More than 1000 sharks call the southern pass into the atoll of Fakarava home. There are around 700 grey reef sharks alone- way too many to survive on the regular fish population in the pass. Apparently, this rare concentration of shark population (the highest density of species ever recorded) is sustainable due to the annual arrival of a large number of spawning grouper that swim into the passage every winter. The grouper deliver 30 ton of fish meals to the intense shark population!
If you took the sharks out of the equation, the snorkelling at Fakarava would still be sensational. With them it is riveting.
As with most atoll passes we have snorkelled, it is a drift dive where you start outside of the atoll at slack tide and get sucked back in as the tide turns. The 30m deep pass (called Tumakohua) is flanked either side by a wall of stunning coral and reef. The sharks are there from the onset, hanging out nestled on the seabed far below, but it isn’t until we are almost fully back into the lagoon that they become thick. We called this section ‘shark alley’ because, at some point, the light filters down at the right angle and it becomes clearer and clearer that the hundreds of writhing, gliding shadows beneath us are, in fact, sharks. We snorkelled the pass at least 5 times! Just superb.
Above; the small resort and dive shop at Tumakohua- black tipped reef sharks cruise around the clear, shallow, water around the pension.
Below; as snorkellers, our pictures are a little ‘meh’ compared to some of the diver’s shots looking up at the mass of dorsal fins and perfect shark profiles framed by an airbrushed gradient of mesmerising blue. But if you take a close look you get a feel for how many there were!
Fakarava is a wide, deep lagoon 60km long and 21km wide with a land area of just 16 km sq.
Above right; big parrot fish cruise around your toes in the shallows…
Below; we anchored Tika just to the east of the pass and our drift dive would just about glide us all the way back to her. Hanging out aboard gave us hours of watching a diverse number of fish species prowl between Tika’s hulls. A few food scraps overboard and we found ourselves thick with reef sharks, unicorn fish, surgeon fish butterfly fish, black triggers and more!
Below; a school of goatfish at the coral drop off…
The black tipped reef sharks tended to hang out in the shallows…
Kai (12yrs) did his first ‘discovery’ scuba dive at this world-famous mecca for divers. Needless to say, he loved it….
Below; Another black tipped reef shark right on the coral drop off at the edge of the pass; there is a pizza restaurant there and the sharks snaffle up any unwanted crusts thrown from a deck that is suspended out over the water!
Below; a black-tipped reefy cruises amongst a school of needlefishes.
We swam with hundreds of sharks every day and they were all very passive and disinterested in us. I did have one moment of concern towards the end of a drift dive when I saw a larger grey shark dart in front of me whipping it’s tail and acting rather agitated. It was swimming away from me and I wondered what had got it so roused. At that point I poked my head out of water to see where the kids were and saw Jaiya swimming frantically towards me yelling “mum!! give me the go pro! there are some really cool sharks here!!” It became obvious that this one particular shark was reacting to her splashing and yelling and was getting pretty excited. I called her over to me and stayed with her until we got back to Tika. Russ later told me that him and Jaiya had been swimming with 2 or 3 of the grey sharks. The sharks had stayed with them for quite a while and they had been diving down to them which is why Jaiya wanted the go pro. We have met locals in the Tuamotus with shark bite stories but nearly all of them had been spear fishing and this was the only time that any shark showed anything but a lazy curiosity in us.
Below; shark alley…
Below; a beautiful eagle ray sails passed…I love these creatures.
We were a water-logged family during our blissful days at Favarava- It was hard to tear ourselves away from an underwater wonder-world that was incomparable to anything else we have seen. For safety, we towed the dinghy with us on the drift dives…
Below right; it is the first time, I personally have seen sharks just chilling out on the sandy bottom…
Below right; a school of snapper…
After numerous days and many more drift dives in Tumakoha, we found another chunk of divinity at motu Hirifa, an anchorage in the south eastern corner of Fakarava- off a beach where a family lives and runs a small restaurant. Yachties can arrange for a get together, a meal and as much rum as one can consume. Elaiza, the jolly woman who runs the restaurant greets each guest with an all-body, Polynesian hug and, in the way of the French, a kiss on each cheek. The walls of her thatched hut are adorned by flags and tee shirts from visiting yachties….a little Aussie/Kiwi banter ensued when we decided to cover up a silver fern with a bigger and better boxing kangaroo 
Hirifa is one of those postcard perfect Pacific atoll locations. It’s a place that nourishes your soul and one that felt almost painful to leave!
Most boats tucked into the bay out of the trade winds, but we placed ourselves out in the breeze and the windsurfing was fabulous! Below; Kai is looking like a pro these days and is so relaxed whipping across the isthmus with the wind in his hair.
Fakarava; the movie…
Next Post; a research paper about black tipped reef sharks by Jaiya
This entry was posted in The Sail.
