Rangiroa/Fakarava tide charts

[Brad J]

Question on the dive times per day on each. Is each day based on the incoming high tide for the passes?

If we wanted to stay in Fakarava north and dive the south pass, how should I pick the best days based on the tide charts?

For example, today's tide chart lists high tide at 6:24am. That wouldn't work with the 1-2hr boat ride. Am I thinking about this correctly?

 

[Manuel Sam]

Question on the dive times per day on each. Is each day based on the incoming high tide for the passes?

For diving the passes with the incoming tide, yes, the time each day may vary. However, when the incoming tide times are not right - an outgoing tide, for example - the operators usually dive the sloping wall outside.

If we wanted to stay in Fakarava north and dive the south pass, how should I pick the best days based on the tide charts?

I could try to guess but I'd be safer if I contact the dive operator and ask them in advance.

On a normal day, it takes about 6 hrs for the tide to go from low to high. For simplicity, round that up to about 6 hrs of incoming. But not all of it is usable because the speed of the current starts slow, gradually increases, peaks, and then gradually decreases. I speculate that the dive operator has to look at all of this and see if he can fit two dives in with a one-hour surface interval in between, while not having to leave in the wee hours of the morning or getting back in the early evening.

Using your example, I'd say you are correct in saying that a 6:24am high tide would not work. Conversely, the reverse of your example - ie, low tide at 6:24am, and therefore the next high tide at around 12:30pm - would probably work. After a brief low tide slack, the tide would start to slowly come in. Taking this a few steps further, if the dive operator leaves the North at 7:30am and arrives at around 9:00am, by then the incoming current should be close to peaking in speed. If he finishes the first dive at around 10:30am, and does a one-hour surface interval, there may be enough time to do a second dive with an incoming, albeit a bit weaker as it approaches the 12:30pm high tide.

 

[Brad J]

Ok I think we have this right. I emailed Kaina Plongee on tides and when a south trip is possible when staying in the north. They sent me possible dates for the 2026 months I'm targeting. All the dates have a low tide in the early morning (mainly 6am-930am local time) so to have at least one incoming current dive.

They also confirmed 4 divers minimum needed as stated on the forum.

Based on this week's tide chart, the lucky divers there now have a good tide window the next few days.

 

[Manuel Sam]

I am glad you got that straightened out straight from the horse's mouth. Vincent has always been pretty good about responding promptly....unless he's traveling. At least that's been my experience.

6 hrs for it to go from low to high may seem to us a rather wide window to fit in two dives plus a surface interval, but as I said, it is not likely that all of those 6 hrs are usable, so the dive operator probably has some guidelines for what they think will work.

And even then, it is still Mother Nature and sometimes her second name is Murphy.

So when we did the South with Kaina this past December, we dropped in at 11:00 - 11:15ish, and Huh?? There was absolutely no current. You could tell by the rather poor viz (compared to a normal incoming).

Some 15-20 minutes later, it started ever so slightly and by the end of the dive we were chugging along. After lunch/surface interval, the current was good. But becasue of this apparent delay, we ended up getting back North close to 5:00pm, and that might explain why it was the only day we got to go to the South (and not because we didn't meet the 4 minimum, since ours was a group of 4).

And as I have mentioned in other prior postings, there are times - and this has happened to me on 3 separate trips to the Tuamotus - there is no incoming because the lagoon is full.

But usually Murphy stays in the closet. Hopefully that will be the case when you are there.