Moorea Diving — French Polynesia
Moorea offers some of French Polynesia's most accessible shark diving — lemon sharks and blacktips congregate at feeding sites, stingrays glide through the lagoon shallows, and humpback whales visit from July to November. Just a 30-minute ferry from Tahiti, it combines world-class diving with Polynesian luxury.
- Score
- 58.7 / 100
- Country
- French Polynesia
- Region
- Pacific
- Area
- Society Islands
- Nearest airport
- Moorea (MOZ) via Tahiti
- Visibility
- 12–30 m
- Water temperature
- 25–29 °C
- Max depth
- 30 m
- Current strength
- moderate
- Dive types
- reef, drift, pelagic
- Best months
- April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November
- Minimum certification
- Open Water
- Access type
- boat
- Average 2-tank dive cost
- $90 USD
- Budget tier
- mid range
- Key species
- manta ray
- Google rating
- 0 (0 reviews)
- Top operators
- Moorea Blue Diving, Top Dive Moorea
- Nearest hyperbaric chamber
- Centre Hospitalier de la Polynésie Française Chamber, Tahiti (~30 km)
Moorea offers some of French Polynesia's most accessible shark diving — lemon sharks and blacktips congregate at feeding sites, stingrays glide through the lagoon shallows, and humpback whales visit from July to November. Just a 30-minute ferry from Tahiti, it combines world-class diving with Polynesian luxury.
French Polynesia's Shark & Ray Feeding Grounds
Score Breakdown
Marine Life
26.0Species diversity, megafauna encounters, reef fish abundance, macro life, and endemic species.
Click any score to see a detailed breakdown
Key Species
Dive Types
Traveling with Non-Divers?
Your non-diving travel companions will find plenty to enjoy topside while you're underwater. Here are some activities to consider.
Activities for Non-Divers
Nearby Cultural Sites
- Tiki Village Theatre
- Marae Titiroa archaeological site
- Kellum Stop botanical garden
Non-Diver Partner Score
Excellent for non-divers — they'll love it here.
Safety & Emergency
Dive Insurance
Dive insurance is essential. Standard travel insurance often excludes scuba diving. We recommend DAN (Divers Alert Network) for comprehensive dive accident coverage.
Learn More at DAN.orgFerry to Tahiti (30 min) for chamber; good clinic on Moorea
Top Operators
Moorea Blue Diving
PADI
Top Dive Moorea
PADI
What your dive shop won't tell you
The minimum certification printed on a brochure is the legal floor, not the honest recommendation. Here's what we actually think you should bring to this site.
Below this we'd send you somewhere easier first.
What will challenge you
- →Moderate currents. Expect to drift — this is not a skill-builder site for a first trip after certification.
What will surprise you
- →Thermoclines can drop water temp by 4°C between the surface and depth. Your wetsuit choice should match the minimum, not the average.
Photography brief
Subjects are only half the shot. A perfect macro site is useless in a three-knot drift, and a wide-angle dream is useless at 35 m with a murky ceiling. These are the conditions, not the hype.
Recommended kit
- →General reef kit — mid-range wide or a 60mm macro depending on the specific site
What this site will teach you
The dives that made you a better diver are the ones that made you uncomfortable for the right reasons. Here's what this site will quietly train you for.
Drift diving
intermediateReef hook discipline, current reading, group cohesion in flow. The skills you'll build here are what every current-dominant site demands — transferable everywhere.
7-day trip, per person
Rough ranges anchored to existing regional data — not booking quotes. Land-based trip, standard breakdown.
Hostels, shore diving, cheap eats
- Flights (RT from US)
- $1,350–$1,650
- Accommodation / day
- $50–$100
- Diving / day
- $80–$90
- Food / day
- $30–$55
- Transfers + misc
- $50–$150
3-star hotels, standard boat ops, mix of restaurants
- Flights (RT from US)
- $1,900–$2,300
- Accommodation / day
- $120–$220
- Diving / day
- $90–$120
- Food / day
- $60–$120
- Transfers + misc
- $50–$150
Top resorts or liveaboards, premium operators
- Flights (RT from US)
- $2,700–$3,300
- Accommodation / day
- $260–$500
- Diving / day
- $120–$150
- Food / day
- $130–$250
- Transfers + misc
- $50–$150
Flights priced round-trip from a major US hub. Figures are per person on a shared room. Solo travelers add ~30% to accommodation.
Build a trip around it
Most divers fly across the world for one destination and don't realise another worth-it site is 90 minutes away. Here are the honest pairings.
- Hawaii (Kona)65.0United States
Regional neighbour with a different dive type. Worth the extra flight if you want variety.
- Maui62.4United States
Regional neighbour with a different dive type. Worth the extra flight if you want variety.
- Rarotonga59.4Cook Islands
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- Taveuni58.4Fiji
Regional neighbour with a different dive type. Worth the extra flight if you want variety.
- Bikini Atoll57.4Marshall Islands
Regional neighbour with a different dive type. Worth the extra flight if you want variety.
- Guadalupe Island56.5Mexico
Regional neighbour with a different dive type. Worth the extra flight if you want variety.
Best dive types here