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Vallée aux Murènes
Dive site · French Polynesia
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
66Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: Sea 1.3 m, Visibility about 30 m, Water 28 °C
Tue 3 · 71 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.3 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 25°C
Wed 4 · 53 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.4 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 13kn
- Air
- 26°C
Thu 5 · 55 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.3 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 25°C
Fri 6 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 25°C
Sat 7 · 66 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 25°C
Sun 8 · 66 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 7 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 25°C
Mon 9 · 67 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 25°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Tue 371, good
- Wed 453, fair
- Thu 555, fair
- Fri 667, good
- Sat 766, good
- Sun 866, good
- Mon 967, good
- Tue 1068, good
- Wed 1165, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 25 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- 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 Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3Nov | 71, good | 1.3 m | 4 kn | 7kn | 25°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 53, fair | 1.4 m | 10 kn | 13kn | 26°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 55, fair | 1.3 m | 5 kn | 10kn | 25°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 67, good | 0.9 m | 7 kn | 10kn | 25°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 66, good | 1.0 m | 7 kn | 9kn | 25°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 66, good | 1.0 m | 7 kn | 9kn | 25°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 67, good | 0.9 m | 5 kn | 10kn | 25°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 68, good | 0.8 m | 5 kn | 8kn | 26°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 65, good | 0.8 m | 8 kn | 12kn | 25°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
- Tue 3 NovLow 03:33 −0.0 mHigh 09:44 +0.1 mLow 16:09 −0.1 mHigh 21:58 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 03:58 −0.1 mHigh 10:13 +0.1 mLow 16:29 −0.1 mHigh 22:18 +0.1 m
- Thu 5 NovLow 04:25 −0.1 mHigh 10:42 +0.1 mLow 16:51 −0.1 mHigh 22:41 +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.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Wed 4 Nov
- Dec7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site and its town
Vallée aux Murènes on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
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
- Papa Whisky 2.7 km away
- Tombant St Etienne 2.7 km away
- Faille St Etienne 2.9 km away
- Aquarium 3 km away
- Plateau aux tortues 4.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Vallée aux Murènes
A reef dive. It goes down to 25 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, 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 1.4 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, 1 wind sports spot and 6 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 25 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 4 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.4 km away.
Water about 28°C: 3 mm wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 30 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep (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$2,440 each
about US$1,270–US$2,440 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 2 November 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$604–US$1,250 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$34 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$309–US$510 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$637 |
| Total | about US$1,270–US$2,440 |
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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 10 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 2 November 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 · AviasalesAd
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
Fluid Plongée 1.4 km
Eleuthera Plongée 1.4 km
Tahiti nui diving center 1.7 km
Dive and Sea 1.7 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 records at this site itself, so these are the animals divers and surveys have recorded at other sites within 25 km in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it there, not that you will.
Aetobatus ocellatusRay
Seen in 33 records, mostly Jun to Sep.
Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliaeWhale or dolphin
Seen in 31 records, mostly Sep to Oct.
Bigeye emperor Monotaxis grandoculis
Seen in 39 records, mostly Aug to Sep.
Humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus
Seen in 32 records, mostly Jul to Oct.
Moorish idol Zanclus cornutus
Seen in 31 records.
Lagoon triggerfish Rhinecanthus aculeatus
Seen in 30 records.
Orange-lined triggerfish Balistapus undulatus
Seen in 27 records, mostly Feb to Jul.
Orbicular batfish Platax orbicularis
Seen in 24 records, mostly Aug to Sep.
Bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii
Seen in 15 records.
Canthigaster solandriPuffers
Seen in 13 records, mostly Feb to Jun.
White-spotted puffer Arothron hispidus
Seen in 12 records.
Emperor angelfish Pomacanthus imperator
Seen in 11 records, mostly Aug to Sep.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO) and GBIF.org (1 November 2026, doi:10.15468/dl.jeesns), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS and GBIF; common names from the Catalogue of Life, the GBIF Backbone and Wikidata. Largest datasets here: Programme CROMIS: carnet de plongée en ligne de la FFESSM-Observations d'espèces subaquatiques collectées par les utilisateurs de CROMIS; iNaturalist Research-grade Observations; Programme BioObs: observations naturalistes en milieux aquatiques-Observations de BioObs.; Happywhale - Humpback whale in South Pacific Ocean; Données Mammifères de l'association Te mana o te moana en Polynésie française. - Données Mammifères marins de Polynésie française de Te mana o te moana. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.