TUAMOTU ISLANDS

All the islands in the Tuamotu group are atolls, or what’s left of a volcanic island after the island itself has weathered away to nothing, leaving a coral ring surrounding a shallow lagoon, some sand and palm trees, and nothing else.  Because few Tahitians live on these islands, they are pristine and offer the best snorkeling and diving in French Polynesia.  Because the water is so pure, it’s also where most of the black pearls are farmed.

A string of coral encircling a luminous turquoise and jade-green lagoon, Rangiroa is one of the world’s greatest dive destinations. From the air, the atoll seems to be a giant pearl necklace laid upon the water. Here is a world where 240 tiny islets, or motu, each no more than three feet in elevation, lay upon the ocean for more than 110 miles.

Rangiroa, located 210 miles northwest of Tahiti, is the largest and most populated atoll in French Polynesia. Its lagoon, enclosed by a coral ring set with hundreds of green islets, covers an area of nearly 900 square miles without ever exceeding 100 feet deep. Beneath the surface of this huge inland sea lies a water-world of rare beauty for sea lovers and diving enthusiasts. The best known underwater sites of the island, the Tiputa and Avatoru passes, located northwest of the lagoon are home to very large species such as turtles, manta rays, barracudas, dolphins, reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, grey sharks, white-tip sharks, and lemon sharks.