Fakarava South Pass

Fakarava South Pass, also known as Tetamanu Pass, is a channel connecting the ocean to the lagoon at the southern end of Fakarava atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. It is well known among divers for large aggregations of grey reef sharks that gather in the pass, along with groupers and schooling fish drawn to the nutrient-rich current exchange between ocean and lagoon. Depths typically range from around 15 to 35 metres, with drift diving through the pass being the standard approach as tidal currents move divers along the channel wall and into the lagoon. Because of the current, it is generally considered a dive suited to divers with some drift experience rather than complete beginners.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Whitetip Reef SharkTriaenodon obesusReported here · unconfirmed
• Paletail UnicornfishNaso brevirostrisReported here · unconfirmed
• Reticulate ButterflyfishChaetodon reticulatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Slingjaw WrasseEpibulus insidiatorReported here · unconfirmed
• Pacific Double-saddle ButterflyfishChaetodon ulietensisReported here · unconfirmed
• Napoleon WrasseCheilinus undulatusReported here · unconfirmed
• yellowtail dascyllusDascyllus flavicaudusReported here · unconfirmed
• Humpback SnapperLutjanus gibbusReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellowfin SurgeonfishAcanthurus xanthopterusReported here · unconfirmed