Avatoru Pass – Rangiroa (Tuamotu)

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Avatoru Pass is Rangiroa's second major ocean entrance and delivers a high-adrenaline drift diving experience that rivals the famous Tiputa Pass while offering its own unique character with different marine life assemblages and current dynamics. The pass is known for massive schools of barracuda that form dense aggregations spanning the width of the channel, their silver bodies creating shimmering curtains of fish that pulse and reform in coordinated patterns as they hunt smaller fish concentrated by the powerful current. Dogtooth tuna patrol the deeper sections of the pass with their explosive speed and power, launching high-speed attacks on schooling fish that create dramatic feeding events visible from considerable distance. Manta rays make regular appearances in the pass during the warmer months, their enormous wingspans creating breathtaking silhouettes as they filter-feed on plankton concentrations carried through the channel by the tidal flow. Whale shark sightings occur seasonally from November to April when plankton concentrations reach levels sufficient to attract these gentle giants to the pass entrance where they can be observed filter-feeding with their enormous mouths agape. Dolphins frequently accompany the drift through the pass, their playful acrobatics and curious behaviour adding an element of delight to the already spectacular pelagic encounters that define this world-class drift diving experience.