Avatoru Pass

Avatoru Pass is the western pass of Rangiroa atoll and the calmer companion to the famous Tiputa Pass — a 400-meter-wide channel whose moderately strong tidal currents make it an ideal warm-up drift dive and a reliable site for encounters with grey reef sharks, eagle ray formations, and the full cast of Tuamotu reef species. Its gentler conditions compared to Tiputa make it suitable for a wider range of divers while still delivering true Polynesian pass-diving excitement. The dive is performed on the incoming tide, with divers descending to 20-30 meters at the pass mouth and drifting through the channel toward the lagoon. The pass walls are covered in hard corals, fans, and black coral bushes, while coral bommies on the pass floor serve as cleaning stations for the resident shark population. Grey reef sharks typically appear in groups of 10-20, patrolling the pass at mid-depth and using the current to maintain their hunting positions. Marine life is exceptional for a secondary pass. Eagle ray formations of 3-8 animals are common, Napoleon wrasse approach divers with characteristic curiosity, and hawksbill turtles graze on the sponges. Schools of barracuda and giant trevally patrol the blue water beyond the pass, and on incoming tides the pass hosts a procession of fusiliers, snappers, and bannerfish moving from the reef to the lagoon. Avatoru Pass is Advanced Open Water diving due to the drift profile, though conditions are significantly less demanding than Tiputa, making it accessible to Advanced Open Water divers with moderate drift experience. Reached by boat from Rangiroa's Avatoru village dive operators (5-10 minutes). Visibility 25-40 meters, water temperatures 26-29°C. Best conditions April through November, and the site is often the first dive of a Rangiroa itinerary as a warm-up before Tiputa's more demanding currents.