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One grey shark with dark-edged fins swimming through open blue water, seen from below with the rippled surface above — Bora Bora

Bora Bora · French Polynesia · Wall · Lagoon

Toopua

Clownfish in their anemones along a lagoon wall

Area photo: The original uploader was Dlloyd at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 3.0

Toopua is a lagoon dive inside the barrier reef, along a wall where many tropical fish gather. Small caves and crevices in the coral hold lionfish and moray eels, which makes the site a good one for photographers.

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Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Toopua: typical dive to 30 m (to 100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

16.5179° S, 151.7680° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The boat moors in about 5 m (16 ft). Anemones with their clownfish sit along the wall, which reaches 30 m (100 ft), and at its foot a large sand bank draws eagle rays and stingrays searching for food. Depending on the weather, the dive is run at anchor or as a drift.

Marine life and season

  • Reef fish swarms
  • Eagle rays
  • Stingrays
Month-by-month season rating for Toopua
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeFairFair

Season follows Bora Bora: The dry May to October months are the high season, though the trade winds sometimes blow strongly; November to April is the wet season.

Dive videos

BORA BORA SCUBA: Face-to-Face with Eagle Rays at Toopua (Highlights w/ Fish ID) · Talk to the Fish on YouTube

Sources

  1. Bora Bora – Diving in the South Sea Paradise — One Million Places
  2. Bora Bora Diving: Discover Polynesia's Most Iconic Island — SSI
  3. OpenStreetMap: To'opua — OpenStreetMap

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