Tiputa Pass – Rangiroa (Tuamotu)

Site Overview

Tiputa Pass is arguably the most famous and spectacular pass dive in the world, offering advanced divers an adrenaline-fuelled drift through a narrow channel where hundreds of grey reef sharks congregate in what has become known as the legendary wall of sharks at the pass entrance. The sheer density of marine life encountered during a single drift through Tiputa Pass is unmatched by virtually any other dive site on the planet, with the incoming tidal current funnelling enormous volumes of nutrient-rich ocean water through the gap in the atoll rim and attracting the full spectrum of pelagic predators to this natural feeding highway. Grey reef sharks form massive aggregations at the pass entrance, their sleek bodies stacked in layers from the surface to the bottom as they patrol the current for injured or distracted prey items carried through the channel. Silvertip sharks join the aggregation in the deeper sections, their distinctive white-tipped fins creating a beautiful contrast against the blue water backdrop. Great hammerhead sharks appear seasonally from December to March, their distinctive cephalofoil heads scanning the substrate for buried stingrays while their massive bodies cruise through the pass with powerful authority. The resident pod of bottlenose dolphins that lives in the Rangiroa lagoon frequently accompanies divers through the pass, bow-riding the current alongside the group and performing acrobatic displays that add an element of pure joy to an already extraordinary diving experience.