Plunge deep into shark territory

AN up close and personal dive with French Polynesia's plentiful mantas, turtles and legendary sharks, sent Belinda Hickman to 'scuba nirvana'.

Scuba nirvana ... the Rangiroa atoll in the Pacific Ocean north of Tahiti in French Polynesia. In pictures: Diving gallery »

I EXPECTED to see mantas, spotted rays, turtles, dolphins and Tahiti's legendary sharks. I was even hopeful about sighting whale sharks and humpbacks.

But I didn't expect to experience walking on the moon.

Diving off Rangiroa, an oval-shaped necklace of atolls with a vast lagoon as its centrepiece, was scuba nirvana.

The giants of the sea were plentiful as they swam through the rushing waters of the Tiputa and Avatoru passages which cut through the string of atolls.

It proved what I had been told: that this island of French Polynesia's Tuamotu archipelago, north of main island Tahiti, had some of the most exciting dives in the Pacific.

With little more than 70 dives logged against my name – and none of those drift dives – nothing could have prepared me for the "free-fall" experience of the powerful surges that rushed through the passages.

Even the instructors at Rangiroa's The Six Passengers dive centre were upbeat when the weather reports cleared us for a drop "outside the pass" in the deep waters outside the lagoon.

After the descent, the idea was to drop into one of the shallow canyons on each side of the main channel, get a good hold, and peer over the edge at the 50 or 60 grey sharks that thankfully seemed oblivious to us.

Currents through the atoll's passes are so powerful that little can grow there, leaving the surface looking like a giant, dented potato coral. Blink and you've missed your chance to drop into the canyon. Rock-climbing skills (hands only) come in handy to stop being swept away from the group.

The "moon-walk dives" are a lesson in paying attention at the dive briefing, staying close to your buddy and not getting in front of the instructors.

Friends recommended two of Rangiroa's five clubs, but I moved around to four clubs before settling with The Six Passengers for most of my 12 dives.

Their Scubapro gear is renewed every six months and replaced every year, most of the instructors are enthusiastic (one had an unforgettable Dr Dolittle way with the animals), it has the best clubhouse, and joint owner Ugo Mazzavillani dives twice a day with his high-definition camera.

You get to watch your dive on the big screen as you dry off (or take home a copy).

It seemed there wasn't a dive without barracuda (up to a metre long), massive schools of jackfish that let us hang beneath them as they spiralled, spotted eagle rays that danced close by and turtles that flopped around upside down rather than let go of a feast they had found.

And if you're diving with Dr Dolittle (nickname Pitou: translation "cutie"), the turtles will let you get close enough to see their wrinkles.

There were dolphins playing and sleeping, moray eels (one sat quietly with its mouth open for cleaning by two black and white shrimps), football-size stonefish, a multitude of triggerfish, butterfly and angelfish, puffers and unicorns.

But it was the mantas that I had gone to see. And they were there, out in the blue with its 40m visibility, in all their majestic glory.

It's the sharks that attract divers to Rangiroa, and they're with you every plunge. Abundant grey sharks and tipped (black, white and silver) reef sharks are inquisitive. However, the lemon sharks and hammerheads are seen less frequently.

If you want them to get up close and seriously personal, then be prepared to pay for it. Shark feeding is controversial but a common practice for some clubs.

The Raie Manta Club, owned by renowned diver Yves Lefevre, is reputed for its shark dives and the instructors have it down to a fine, confident art.

Cinematographer Peter Schneider often joins the group and produces brilliant underwater footage for you to take home with you.

Peter is passionate about the sharks and was instrumental, with many of the club owners, staff and local divers, in lobbying the French Polynesian government to have shark finning banned in the islands last April.

In between dives, hire a scooter or "fun car" and visit the sleepy towns on Avatoru and Tiputa.

Avatoru has a post office, a few banks with infrequent opening times, and a supermarket where you can pick up most staples, including sweet French pastries.

There are some great hotel deals, but the most idyllic place for the best value is Novotel Rangiroa. The generous-sized beachfront bungalows are traditionally designed and decorated. The views from your private deck are priceless. Rooms are from $286.

The day before you fly, book a day trip to the Blue Lagoon.

The boat moors just off the beach and you wade through the shallows with little grey stingrays and baby sharks scuttling away as you disturb the sand.

Ashore, your hosts prepare a traditional lunch of raw fish in lime juice and coconut milk, coconut bread, barbecued whole fish and salads while you plonk into the shallows with a drink in hand and wait to see how close the fish (yes, that includes the baby sharks) will come.

The writer was a guest of Accor and Air Tahiti Nui.

The Sunday Telegraph