Rangiroa, French Polynesia

    Passe de Tiputa

    Best months: Aug–Dec

    Why dive here

    With 146+ marine species recorded in the area - including blacktip reef sharks, dolphins, giant moray eels, octopuses and sperm whales - Passe de Tiputa offers some of Rangiroa's richest reef diving. Water ranges 27-29°C, warmest February, March, April.

    Best timeAug–Dec
    WetsuitA 3mm shorty or thin full wetsuit
    Marine lifeBlacktip Reef Sharks, Dolphins, Giant Moray Eels, Octopuses and Sperm Whales · 146+ species recorded
    Water27-29°C · warmest February, March, April
    CharacterReef dive
    StandoutRich in charismatic marine life

    Passe de Tiputa is really something. We’ve done it dozens of times and it still feels like the first, that rush of being swept into the lagoon, flying over a landscape of brain coral and anemones. We love a drift dive, and this is drift diving amplified. You’ll drop in just outside the pass on an incoming tide, then let the current carry you into the lagoon. The depth here often hovers around 20 metres, so there's plenty of bottom time to take in the show. What makes it special? The sheer volume of sharks. Grey reef sharks mostly, patrolling the entrance in dizzying numbers, sometimes hundreds, just hanging in the current, looking utterly unbothered by us. We’ve also had lucky encounters with mantas here, gliding through the blue. Keep an eye out for bottlenose dolphins, too; they often put on a playful display. The visibility averages 28 metres, a proper blue, though the currents can be quite strong. Our tip: go early in the morning for fewer boats and that beautiful soft light. This dive suits experienced divers comfortable with current, looking for a truly exhilarating ride. It’s an immersion in the raw power of the ocean, a proper shot of adrenaline.

    Today05:2717:4912h 21m daylightGolden hour 17:20

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    Conditions

    Ocean conditions, forecast and tides for Passe de Tiputa

    Passe de Tiputa Ocean Conditions

    Monthly averages for Passe de Tiputa, sourced from Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU) - nearest station: Open-Meteo marine grid (-14.98, -147.62) (32km away)

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    October Averages

    Sea Temperature

    28°C

    82°F · Range: 27.2–28.7°C

    Current Speed

    11.05 cm/s

    Direction: W (264.8°)

    Chlorophyll-a

    0.062 mg/m³

    Very clear (oligotrophic)

    Salinity

    36.23 PSU

    Based on 4 years of monitoring data · Data sources: Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU)

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