Island Tour: Scuba Diving in Tahiti (Society Islands)
TAHITI SCUBA DIVING
  Tahiti
is an excellent place for beginners to learn to dive. However, where
you stay dictates where you will dive. If you stay around Papeete
or the airport, you will have the chance to do some wreck diving
in shallow waters. If you opt for the more savage side of Tahiti
Iti, you will see beautiful coral gardens and get to do some wonderful
wall diving.
In fact, this is the only place in French Polynesia where you can
dive along sheer underwater walls rich with gorgonian coral even
at shallow depths. In Tahiti, you will see black tip sharks, giant
wrasses, morey eels, turtles and dolphins. July-October is the season
for humpback whales.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN TAHITI
Tahiti is a lush volcanic island with huge mountain peaks. It is
the largest and most famous of all the islands and is shaped like
a lopsided figure eight. The two distinct areas are called Tahiti
Nui (large) and Tahiti Iti (small). In Tahiti Nui you will find
the bustling waterfront city of Papeete - Tahiti's capital.
 Unfortunately,
most people do not travel to the South Pacific to find themselves
in the middle of a busy city. It is for this reason many tourists
inevitably tell me they were disappointed with Tahiti. They'll say
it was fine for a layover but they wouldn't want to spend any length
of time there. The problem is most tourists never have the opportunity
to see anything beyond the huge hotels and the traffic of Papeete.
The fact is, the longer I live here the more I appreciate Tahiti
as there are so many wonderful places to discover particularly deep
within the mountainous heart of the island.
My favorite part of Tahiti is the lesser-known Tahiti Iti. About
an hour's drive from Papeete, It is far away from the madness of
downtown. Here you will find beautiful black sand beaches and a
tranquil more primitive environment.
If you're able to remove yourself from the water long enough to
enjoy some other activities. I strongly recommend a hike, horseback
ride or 4-wheel drive within the inner valley. The mountains of
Tahiti are truly awe -inspiring with their jagged peaks and gushing
waterfalls. If you've got a strong stomach, a helicopter tour of
the island would be amazing.
ACCOMMODATIONS
For a complete list of accommodations,
visit the Tahiti Accommodations page here.
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