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Faille St Etienne
Dive site · French Polynesia
Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
74Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Fri 6: Sea 1 m, Visibility about 25 m, Water 28 °C
Mon 2 · 69 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.8 m
- Wind
- 6 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 24°C
Tue 3 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.4 m
- Wind
- 8 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.4 m
- Wind
- 11 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 25°C
Thu 5 · 85 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.3 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 26°C
Fri 6 · 87 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 26°C
Sat 7 · 66 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 27°C
Sun 8 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 26°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 183, good
- Mon 269, good
- Tue 363, good
- Wed 467, good
- Thu 585, good
- Fri 687, good
- Sat 766, good
- Sun 867, good
- Mon 967, good
- Tue 1070, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 40 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 28 °C3 mm wetsuit
- Faces Wswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. Scored for experienced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 83, good | 0.8 m | 2 kn | 4kn | 26°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 69, good | 0.8 m | 6 kn | 10kn | 24°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 63, good | 1.4 m | 8 kn | 12kn | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 67, good | 1.4 m | 11 kn | 17kn | 25°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 85, good | 1.3 m | 7 kn | 12kn | 26°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 87, good | 1.0 m | 4 kn | 8kn | 26°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 66, good | 1.0 m | 4 kn | 10kn | 27°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 67, good | 1.0 m | 3 kn | 7kn | 26°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 67, good | 0.9 m | 5 kn | 10kn | 26°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 70, good | 0.8 m | 4 kn | 9kn | 26°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 01:56 +0.0 mLow 16:19 −0.0 mHigh 22:59 +0.0 m
- Mon 2 NovLow 03:21 −0.0 mHigh 09:10 +0.1 mLow 15:54 −0.1 mHigh 21:48 +0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:33 −0.0 mHigh 09:44 +0.1 mLow 16:09 −0.1 mHigh 21:58 +0.1 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the site and its town
Faille St Etienne on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
More diving near here
5 places
- Tombant St Etienne 0.2 km away
- Plateau aux tortues 1.3 km away
- La source 1.8 km away
- Vallée aux Murènes 2.9 km away
- Temaruata 3.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Faille St Etienne
A wall dive. It goes down to 40 m. You get in from a boat. It suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces W: swell from the W reaches it, and wind from the E blows out to sea. 4 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.9 km away. The sea is about 27°C in July, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 29°C in February, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). The town to stay in is Punaauia. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots and 5 dive sites.
- What it is Wall.
- How deep Down to 40 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 4 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.9 km away.
Water about 28°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 25 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jun, Jul and Aug (over 30 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,270–US$2,430 each
about US$1,270–US$2,430 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to PPT, estimated from distance and season, changing at LAX, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$603–US$1,250 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$308–US$509 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$1,270–US$2,430 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Punaauia
5 min by car · 9 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Punaauia its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 20h
About 20h door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → PPT, changing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), then 30 min by road
Flights MDW → PPT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Punaauia · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Punaauia · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Tahiti nui diving center 1.9 km
Dive and Sea 2.1 km
Eleuthera Plongée 3.6 km
Fluid Plongée 3.6 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
This week: visibility about 20 m, greener than usual (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.