Huahine is a high island in the Leeward Society Islands that is seldom talked about as a dive destination. Boats from the quay at Fare reach every site in under half an hour: the Avapehi Pass, where grey reef sharks breed, the drop-off at L'Ancre d'Avapehi, the stone arches and caves of Les Arches and the Fitii drop-off. Most dives run from 6 to 30 m, and the diving is open to all levels.
About diving in Huahine
The diving here is done from boats. They leave from the quay at Fare, the island's main village, close to the airport and most of the hotels, and the run out is short: the nearest sites are under 10 minutes away and the furthest under 30 minutes. Sites are chosen to suit the level of the divers, and the Avapehi Pass is the most popular. A pass dive ends with the boat waiting in the lagoon at shallow depth.
The Avapehi Pass is bordered by reefs covered in healthy coral, and a sandy bottom separates its southern reef from the northern one. Garden eels rise from the sand and twist in the current before vanishing as divers approach. Grey reef sharks use the pass to breed, and barracuda, paddlefish and leopard rays parade near it. Elsewhere the reef breaks into drop-offs, stone arches and caves where light falls through cracks in the rock.
Huahine suits divers who want reef sharks, drop-offs and caves in the Society Islands on an island seldom named as a dive destination, and it works for newer divers: the dives are open to all levels, and the Fitii drop-off stays within 20 m. Les Arches is the exception for depth: past its arch and two caves, the dive reaches a drop-off at 40 m.
Best time to dive Huahine
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair |
The island stays hot and humid with little temperature change through the year. Rain eases slightly in the austral winter, so July and August are a little drier than the rest of the year. August also opens the humpback whale season, which runs to October, with whale counts in Polynesian waters three afternoons a week. September and October keep the whales but lose the drier weather, and from November the whale counts end.
Dive types & marine life
Grey reef sharks breed in the Avapehi Pass, and sharks are protected in Polynesia. Humpback whales are in Polynesian waters from August to October.
- Reef
- Coral garden
- Wall
- Cave & cavern
- Reef sharks
- Eagle rays
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Sea turtles
- Whales
Best dive sites in Huahine
- 1
Avapehi Pass
Coral-lined pass where grey reef sharks breed in the current from the south-west swell.
- 2
L'Ancre d'Avapehi
Drop-off on the pass's south reef, 9 to 27 m, with turtles, green morays and schools of bigeye trevally.
- 3
Les Arches
From 6 m down to a stone arch at 30 m, then caves lit through crevices and a drop-off at 40 m.
- 4
Fitii drop-off
A wall open to divers of every level, kept to 20 m.
- 5
Fa'a Miti
Coral garden with yellow goatfish and paddletail snappers.
Site guides
Channel & pass
Adult grey reef sharks breed in the swell-driven current
Coral garden
Yellow goatfish and paddletail snappers over a coral garden
Wall
A shallow-topped wall used for Huahine's training dives
Schools of bigeye trevally along the pass's south reef
Cave & cavern
Light falls through crevices into a cave beyond a stone arch
How to get to Huahine
There are three to four flights a day from Papeete, about 40 minutes. The airport is on Motu Maeva, and taxis meet each arrival for the 15 minute drive to Fare, where the dive boats leave from the quay.
Photos from Huahine
David Broad · CC BY 3.0
Dive videos
Diving Huahine: The regrowth of a reef · Peter Brink on YouTube
Plongée en polynésie, HUAHINE - Les grottes · Emmanuelle Fortin on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Huahine suitable for newly certified divers?+
Yes. The dives are open to all levels, and the Fitii drop-off stays within 20 m. Les Arches, which passes under an arch and through two caves to 40 m, is better kept for more experienced divers.
How do divers get to Huahine?+
Flights from Papeete run three to four times a day in about 40 minutes. Taxis meet each flight at the airport on Motu Maeva for the 15 minute drive to Fare, where the dive boats leave from the quay.
When is the best time to dive Huahine?+
August to October, when humpback whales are in Polynesian waters and whale counts run three afternoons a week. July and August are also slightly drier than the rest of the year, and the water stays warm in every month.
Are there sharks at Huahine?+
Grey reef sharks breed in the Avapehi Pass, using the current that comes in with the south-west swell. Sharks are protected in Polynesia.
Sources
- Pacific Blue Adventure - Scuba Diving in Huahine — Pacific Blue Adventure
- Mahana Yoga Dive | Huahine — Mahana Yoga Dive
- Diving Huahine - Divingaway — Divingaway
- Huahine — Wikipedia
- Huahine — Wikivoyage
- Uturoa Average Sea Temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
Photo credits
- Calm grey-green water with channel markers leading toward a gap between two steep forested ridges under heavy cloud by David Broad, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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