Tahanea Atoll, Tuamotu Archipeligo, French Polynesia – Pictures and highlights

Finally got some internet to share with you some of the highlights of our visit to the atoll of Tahanea in South Pacific country of French Polynesia.

The atoll has no permanent residence, no airport and the only way to visit is by boat.  The lack of any internet connection or shops puts off most, but the most adventurous, visitors.

I could babble on about all the things to see and do in Tahanea, but instead I will just show you some pictures. There are no charts for Tahanea, so we used  Google earth images and friends recommendations to find anchorages.  I have attached an image, you can zoom in and out, to get a better look at a few places we stopped at.

FIRST SAD GOODBYES BEFORE WE LEFT HAO

First we had to say goodbye to Tmanu and her amazing family.  They gave so much of themselves and their time to us during our extended stay.

Sails up and waving goodbye.

We left in the calmest winds and still the pass through the reef was frisky.  Nothing too bumpy for old heavy Spirit of Argo.  The rest of the sail to Tahanea was very gentle with perfect 15 knot winds.  The seas were so slight they did not even interrupt my seista time.

Only excitement was the fishing.  Just how I like a passage to go.

Dawn of the third morning we arrived just outside the centre pass on the north side of Tahanea.  We decided to wait a few hours for better light to find an anchoring spot just inside.  Patience!

Once the sun was high enough, in the pass we went and anchored just around the corner in the lagoon.

This anchorage gave my humans great access to the prolific sea life that enjoy the nutrient rich waters that the currents in the passes here bring.  Between water maker repairs they got very wet.

 

PASS ANCHORAGES IN TAHANEA

The humans spent most of their time in the northwestern pass as it had the best mix of wildlife and rich corals.  Every trip they encountered different wildlife.  Big schools of fish, different sharks, Manta ray, turtles and they even met a Humpback whale.

Titan Triggerfish

Just a sample of the hundreds of photos the humans took.  I will not bore you with them all, but promise video clips of the whale and sharks to come!

Of course there are things to do above the water here too.

Exploring the many sandy tidal pools.

Searching around the shore line of the motus for pretty shells.  And for those a little more adventurous night time searches for lobsters on the reef.

The humans were joined by friends on a fun filled evening of outer reef walking and exploration.  The fact they actually came back with lobster, crab and fish was a bonus.

There are two problems with the anchorages by the passes.  1st, there is a lot of coral heads.  You really need to float your chain.

Being in the Tuamotus for a while now, that is nothing new for us.  The 2nd problem is the anchorage offers no protection if the winds blow from the South.  So if the forecast says South winds, you move.

SAILING IN THE LAGOON

There are no charts for this atoll,  so you need a bow watch for bommies (coral heads).  And I am afraid Tahanea lagoon is full of them.  Easier to spot them in good light and calm conditions when you cross the lagoon.

We tried our best to move anchorages before any bad weather moved in.  Some times we got the timing wrong.  This time of year the worst weather comes from the Southwest, so we would head down that corner of the lagoon and hide behind the motus there.

 

ANCHORAGES IN THE SOUTHEAST

All the motus in the Southeast have much better beaches than the north.  And fewer coral heads.

I do not think we have been able to anchor in water only 3.5m deep since the Bahamas.   And look, no bommies in sight.

We had lots of fun snorkeling here and playing ashore.  Even though we were miles from the passes, with the help of friends, we spotted a Humpback whale crossing the lagoon.  It was having a gay old time leaping high in the air and splashing down on it’s side.  Incredible to watch as the sun set behind.

 

ANCHORAGES IN THE SOUTH

When the winds are light, you can pretty much anchor anywhere you would like.   There are some fun reefs in the South to explore.

Rarely visited by humans these motus are each little oasis above and below the water.  Rat free they allow nesting birds and rare species to flourish.

I was told I HAD to be on my best behaviour to come ashore here. No bothering the birds, especially as this is one of the last strong holds of the endangered Tuamotu Sandpiper.  It was very funny when my humans finally got some internet and discovered what the Tuamotus Sandpiper looked like.  It turned out to be the one bird with ABSOLUTELY  had no fear of me.  In fact THEY cased me around with great curiosity.  Probably why they are endangered now?

Cheeky little Tuamotu Sandpipers!

Usually we played on the tidal sands in the south anyway.  The soft sand shallow waters were much more fun.  Besides they have these big scarey crabs running around in the bushes here called Coconut crabs.  Left those to the humans.  I’m not getting paw near those things!

You can anchor right off any of the kawau (reefs sticking out).  This offers great access for snorkeling, but not a lot of  protection if the winds get up.  Still pretty cool anchorages.

The healthy reefs here in the south act as nursaries for juvinile fish.  Black tipped reef sharks are the only big predators this far from the open ocean.  Moorish Idol in foreground.

You could never get TOO comfortable in one anchorage as the winds were sure to shift direction and it would be time again to leave.  Thankfully the atoll is not very large and all the different anchorages are few hours sail apart.

We sailed round the lagoon a couple of times in the weeks we were here.  Some times we met up with friends, sometimes we had the place to ourselves.  Sometimes we would go back to a favourite spot, sometimes we would try somewhere new.

 

STAYING A LONG TIME IN AN UNINHABITED ATOLL

You need  a watermaker.  Ours broke.  So we were always excited when rain approached.

Look at the silly smile on the human.  He knows those clouds are bringing rain.  To conserve what rain water we caught we utilised the cistine water ashore at the temporarily copra shacks.

We ate what ever food we had stocked up with.  The waterline got higher and higher as the cupboards were cleaned out.  My humans are not the most skilled, our modivated, hunters but we did catch some crabs, lobster and fish.

Of course there are lots of coconut trees and coconuts.  All the ‘bird fertilizer’ also means a few edible green plants can grow on the coral motus.  This little guy is an example.

We would have been happy to stay longer, but the pull of new adventures had us thinking it was time to leave.  But we will certainly be back to enjoy his wonderful atoll again.

What a wonderful thing it is that we got to visit such an incredible place, and enjoy some great people.