Tikehau · French Polynesia · Reef · Channel & pass
Poito
A 5-15 m coral plateau at the angle of the pass
Area photo: Tikehau-SE.jpg: Urs Neumeier derivative work: Hic et nunc (talk) · CC BY-SA 2.5
Poito is a coral reef plateau lying between 5 and 15 m at the outer edge of Tikehau's pass. It puts a shallow, fish-heavy reef and the mouth of the channel into a single dive without ever going deep. Whitetip reef sharks, turtles and napoleon wrasse are all on it, alongside schools of big-eyed jacks and paddle perch.
Where it is and how deep
15.0127° S, 148.2951° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive begins on a coral reef plateau in 5 to 15 m of water. You follow the plateau outwards to where it gives way to a gently sloping oceanic drop-off, then run along the reef rather than descending it, keeping the slope on one side and open water on the other. The route stays inside that 5 to 15 m band throughout, which keeps the bottom time generous.
The dive finishes by entering the channel through its angle — the corner where the outer reef turns into the pass. Schools of fish of all kinds work this stretch: big-eyed jacks and paddle perch among them, with whitetip reef sharks, turtles and napoleon wrasse alongside. The plateau's depth range holds all the way to the pass, so the profile stays shallow to the end.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef sharks
- Sea turtles
- Napoleon wrasse
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Tikehau: Apr–Oct is drier with the calmest passes; the wet season from November to March brings rain and more wind but warm water.
Know before you go
- The dive ends by entering the pass at its angle and no current figure is published for the site, so expect the flow to pick up at the corner and stay with the group.
Dive videos
Tikehau - site de Poito · Mydrian on YouTube
Scuba Diving Tikehau: Identifying Fish in Poito dive site (French Polynesia) · Talk to the Fish on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Poito?+
The published plateau runs from 5 to 15 m, and the dive stays inside that band as it follows the reef out to the drop-off and into the angle of the pass.
Sources
- Poito — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide
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