Rutaki Drop Off
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Rutaki Drop Off sits on the southern side of Rarotonga, the main island of the Cook Islands, in the South Pacific east of Fiji and south of Samoa. The site is named for the Rutaki district on that coastline, where the fringing reef gives way to a wall dropping to around 30 metres, rated an advanced dive. Divers have reported barracuda, trevally, and tuna passing along the drop off.
AI overviewMarine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
BarracudaBarracudaReported here · unconfirmed
Sunset WrasseThalassoma lutescensReported here · unconfirmed
Greenfish Sea CucumberStichopus chloronotusReported here · unconfirmed
Lollyfish Sea CucumberHolothuria atraReported here · unconfirmed
Indo-Pacific Rock-boring UrchinEchinometra mathaeiReported here · unconfirmed
Threespot WrasseHalichoeres trimaculatusReported here · unconfirmed
Blue-black UrchinEchinothrix diademaReported here · unconfirmed
Threadfin ButterflyfishChaetodon aurigaReported here · unconfirmed
Lagoon TriggerfishRhinecanthus aculeatusReported here · unconfirmed
Blue LinckiaLinckia laevigataReported here · unconfirmed
Small Giant ClamTridacna maximaReported here · unconfirmed
TrevallyTrevallyReported here · unconfirmed
TunaTunaReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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