even hairy shrimp nestled among the coral and rocks. We’ve spotted Fang’s Dwarfgoby and Queensland Eviota here, alongside the more common Cheekscale Dwarfgoby. Visibility averages 16 meters, which is plenty for macro work. It’s an easy run from Juara Jetty, just four minutes, making it a good choice for a relaxed afternoon.
- Location
- Moorea & Tahiti, French Polynesia, Central & South Pacific
- Coordinates
- -17.613200, -149.621400
- 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
- Aquarium
- Aquarium de Cook (reef)
- Aquarium de Cook (reef)
- BYRON NO. 16 - 0m (wreck)
- Canyons - Moorea (Tahiti) (reef)
- Coral wall - 15-35m (wall)
- Dérivante aux tortues (reef)
- Edenpark
- Eden Park (reef)
- Epave Catalina (wreck)
- Faille d'Arue
- Faille St Etienne
- Fausse Passe de Paea (reef)
- Grottes du Tahara (cave)
- Hydravion et Goelett (reef)
Nearest Dive Centres to Le Tombant Saint Étienne
- Activiseas - ["PADI"]
- Dive and Sea
- Ecole de plongée de Tahiti - SSI
- Eleuthera Plongée
- Fluid Plongée
- Iaora Diving - ["PADI"]
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
- Small giant clam (Tridacna maxima) - Clams & Mussels
- Burrowing urchin (Echinometra mathaei) - Sea Urchins
- Tigerfish (Bohadschia argus) - Sea Cucumbers
- Bristle-toothed Surgeonfish (Ctenochaetus striatus) - Reef Fish
- Banded Goatfish (Parupeneus multifasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Lemon Peel (Centropyge flavissima) - Reef Fish
- Orange-lined Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) - Reef Fish
- Argus Grouper (Cephalopholis argus) - Reef Fish
- Blue-lined Tang (Zebrasoma scopas) - Reef Fish
- Bullethead Parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) - Reef Fish
- Clown Butterflyfish (Chaetodon ornatissimus) - Reef Fish
- Citron Butterfly (Chaetodon citrinellus) - Reef Fish
- Blackspot Surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigrofuscus) - Reef Fish
- Batavian Parrotfish (Scarus psittacus) - Reef Fish
- Manini (Acanthurus triostegus) - Reef Fish
- Honeycomb Grouper (Epinephelus merra) - Reef Fish
- Butterfly fish (Chaetodon vagabundus) - Reef Fish
- Spotted Toby (Canthigaster solandri) - Reef Fish
- Long-beaked Dolphin (Stenella longirostris) - Whales & Dolphins
- Silver Squirrelfish (Sargocentron microstoma) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Le Tombant Saint Étienne
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