Diving & Travel Guide to Gambier Islands

About Gambier Islands

The Gambier Islands represent the ultimate in remote diving within French Polynesia, a volcanic archipelago in the far southeast of the territory that receives almost no visitors and preserves marine environments in completely pristine condition. Unlike the coral atolls of the Tuamotus, the Gambiers feature a volcanic core surrounded by a barrier reef creating a large lagoon with diverse dive environments. The Taravai Wall is a steep drop-off with abundant gorgonians, grey reef sharks, eagle rays, and barracuda in waters that have never been commercially fished. Mangareva Reef within the lagoon offers clear water coral gardens with large schools of parrotfish, turtles, and the sense of discovery that comes from diving sites that may never have been visited by other divers. Agakauitai is a submerged pinnacle attracting massive schools of jacks, tuna, and whitetip sharks in pristine conditions. The Passe de l'Ouest through the barrier reef provides drift diving with dolphins, sharks, and seasonal humpback whale encounters. The Gambiers are one of the centres of Tahitian pearl farming, and the pearl farm structures create additional artificial reef habitat throughout the lagoon. Infrastructure is extremely limited with only basic pensions available on Mangareva, the main island. Access is by infrequent Air Tahiti flights or private yacht. For the most adventurous divers seeking genuine exploration diving in waters that are truly off the map, the Gambier Islands offer an experience of discovery and isolation that is increasingly rare in the modern world.

Highlights

• ✓Taravai Wall: Steep drop-off with abundant gorgonians, grey reef sharks, eagle rays, and barracuda, completely untouched.
• ✓Mangareva Reef: Clear lagoon with coral gardens, large schools of parrotfish, turtles, and few divers.
• ✓Agakauitai: Submerged pinnacle with massive schools of jacks, tuna, whitetip sharks, and pristine conditions.
• ✓Passe de l'Ouest: Drift dive through the barrier reef pass with dolphins, sharks, and seasonal humpbacks.

Getting There

Air Tahiti flights from Papeete to Mangareva take approximately four hours and operate infrequently. Private yacht access is also possible.