Huahine · French Polynesia · Channel & pass · Reef
Avapehi Pass
Adult grey reef sharks breed in the swell-driven current
A pass through Huahine's barrier reef, bordered by coral-covered reef on both sides and floored with a gently sloping sand bottom. Adult grey reef sharks gather here to breed in the current driven by the south-west swell, and dogtooth tuna, leopard rays and bigeye trevally work the water above the sand.
Also known as Passe Avapehi.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Huahine and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The dive starts on the slope of a reef whose corals are in good health. Entering the pass, divers reach a sand floor at 15 m that slopes gently to 20 m and then to 26 m at most, with the coral reef alongside. Garden eels rise out of the sand and twist in the current, vanishing as divers approach.
Dogtooth tuna on the hunt, flights of leopard rays, a school of bigeye trevally and a school of barracuda move through the pass, and whitetip reef sharks join the adult grey reef sharks that come in to breed. The ascent finishes with safety stops over shallow coral inside the lagoon.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Tuna
- Eagle rays
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Huahine: Humpback whales are counted from August to October; July and August are slightly drier, and the water stays warm all year.
Questions divers ask
Why do grey reef sharks gather in the Avapehi Pass?+
Adult grey reef sharks come into the pass to breed, taking advantage of the current generated by the south-west swell.
Sources
- Avapehi Pass – Mahana Yoga Dive — Mahana Yoga Dive
- Diving Huahine — Divingaway
More dive sites in Huahine
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Mantas and eagle rays in the outer reaches of a tidal cut
Tuna, wahoo and gray reef sharks over a reef bridge
A manta cleaning station at the mouth of a channel cut in 1908
Sharks, jacks and eagle rays on the channel-mouth current