Tahiti is the ideal location to familiarize yourself with new gear and build confidence before facing the more challenging conditions found in such outer islands as Rangiroa.

Tahiti is also ideal for checking new photography equipment with its access to several photo shops, including one-hour film developing and printing.

Tahiti has fine visibility and some interesting or unusual dive sites with a myriad of colorful reef fish, but it does not have the abundance of large marine life found in some of the outer islands.

Some samples of diving sites:

The Tahiti Wall and Shark Cave offer a combined series of dive sites on the outer reef where a vertical drop-off starting from a plateau at 15 feet goes deep into blue depth. Harmless white-tip sharks are fed by hard along with friendly moray eels.

The Vavi Area is located on the ocean side of the coral reef and is characterized by a succession of drop-offs. It is one of the richest sites in Tahiti with its multi-colored sea fans, Gorgonias and Alcynaceans, and is a real paradise for photographers.

Underwater Fresh Water Springs is a unique site characterized by an underwater pinnacle some 100 yards off the outer reef, with fresh water flowing through the adjacent coral at a depth of about 25 feet. The mixture of fresh and sea water distort the vision, something like surface heat rising from the pavement on a hot day. The Springs also attract an abundance of sea life.