Tahiti and her sister islands of French Polynesia are extremely well developed for all maritime recreational activities. Most of the resorts and other centres for scuba diving (euphoniously called Plongeein this part of the Pacific), along with snorkelling, canoeing, kayaking, paragliding, waterskiing and jet skiing are in the Leeward Islands of the Society Island Group, only a short flight from Tahiti.

All these islands have broad, exceptionally beautiful lagoons and outlying islets, known as motus. Moorea (eight minutes away by light plane), Huahine, Raiatea­Tahaa (the two islands are virtually joined) and Bora Bora all have superb aquatic facilities.

Local specialities include dolphin watching off Moorea, manta ray feeding off Tahaa, and shark­feeding at Bora Bora. Raiatea has French Polynesia‘s only navigable river, which debouches into Faaroa Bay, where yacht charter companies are based. These comfortable vessels can be chartered wetor dry and sailed safely within Raiataea‘s lagoon.

The many dazzling atolls to the northeast of Tahiti in the Tuamotu archipelago have huge lagoons rich in fish, and offer exceptional diving. The best known of these are Rangiroa, Tikehau and the black pearl atoll, Manihi. Even hardened divers say that shooting the passwith huge sharks and rays on the atoll of Rangiroa, where there are several excellent diving centres, is an unrivalled underwater experience.

Back on Tahiti, the reef at Teahupoo, on the far side of the island, provides some of the largest surfable waves anywhere. Teahupoo is thus a key site on the circuit of the world‘s professional boardriders, with a competition held every May.