Aroa Wreck

La Pointe Venus

La Source

Maraa Cave (Grottes de Maraa)

Tahiti Iti (Fenua Aihere)

The Aquarium (Faa'a)

The Canyons (Papenoo)

Vallee Blanche (White Valley)

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

Hotel Tahiti Nui

Manava Suite Resort Tahiti

Tahiti serves as both the gateway to French Polynesia and a worthwhile dive destination in its own right. While many visitors rush to the outer islands, Tahiti offers diverse diving experiences ranging from the protected Aquarium marine reserve with its colourful coral gardens to the dramatic deep-water canyons off the Papenoo coast where grey reef sharks patrol alongside tuna and barracuda. The unique La Source site features a freshwater spring bubbling into the ocean, creating an otherworldly halocline effect that draws both turtles and eagle rays. The Vallée Blanche sand channel provides excellent macro diving and photography opportunities with garden eels and stingrays. For advanced divers, the Grottes de Maraa limestone caverns offer a thrilling cavern diving experience with stalactites and mixed fresh-saltwater layers. The wild Tahiti Iti peninsula on the southern end of the island remains one of the most pristine areas, with drift dives that regularly encounter spinner dolphins, large sharks, and humpback whales during the August to November season. With multiple dive operators based in Papeete and along the coast, Tahiti provides excellent infrastructure and easy access to its varied dive sites. The island also serves as the logistics hub for all French Polynesian diving, with the hyperbaric chamber, equipment suppliers, and international airport all located here.

Tahiti (Society Islands)

Faa'a International Airport (PPT) in Papeete is the main international gateway with flights from Los Angeles, Tokyo, Auckland, and Paris. Air Tahiti provides domestic connections to all outer islands.

Dive Sites in Tahiti (Society Islands)