Garuae Pass

Garuae Pass is the main channel connecting the Fakarava atoll lagoon to the open Pacific on the north end of the atoll, in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. It is among the widest passes in the Tuamotus and is known for strong incoming tidal currents that sweep divers along the channel floor, drawing large aggregations of grey reef sharks. Depths in the pass commonly run from about 20 to 35 metres, with drift dives typically timed to the incoming tide. The current can be forceful, so the site is generally considered suited to divers comfortable with drift diving and open water conditions. Along the reef edges and coral heads divers have also reported a smaller-scale cast of reef life, including arc-eye hawkfish, bignose unicornfish, bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Indian bullethead parrotfish, lemonpeel angelfish, manybar goatfish, sixline wrasse, small giant clams, and yellowtail dascyllus.

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

• Small Giant ClamTridacna maximaReported here · unconfirmed
• Arc-eye HawkfishParacirrhites arcatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Sixline WrassePseudocheilinus hexataeniaReported here · unconfirmed
• Indian Bullethead ParrotfishChlorurus sordidusReported here · unconfirmed
• Manybar GoatfishParupeneus multifasciatusReported here · unconfirmed
• yellowtail dascyllusDascyllus flavicaudusReported here · unconfirmed
• Bignose UnicornfishNaso vlamingiiReported here · unconfirmed
• Bluestreak Cleaner WrasseLabroides dimidiatusReported here · unconfirmed
• Lemonpeel AngelfishCentropyge flavissimaReported here · unconfirmed