Lemon Shark Valley (Opunohu Bay)

The Outer Reef Drop-off

Motu Tiahura

Rose Garden

Shark Gallery (Canyon aux Requins)

Taotoi

The Canyons (Opunohu)

Tiki Point

French Polynesian cuisine is a delicious fusion of traditional Polynesian cooking methods with French culinary influence. The iconic dish is poisson cru, fresh raw fish marinated in lime juice and coconut milk, served with vegetables. Other staples include grilled mahi-mahi and tuna, fafaru (fermented fish), and poe (tropical fruit pudding made with banana, papaya, or mango and coconut milk). Fresh breadfruit, taro, and sweet potato accompany most meals. The French influence brings quality baguettes, croissants, pastries, and fine wines to even the most remote islands. Roulettes (food trucks) in Papeete serve affordable Chinese, French, and Polynesian dishes.

Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora

InterContinental Moorea Resort & Spa

The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort

Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort

Moorea delivers an extraordinary combination of dramatic volcanic scenery above water and world-class diving below the surface. The island's two deep bays, Cook's Bay and Opunohu Bay, are flanked by razor-sharp peaks that create one of the most photographed landscapes in the Pacific. Below the surface, Moorea is famous for its Shark Gallery where divers descend to a lagoon channel to encounter dozens of blacktip reef sharks and grey reef sharks in a baited but carefully managed experience. The shallow sandy area of Opunohu Bay hosts resting sicklefin lemon sharks that can be observed by both divers and snorkellers, alongside green turtles and stingrays. The Opunohu canyons provide thrilling drift dives through deep channels patrolled by grey reef sharks, barracuda, and Napoleon wrasse. For beginners, Tiki Point offers gentle coral gardens with stingrays and moray eels in shallow protected waters. The outer reef drop-off delivers sheer walls where pelagic sharks, tuna, and occasional manta rays pass through the blue. The Rose Garden site features unique giant rose-shaped coral formations teeming with butterflyfish and angelfish. Night diving at Motu Tiahura reveals nurse sharks, hunting octopus, and bioluminescent displays. Moorea's proximity to Tahiti, just a thirty-minute ferry ride from Papeete, makes it an essential addition to any French Polynesian diving itinerary. The island's well-developed tourism infrastructure includes luxury resorts, quality restaurants, and professional dive operations that cater to all experience levels.

Moorea (Society Islands)

Frequent high-speed ferries from Papeete take thirty minutes. Air Moorea flights take seven minutes from Tahiti. Car rental available on arrival.

Dive Sites in Moorea (Society Islands)