Raiatea and Taha'a

Follow local briefings for pass dives, especially Te Ava Piti and Ceran. Current direction, tide, wind, and diver level decide whether a site runs. Carry an SMB and know how to use it. Stay with the guide, avoid overhead penetration in the Nordby unless specifically qualified and briefed, and keep freediving separate from scuba with conservative surface intervals. Coral-garden snorkels can be shallow but current-fed, so listen to entry and exit instructions. Beaches and lagoon areas may not be patrolled, and even lagoons can have strong currents.

For life-threatening emergencies, call local emergency numbers first. Raiatea's Hopital de Uturoa provides emergency and hospital services for the Leeward Islands. Diving accidents may require coordination through SAMU and transfer to the hyperbaric unit at the Centre Hospitalier de Polynesie Francaise in Tahiti. Carry dive-specific insurance that covers recompression, evacuation, and remote-island logistics, and leave a no-dive-before-fly buffer before domestic or international departures.

French Polynesia treats marine mammals, sharks, turtles, and manta rays as protected species. Do not disturb, chase, feed, block, touch, ride, or crowd wildlife. Use reef-safe sunscreen, avoid oxybenzone and octinoxate products, keep fins off coral, never stand on live coral, do not collect shells, sand, coral, plants, or rocks, and take trash back to shore. Spearfishing, fishing, and collecting may be restricted by local rahui or operator rules, so ask locally before entering the water with any harvest gear.