Ua Pou tide times

Ua Pou is the third-largest of the Marquesas Islands, lying approximately 70 kilometres southwest of Nuku Hiva. The island's most immediately striking feature is visible from the sea at a distance of 30 kilometres: twelve basalt phonolite pinnacles — the eroded cores of ancient volcanic vents — rise from the caldera and pierce the cloud layer, the tallest reaching 1,232 metres. These pinnacles, called obelisks by early European navigators, give Ua Pou a profile unlike any other Pacific island and have been the subject of legend and navigation reference since the island was first settled by Polynesians approximately 1,500 years ago.

Hakahau Bay, on the northern coast, is the main settlement and administrative centre of Ua Pou. The bay is oriented north, giving it direct exposure to north swells during Northern Hemisphere winter storm seasons. The inner anchorage is protected by a small breakwater, and the town dock handles the Aranui 5 cargo deliveries that are a lifeline for the island's supplies. The Gendarmerie and Air Tahiti check-in for the twice-weekly flights to Nuku Hiva are both in Hakahau.

The tidal regime at Ua Pou is the same diurnal-dominant system as the other Marquesas islands: spring range approximately 0.8 to 1.0 metres, with a pronounced diurnal inequality. The island lacks a barrier reef — the volcanic terrain drops steeply to deep water on all sides — so the marine environment is a direct deepwater interface rather than a lagoon system. The underwater terrain mirrors the surface: abrupt volcanic walls and pinnacles, dropping to 200 to 400 metres within a short distance from shore. The reefs around Ua Pou are largely undocumented by systematic survey and essentially undived; marine biologists who have visited informally report rich coral communities on the submerged wall sections.

The pinnacles that define the island's profile from sea level become accessible via the road and trail network inland from Hakahau. The walk to the base of the nearest pinnacles (Poumaka, 1,030 metres) takes 3 to 4 hours from the town and requires a guide — the trails are not maintained for visitor navigation and the terrain is serious mountain ground above the treeline. The pinnacles are often wreathed in cloud from mid-morning onward; departing at dawn gives the best chance of clear views from the summit approach.

The Marquesan flower stone — a phonolite with a natural flower-like crystal pattern formed by the rock's unique mineral composition — is found on Ua Pou and used by local artisans for jewellery and carving. The stones are found on the island's beaches and river beds; they have been traded as curiosities by passing vessels since the 19th century. Small carvings in flower stone are available in Hakahau and are the characteristic Ua Pou souvenir.

Fishing around Ua Pou targets the same pelagic species as elsewhere in the Marquesas — yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi, and wahoo — accessible by trolling in the blue water beyond the submerged reef walls. Bottom fishing on the submerged pinnacles in 30 to 80 metres of water is not widely practiced due to the depth, but the pinnacle structure in this depth range is likely to hold grouper and snapper in significant numbers. Charter fishing is not formally organised on Ua Pou; connections are made through accommodation and the fishing community at Hakahau.

Predictions on this page come from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model. Accuracy is typically within plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 metres on height — model-derived, not from a local gauge. The local authority for tide information in French Polynesia is the Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine (SHOM).