Safety · Destination Guide
Manta-cleaning snorkels and fish-stacked pass dives on a quiet pink-sand atoll
Updated Apr 21, 2026 • 26 sources
Tikehau is safe when treated as a remote, current-driven atoll rather than a casual beach destination. The main risks are pass current, changing wind, boat exposure, sun, dehydration, and distance from advanced medical care. Conservation rules matter because manta rays, sharks, turtles, and marine mammals are protected.
Use local operators for Tuheiava Pass and follow tide-based decisions without pushing for a specific site. Stay close to the guide in current, carry a delayed surface marker buoy, monitor gas conservatively, and avoid separation photography in the pass. Snorkelers and freedivers should not drift the pass independently. Do not freedive after scuba. Plan final dives conservatively before flights because domestic connections often leave early and evacuation options are limited.
Tikehau has a local infirmary in Tuherahera for basic care and emergency coordination, but serious trauma or decompression illness generally requires evacuation to Tahiti. The main recompression chamber support is in Papeete at the Centre Hospitalier de la Polynesie francaise. Carry dive insurance that includes evacuation, recompression, and remote-island trip interruption. Bring personal medication, seasickness medication, and copies of prescriptions because pharmacy access is limited.
Pass currents are real
Tuheiava can shift from easy to demanding with tide and wind. Stay close to the guide, carry an SMB, and do not snorkel or freedive the pass independently.
Remote medical support
Tikehau has basic local medical support, but serious dive injuries generally require evacuation to Tahiti. Carry dive insurance with evacuation and recompression coverage.
Wet-season disruption
November to April can be hot, humid, and storm-prone. Small aircraft, lagoon boats, and pass dives are more vulnerable to weather changes.
Sun and dehydration
Lagoon days feel breezy, but shade is limited on boats and motu. Bring water, electrolytes, a hat, and long-sleeve sun protection.
French Polynesia protects sharks, manta rays, turtles, marine mammals, and other species. Never feed sharks, chase mantas, touch turtles, ride rays, or crowd dolphins. Shark feeding is prohibited in lagoons, passes, and within a 1 km radius of a pass. At the manta cleaning station, stay to the side, remain calm, keep fins off coral, and let animals choose the distance. On Bird Island, follow guide paths and keep away from eggs and chicks.
Do Not Do This
Avoid entering when pass currents are real. Confirm local briefings before committing.
| Contact | Role | Phone | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tikehau Infirmary, Tuherahera | Local medical post | +689 40 96 23 49 | Weekday morning clinic hours with emergency callout support |
| SAMU ambulance | Medical emergency dispatch | 15 | 24/7 |
| Fire and emergency | Fire and rescue | 18 | 24/7 |
| Police or gendarmerie | Law enforcement | 17 | 24/7 |
| Sea rescue | Maritime emergency | 16 | 24/7 |
| CHPF Taaone Hospital hyperbaric unit, Tahiti | Referral hospital and recompression chamber | +689 40 48 62 62 | Emergency referral through local medical services |