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Specialties: Big Animals, Drift diving, Live-aboard Diving.
French
Polynesia lies about 2400 miles south of Honolulu, Hawaii in the
South Pacific Ocean. French Polynesia has 115 islands and
atolls located within five island groups. The five island
groups are the Australs, Gambiers, the Marquesas, the Society
Islands and the Tuamotus. The Society Islands are the best
known of the island groups and include the islands of Tahiti,
Moorea, Tetiaroa in the Windward Group and Huahine, Raiatea,
Tahaa, Maupiti and Bora-Bora in the Leeward Group. Captain Cook
first dropped anchor at Tahiti in 1769.
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Tahiti, “The Island of Love,” is the largest and best known of
the French Polynesian islands. Tahiti has become synonymous
with crystal-clear water, blue lagoons, beautiful beaches,
spectacular coral reefs, happy natives, and the sound of tribal
music. Papeete is the capital and
largest city of Tahiti as well as the government seat of French
Polynesia. The island of Tahiti has two volcanic mountain peaks, Tahiti-Nui
(Big Tahiti) and Tahiti-Iti (Little Tahiti). They are connected
by an isthmus called Plateau of Taravao. The island’s interior
contains dense rainforests of soft ferns, cascading waterfalls
and flat coastal areas containing dairy farms and citrus groves
with panoramic views. Divers explore the underwater passes and
channels of the atolls loaded with big animal activity including
black-tip sharks, silver-tip sharks, eagle rays, dolphin,
Napoleon wrasses, schooling barracuda and countless other marine
giants. Tahiti diving is fast-paced drift dives with strong
currents and recommended for intermediate to advanced divers.
Live-aboard diving is recommended.
Best
Diving Months: Year-round.
Water
Temperature: Water temperature averages 79°F in the winter
and 84°F in the summer. A 3mm wet suit or skin is recommended.
Underwater
Visibility: Averages from 50 to 200 feet.
Airport
Info: Flights into Papeete, Tahiti. Travel between the
islands is by either airplane or boat.
Documents
and Customs Regulations: A passport is required and all
passengers should have a round-trip or onward ticket. A visa is
not required unless staying more than 30 days.
Language:
French and Tahitian are the official languages, but English is
spoken in all tourist locations.
Health:
Yellow fever and cholera vaccination certificates required if
coming from an infected area.
Climate:
Summer is December through March when the climate is warmer and
more humid. Winter is April through August when the climate is
cooler and drier. The average temperature is 79°F.
Government:
French Polynesia is a French Overseas Territory with a French
High Commissioner in residence and a locally-elected Territorial
Assembly.
Electrical
Current: 110 or 220 volts, 60 cycles AC and compatible with
most American appliances.
Current Weather:
Get current weather from Weather.com
Currency:
French Pacific Franc (XPF) or the Euro (EUR). Credit cards
and U.S. Dollars are also widely accepted. Get
current exchange rate from XE.com
Current Time: The
time zone in the Society Archipelago (including Tahiti) in
French Polynesia (GMT -10).
Get current time from WorldTimeServer.com
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