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Customized,
Personalized
Dive Odysseys
Tahiti |
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Not only a venue for romance, Tahiti is
also a venue for high-class adventure.
At Fakarava, raging
currents carry you through the channels
swimming elbow-to-elbow
with huge schools of fish
- daily fare for swirling schools of
pelagics.
Diving here isn't for the faint of
heart.
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A note from
Dom |
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Tahiti, the quintessential tropical holiday
destination, offers easy, generally
pleasant diving almost anywhere you choose to get
into the water.
But for divers seeking challenge, excitement and
some of the most spectacular underwater thrills that exist
anywhere in the world, it's Fakarava in
the Tuamotu Archipelago that you want.
I still
have magical dreams about the heart-pounding encounters I had with
awesome ocean predators while diving these passes.
Countless numbers of magnificent animals riding the
currents, in or out of the lagoon, depending on the
tide, as if they were tobogganing in the Alps!
And we were hanging on for dear life at the bottom
of the channel to observe the rush, then letting
loose to follow the current and join in the fray.
A diver's dream come true . . .
Imagine an intimate group - maximum 8 divers - on your own
luxury catamaran, diving the rushing waters of some of the most exciting
pass dives in the world with sharks & mantas & more!
There is only one live-aboard choice for diving in the remote
Tuamotu Archipelago and it is the beautiful
French catamaran
Aqua Tiki II. She's
new, she's sleek and sophisticated, and she'll take
you to diving you'll never forget!
See more information below or
click here to contact us for
additional details.
Cheers, Dom |
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AN OVERVIEW |
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FAKARAVA DIVING |
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Fakarava
is the 2nd largest atoll in the Tuamotu
Archipelago. It is an immense barrier reef of
coral, forming a ring 37 miles long by 15 miles wide
which contains a spectacular lagoon. Fakarava
is an hour and 10-minute flight from Tahiti.
Due
to the rich diversityof the ecosystem, Fakarava and
6
neighboring islands in the archipelago, make up a
UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve.
There are two passes in Fakarava which connect its
lagoon to the ocean – in the north, Garuae Pass
which is more than 1/2-mile wide & the largest in
the Tuamotus; in the south is a much narrower pass,
Tumakohua Pass, around 200 meters wide.
The underwater life
found in the
two channels
is abundant and varied - including some glorious
corals.
You will encounter
huge schools of sharks (large concentrations of gray
sharks, but also white tips, black tips, sleepers,
great hammerhead sharks, sometimes tigers ...).
You will also see barracudas, eagle rays and manta rays, napoleon
wrasse, as well
as dolphins and a multitude of different schools of
fish:
big-eye
snapper,
goatfish, groupers and
lots of moray eels ...
At certain times of the
year, you can view passing
humpback whales, melon-headed whales, whale sharks, giant groupers,
schools of manta mobilae ...
But there are no words to describe the rush of
diving in the channels with immense numbers of these
animals, as the water carries divers and wildlife
alike surging in or out of the lagoon, to or from
the blue waters of the ocean.
There's no
Disneyland ride to equal this! |
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AQUA TIKI II |
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The best way to dive Fakarava is by liveaboard
and the beautiful
Aqua Tiki II is an 18+ meter Eleuthera-type
catamaran with 5 cabins.
She has 2 double
cabins, 1 cabin with 2 single beds and a
spacious VIP cabin with TV, DVD
and a complimentary cocktail every night. These
cabins are all en-suite. In addition, there is a
front berth available for budget-minded
individual travelers. This accommodation is not
en-suite.
The catamaran is roomy and comfortable, with a large
dining area which can accommodate nine passengers
and a
reading lounge near the bar. A sheltered area on top
has a table that can also seat 9 passengers so meals,
including barbecues, are often served outside.
A professional crew of three is permanently on
board. The number of passengers is limited to nine,
with a maximum of 8 divers. Aqua Tiki II is a strictly non
smoking vessel.
Depending on weather conditions and currents, two
dives are offered daily.
Minimum temperature of the water varies little from
25°C (77°F) in winter (September) to 29°C
(84°F)
in summer
(March), with no thermocline.
The visibility in these pristine waters is always
excellent ... and photographers and videographers
are welcome on board!
The diving is done in the passes between the
ocean and the lagoon where the currents
can be strong, so this is diving for experienced
divers.
Specially designed and
built for scuba diving in the Tuamotus, Aqua Tiki is an
authorized SCUBAPRO center and can provide gear if
you arrange it in advance.
With no Nitrox available on board, we recommend
the available oxygen blocks (additional option 66 euros
per week) for safety stops. |
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Contact us for further information |
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