Tikehau tide times

Tikehau is a near-circular atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago, approximately 300 kilometres north of Tahiti and 80 kilometres west of Rangiroa. The atoll measures approximately 26 kilometres in diameter, with a single pass — Tuheiava Pass — on the western rim. The lagoon is renowned for its exceptional clarity and shallow depth: in the inner sections, water visibility exceeds 30 metres and the bottom is visible in depths of 20 metres as clearly as in a swimming pool. The pink-sand beaches on the interior motu (islets) along the northern rim are one of the atoll's distinctive visual features — the pink colouration comes from fragments of red coral and shell mixed into the fine white calcareous sand.

The tidal regime at Tikehau is mixed semidiurnal, with a spring range of approximately 0.3 to 0.5 metres in the surrounding open ocean. Tuheiava Pass carries a moderate tidal current of 2 to 3 knots at spring peaks — substantially less powerful than the passes at Rangiroa or Fakarava, which makes Tikehau's pass more accessible for less experienced divers and snorkellers who want pass-current exposure without the extreme conditions of the larger Tuamotu atolls. The pass is narrow enough to be swum across in calm conditions at slack water.

The marine life at Tikehau is exceptionally dense relative to the size of the atoll. A 1987 research study by the ORSTOM research institute documented the highest biomass of fish per unit area of any Tuamotu atoll surveyed at that time — a finding attributed to the combination of clear water, moderate current (which brings nutrients without the erosive disturbance of extreme currents), and limited human fishing pressure. The fish community includes multiple species of grouper, large schools of barracuda (Sphyraena qenie, chevron barracuda, schooling in spirals in the mid-water), schools of jack (Caranx ignobilis, giant trevally), and eagle rays (Aetobatus narinari) in the pass on the incoming tide.

Manta rays are regular visitors to the pass on incoming tides, filtering the plankton-rich water that floods in from the Pacific. The manta encounters at Tikehau are in shallower water (5 to 12 metres) than at many Maldivian or Indonesian manta sites — the pass geometry keeps the animals relatively close to the surface. Snorkelling the pass on the incoming tide is a viable alternative to scuba for manta encounters here.

The pink-sand motu beach excursion is the standard non-diving day trip from the village of Tuherahera (the main settlement, on the southern rim near the airport). The boat trip to the northern pink-sand motu takes 30 to 45 minutes through the inner lagoon, with the shallow sandy bottom visible throughout. The motu have no permanent facilities — bring food, water, sun protection, and snorkel gear.

Accommodation at Tikehau is at small pensions in Tuherahera and at two larger hotels on private motu within the lagoon. Air Tahiti operates flights from Papeete (approximately 1 hour) and from Rangiroa (20 minutes) to Tikehau Airport. The atoll is small enough that all dive sites are within 30 minutes of the main village by boat.

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).