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Diving Tumakohua Pass

Posted on January 24, 2009 by: Traveler

Closest City: Rotoava, Fakarava
State:
Country: French Polynesia

Scuba Diving Tumakohua Pass, Island of Fakarava

The island of Fakarava is part of the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. The Tuamotu Islands are ancient volcanoes that have collapsed and then filled with water creating a lagoon. The ancient crater rim of these collapsed volcanoes (now coral atolls) remain as the only exposed land mass, called motus. The motus of Fakarava are rectangular in shape and form a lagoon that is 60 kilometers long by 25 kilometers wide. The surface area of Fakarava’s lagoon is 1121 square miles, making it the second largest lagoon of the Tuamotu Archipelago (only Rangiroa’s lagoon is larger at 1640 square kilometers). Fakarava has two deep-water passes; Garuae Pass in the north and Tumakohua Pass in the south. During the tidal exchange, the water of Fakarava’s lagoon mixes with the ocean water rushing into and out of these two passes. Garuae Pass at the north end of the island, is nearly 800 meters across and 130 feet deep. Garuae Pass is near most of the population and infrastructure of Fakarava. A long motu stretches from the east side of Garuae Pass for 40 kilometers along the eastern edge of the island. The western edge of Fakarava, in contrast, only has a few scattered motus. And in complete contrast to Garuae Pass in the north, Tumakohua Pass in the south only has one settlement nearby; Tetamanu Village.

Different locations around the globe offer different types of dive sites. The thing about scuba diving in comparison to other sports is that divers of all experience levels can enjoy diving the same coral walls, open (blue) water or caverns like the Cenotes of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Likewise, scuba divers will flock to certain locales during the calendar year because of migratory patterns of say; Whale Sharks off the Bay Islands of Honduras or Humpback Whales at the Dominican Republic. One of the many phenomenon a diver may experience is drift diving where a current will pick them up as they effortlessly glide along viewing all that passes by. Fakarava and the Tuamotu Islands in general, offer a unique experience to drift into the lagoon by “riding” the current of the incoming tide. Not only do divers flock to a location like Fakarava for the chance to experience a drift-dive, they come in droves to see sharks. French Polynesia is known as a place to come see sharks, and LOTS of them! Most divers visit due to its proximity to the airport and main town of Rotoava (population around 500). To stay in Rotoava and dive Tumakohua Pass requires a two-hour boat ride on each end. That makes for a longer day than traveling out to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for a turn-around day of scuba diving. The easiest way to experience Tumakohua Pass (and still be able to enjoy a relaxing day) would be to book a stay at Tetamanu Village or (on the next motu over) Tetamanu Sauvage.

Danielle and I stayed at Tetamanu village for three nights out of a 23-day, seven island tour of French Polynesia. This island was our second stop after staying for five nights on the island of Rangiroa. Sane’, our proprietor, and his right-hand-man, Ronnie, picked up Danielle and I at the airport (consisting of a runway and one building) and we immediately asked them how the diving was in Tumakohua Pass. Both scuba dive masters, Sane’ and Ronnie casually asked if we had dove on Rangiroa. Danielle and I excitedly explained to Sane’ and Ronnie we had just experienced the amazing dive site of “The Valley” in Tiputa Pass. We were thrilled at how effortlessly we glided through the pass (after dropping down and getting picked up by the incoming current). Sane’ and Ronnie patiently waited as Danielle and I reported seeing more on one dive in Tiputa Pass, from sharks, eagle rays, turtles and tropical fish, than we had ever seen on all of our previous dives off the California coast. “How many sharks were there in Tiputa Pass,” Sane’ asked us? Danielle and I proudly proclaimed we had seen about twenty sharks while diving at through Tiputa Pass. By now, both Sane’ and Ronnie could barely conceal the smirks on their faces as Sane’ said, “Twenty, is that it? You will be diving with two hundred sharks at Tetamanu!” Sane’ referred to Tumakohua Pass as his pass because the Tetamanu dive center had zero competition in the area. Unless a (small) cruise ship or catamaran anchored nearby, the only divers in Tumakohua will be Tetamanu divers.

After a two hour boat ride, Sane’ pulled up alongside the over-water restaurant of Tetamanu Village. Tumakohua Pass stretched off in the distance and we could look out and see the high tide rolling into the lagoon through the center of the pass. Just like Tiputa Pass, there was a definite current that resembled a flowing river. It was hard not to ask to immediately take us out diving but Sane’ scheduled a dive for us all the very next morning. Soon enough, we would find out why the drift-dive through Tumakohua Pass is called “The Den of Sharks”.

At about 6:30 the following morning, Danielle and I joined Sane’ and Ronnie to the outside edge of Tumakohua Pass. We had one other Tetamanu guest join us. The incoming tide created deep swells as we motored through the center of Tumakohua Pass. Sane’s wife, Annabelle, would taxi us all out to the drop off point and then promptly drive straight back to the over-water restaurant. The thing that would be different from our drift dive at Tiputa Pass was that the dive at Tumakohua Pass would end with us all swimming straight up through a break in the reef (next to the over-water restaurant). There was no need to have a boat to follow and then pick us up in the center of the lagoon as the beginning / ending, were the same point. We would swim through this break in the reef and take our last underwater breath just yards from the Tetamanu dive center.

With Annabelle at the helm, we all readied our gear. Up ahead I saw an orange buoy that was our starting point in the center of the pass. We all jumped in and held onto the buoy line that was anchored to the bottom of the pass. Since the strong current would immediately begin to carry us along, we used this buoy line to drop down to about 60 feet. The reef edge sloped up to the right and there was nothing but open water off to the left side. After letting go of the line, we dropped a little deeper (around 80 feet) and rode the current to the sloping reef edge on the right. In the middle of the Tumakohua Pass were more sharks (just in front of us) than we saw in all of our dives at Tiputa Pass. We stopped for a couple minutes and held onto the coral edge. The main species of shark we were observing was the Grey Shark. Grey Sharks are longer and sleeker than their reef cousins (while still timid, we learned they can be more aggressive than other reef sharks). They all faced the same direction seemingly waiting for an easy piece of meat to float their way. The reef here at Tumakohua seemed healthier than at Tiputa Pass on Rangiroa. Both dive sites are gorgeous, but this pass felt more intact (wild). The experience at both should not be underscored though, as anyone diving either site will see a beautiful environment. The reef fish were absurdly abundant at this location as well. We saw reef fish like parrotfish, snappers, triggerfish, huge napoleon wrasse to a school (herd) of yellowfin goatfish at the reef break near the Tetamanu dive center.

Regrettably, Danielle and I only dove Tumakohua Pass two times. Our second dive was with just Ronnie. On that dive, he wanted to get us in the center of the pass and down to a depth of 110 feet. At that depth we would be looking at the Grey Sharks swimming in unison above us. Both Danielle and I had pressure problems at around 100 feet so we decided to rise up and cruise at around 80 feet instead. Ronnie expertly rose up to where the last portion of our glide served as a decompression stop at around fifteen feet. Then we saw the break in the reef and once again exited the current of Tumakohua Pass ending just yards away from the dive center. Drop the gear and rinse off for a simple ending to a spectacular dive location.

Danielle and I felt privileged to feel like Tumakohua Pass (however briefly) belonged to us. Our proximity to this beautiful dive location allowed us to enter as we pleased and we couldn’t thank Sane’ and Ronnie enough for showing us their underwater world.

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