Garuae Pass (North Pass)

Garuae Pass, known universally as Fakarava North Pass, is the widest pass in French Polynesia — a magnificent 1,600-meter-wide channel through the northern wall of Fakarava Atoll where the full tidal exchange between ocean and lagoon creates one of the grandest drift diving experiences in the Pacific. The pass's scale, the diversity of its shark population, and the regular manta and hammerhead encounters have made it the more accessible (but equally spectacular) sibling of the famous South Pass. The dive is performed on the incoming tide, with divers dropping onto the outer reef and drifting through the pass at 25-40 meters. The pass floor is a sandy plain studded with coral bommies that serve as cleaning stations for larger pelagic species. Grey reef sharks are resident in numbers, with typical dives producing 30-80 shark sightings. Hammerhead sharks appear seasonally (November-April), and manta rays are regularly encountered at the cleaning stations throughout the year. Large schools of barracuda, giant trevally, and Napoleon wrasse patrol the pass walls. Beyond the headline species, the pass offers exceptional reef life. Hard coral cover is among the best in French Polynesia, with pristine staghorn fields on the shallower sections and massive porites colonies along the pass walls. Eagle ray formations, hawksbill turtles, and schooling jacks are common sightings, and the occasional whitetip reef shark resting on the sand completes the picture. Garuae Pass is Advanced Open Water diving with mandatory drift experience due to currents that routinely exceed three knots. Reached by boat from Rotoava village on Fakarava (15-25 minutes). Visibility 30-50 meters, water temperatures 26-29°C. Best conditions April through November, though the pass dives year-round. Most Fakarava dive itineraries combine North Pass and the occasional South Pass trip for the complete Fakarava experience.