THE MAJOR SCUBA DIVING SPOTS IN FRENCH POLYNESIA

THE CORAL WALL

Man will probably never destroy the architecture of

the coral walls with their vertiginous drops, but the
fauna there is threatened everywhere: one does not count any more the areas
where the gorgonians, animal colonies of these biotopes, are dying, victims of
diseases which are not yet understood perfectly. Are the colorful walls becoming
long black shrouds without life?

THE PASSAGE

Located opposite at a river, the passage is the link between the lagoon and the
ocean. By its alternate water circulation (entering current, outgoing current), it is
the lung of a tropical island, and for fish, it is the ideal pantry thanks to all that it
carts. Unfortunately, with the expansion of the little or not controlled
modernization, the crystal passes serve more and more as... dumps. When the
current is outgoing, it is indeed trying to take with it all the refuse of the
surrounding villages...
THE POND AT KOPARA

On the atolls develops an extraordinary marine biotope, the pond at Kopara. The
brackish water of this lagoon is renewed by the storms, which flood the low coral
grounds regularly. The pond at Kopara is a unique marine system in which
milkfish (Chanos chanos) take refuge, able to survive in this oxygen poor
environment during months, by grazing the microorganisms developing in the
mud of these lagoons. Unfortunately, these ponds are used more and more, like
the Passage, as... dumps.

THE WRECK

If you don’t want any, you’ll get some and of the

polluting kind – such as the tanker Erika in Brittany.
If you want them, the public authorities don’t
understand the importance of a wreck to a lot of
marine animals, from the small nudibranchs to the
giant loach. In sandy sectors, wrecks however can
make it possible to create true oasis of life, under the condition that certain
precautions are taken, such as the complete removal of all oil and fuel remains.

THE CAVE

Since Platon, one knows the merits of them. Under water, these natural " cellars "
are true refuges for species which would be threatened too much in the open
(squill fish, shrimps, lobsters, etc). Unfortunately using scuba gear, poaching the
caves formerly so rich in fauna are becoming depleted more and more. A
headlight, a copra bag, a pair of gloves, and 20 kilos of shellfish are collected in a
few minutes, with the contempt of the payments and the life.

THE FAULTS

In a coral reef, it is used literally as elevator; the dead corals torn off at the top of
the reef fall down to the bottom in these faults, while the fish and the shellfish
(and even shells) make use of it to go up towards the surface at night and to
regain quieter zones during the day. The fault, thanks to the quasi permanent
darkness which reigns in it, allows the blooming of forms of life which do not
like the light or the currents: they are the kingdom of the splendid soft corals, that
 a the touch of hand can destroy...

THE “HOA”

The " hoa ", on coral islands, is a false passage, unusable for a
boat, but which allows the circulation of water between the ocean
and the lagoon. This true irrigation system of the lagoons is
unfortunately very fragile: many animals use these shallow “hoa”
(generally 50 cm to 1 m) to circulate between the sea and the lagoon, but the
increasing human population know well of these passages and take
undiscriminating advantage in catching those migrating animals.

THE FRINGING REEF

When a volcanic island emerges, the first organisms to come to attach themselves
on to it are the corals, which build, over millenniums, a true pavement of
limestone around the island, rich in cavities, hollows and other favorable
locations. The perfect breeding ground for life (small fish, mollusks, shells).
Unfortunately, wastewaste discharged destroy these fringing reefs and,
sometimes, developers do not hesitate to use dynamite, to make space for
artificial sandy beaches favored by tourists.

THE PEARL FARM

The pearl farm is an artificial world of silence, of calms and cleanliness. It

represents the intelligent marriage between humans and nature. If the first attacks
or pollutes the second, all its richness – the pearls will be lost. Even simple anti-
fouling on the hull of a boat can destroy the mother-of-pearl, which require, after
having inserted a small core (the nucleus), more than two years to produce a
pearl – a proof that man and the sea can get along, for the benefit of each other !

THE BLUE OPEN WATERS

While following birds, one can be immersed by formidable tuna concentrations,

bonitos - and sometimes of frightening sharks Carcharhinus falciformis or
longimanus). These high concentrations of fish are a stroke of luck for the area.
Unfortunately, over fishing in the cold waters pull more and more fishing vessels
towards warm waters and for the last 20 years, tunas have been overexploited.