Dive Site: Passe Tumakohua

About Passe Tumakohua

Passe Tumakohua, also known as Fakarava's South Pass, is a renowned dive site within the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. As the southern entrance to the Fakarava Atoll lagoon, this channel is globally celebrated for its exceptional marine biodiversity, earning Fakarava and its neighboring islets a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve classification. The pass plays a crucial ecological role, as plankton produced in the vast lagoon escapes through this opening, attracting significant aggregations of pelagic species, particularly sharks, which gather here in immense numbers, giving rise to its fame. Diving the pass typically involves a drift along an incoming tide. Divers are often dropped at a point known as the "ski slope," a long, gently sloping stretch of white sand interspersed with coral reefs, which marks the start of the drift. The dive progresses through various observation points within the channel, allowing divers to shelter in reef hollows to witness the parades of marine life. Depths can range from shallower coral gardens to deeper sections, with some dives reaching beyond 30 meters. The topography includes hard coral gardens, infoldings in the ridgeline, and shallow coral canyons. The pass is teeming with life, most notably thousands of gray reef sharks, blacktip reef sharks, and occasional sightings of whitetips, tigers, and lemons. Large schools of bluestripe snapper and paddletail snapper are common, along with soldierfish, goatfish, and camouflage groupers, especially during their mass spawning events around the full moon in June. Napoleon wrasse are also frequently observed. Encounters with reef mantas are possible outside the pass. Due to the strong currents, this is predominantly a drift dive often executed with a live boat pick-up, requiring careful planning and experience. Dives are typically scheduled for incoming tides to maximize shark encounters and facilitate the drift. Early morning dives are highly recommended to be among the first in the water.

Dive site facts: Passe Tumakohua

Depth

22–45 m

Current

Strong

Entry

Liveaboard only

Level

Advanced

Dive type

Channel, Reef

Region / port

French Polynesia

Coordinates

16.2942° S, 145.4528° W

Conditions & Currents

Passe Tumakohua is defined by strong currents, necessitating drift diving, typically performed on an incoming tide when the current flows into the lagoon. Dive operators carefully time entry to align with these currents, and a negative entry is often used to quickly descend to observation points. Divers frequently use reef hooks to secure themselves to the seabed in reef hollows, allowing for extended observation of marine life without damaging the coral. The exit strategy involves a live boat pick-up, with divers surfacing inside the calmer lagoon after the drift. Visibility is generally excellent, often exceeding 30 meters. The substantial currents and potential for deep sections mean this site is best suited for advanced divers comfortable with drift diving, strong currents, and potentially deeper profiles, requiring diligent air management and dive computer awareness.

Liveaboards diving Passe Tumakohua

These liveaboards may visit Passe Tumakohua on selected itineraries — the exact dive sites depend on departure, weather and conditions.

Aqua Tiki II

French Polynesia

8 guests

$580/day

Aqua Tiki III

French Polynesia

10 guests20 m

$505/day