Fakarava South Pass Wall of Sharks

Overview

Tumakohua Pass at Fakarava's southern tip holds the famous wall of sharks: several hundred grey reef sharks stacked into the incoming current like traffic over a motorway, holding station while you grip the reef edge and try to keep your breathing polite. At the June and July full moons, thousands of camouflage groupers gather here to spawn and the wall switches from parade to feeding frenzy — one of the great spectacles in the ocean. The dive ends drifting the flood tide over coral gardens to Tetamanu village, where the boat picks you up beside a pension jetty over pink sand. Fakarava is a UNESCO biosphere atoll in the Tuamotus: one road, two villages, no crowds. Stay in Rotoava for the wide north pass and its wall dives, or sleep at Tetamanu itself and dive the south pass at dawn. Currents are strong and non-negotiable — drift experience and good air consumption matter. Fly to Tahiti and hop to the atoll. May to October is prime. Eight days with pension full board and two dives daily runs about £2,800 before long-haul legs; French Polynesia is never cheap, and this is worth every pound.

Book This Trip

Plan Your Dates

Prefilled for 1 October 2026 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.