Tahiti & Teahupo'o · French Polynesia · Wreck
Hydravion et Goélette
A Catalina seaplane and a wooden schooner side by side
A wreck dive off Tahiti that pairs two hulls: the Catalina PBY-5A seaplane the US Navy gave to RAI, the forerunner of Air Tahiti, and the Orohena, a wooden schooner. The two lie close enough together to be visited on one dive, and the schooner has become a shelter for a rich marine life.
Also known as Seaplane & Schooner, Catalina PBY-5A wreck, Orohena wreck.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Tahiti & Teahupo'o and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The Catalina rests on the bottom at about 20 m. The Orohena lies roughly 10 m from the seaplane, between 20 and 25 m, so divers move from the aircraft to the schooner within the same dive. The wooden hull, 45 m long, was broken up by explosives in 1977 and now gives cover to a rich marine life.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Catalina PBY-5A seaplane
- Type
- Seaplane
- Sunk
- 1962
- Cause
- Deliberately sunk in Tahiti after being judged useless following landing damage at Raiatea in 1960
- Lies
- On the bottom at about 20 m, with the Orohena schooner about 10 m away
The Catalina PBY-5A was given by the US Navy to RAI, the airline that came before Air Tahiti. In 1960 it was seriously damaged while landing at Raiatea; judged useless, it was brought back to Tahiti and sunk in November 1962. Its neighbour, the Orohena, was a wooden schooner 45 m long that was blown up in 1977 at a depth of 20 to 25 m.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Tahiti & Teahupo'o: August to October fall fully inside the humpback whale season; some centres swap dives for whale trips then, while others dive all year.
Questions divers ask
Can both wrecks be seen on a single dive?+
Yes. The Orohena schooner lies about 10 m from the Catalina seaplane, both between 20 and 25 m, so one dive covers the pair.
Sources
More dive sites in Tahiti & Teahupo'o
Wall
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