With around 110 islands scattered across the turquoise South Pacific, French Polynesia is a scuba diver’s dream. You’re likely to spot manta rays, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, pink whip stingrays, technicolor corals and much more anywhere you submerge.

But it’s not just what lies beneath the surface. There’s an island charm here that’s uniquely Polynesian. Stay in a family-run pension (guesthouse), where your host might serve garden-fresh fruit with a baguette for breakfast or invite you to a dinner of fresh fish smothered in vanilla sauce. Or sleep under the stars in an overwater bungalow instead.

Wondering where to start? These three islands offer unique diving experiences suited perfectly to your next adventure.

Related Reading: Diving French Polynesia’s Tuamotu Islands

Fakarava: For the Shark Lover

The number of gray reef sharks may seem unfathomable the first time you dive Fakarava, a low-lying atoll encompassing a 229-square-mile lagoon with two reef passes allowing water through from the open ocean.

Diving at the Wall of Sharks is like watching your vision adjust during an eye exam. At first, you spot a handful of sharks in the foreground, then dozens more materialize as your eyes scan deeper into the blue. The atoll’s southern pass, Tumakohua, hosts around 700 gray reef sharks that rest in the current by day and hunt by night.

Under normal circumstances, such a small space shouldn’t be able to host so many apex predators. Shark researcher Johann Mourier found Fakarava’s seascape attracts up to 17,000 camouflage grouper that come to spawn in the pass. At over 3 feet long, these grouper are proper feasts rather than snackable morsels. The sharks feed on the spawning grouper, then on their offspring as they mature. A handful of other fish species also come to spawn, arriving during new and full moons.

Fakarava and six surrounding islands and atolls are included in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and sharks and grouper have been protected from fishing for the past two decades, allowing their numbers to boom.

It’s not all about sharks, though. Thriving coral gardens are alive with reef fish and crustaceans, and you might spot manta rays, barracuda, hammerheads (January to March) and humpback whales (August to October).

With no major hotels on this remote atoll, staying here allows visitors a glimpse of daily life. Cycle around Fakarava’s main town through coconut groves, passing homes adorned in hibiscus flowers and taking in the sweet smell of plumeria trees. A weekly supply ship brings produce and staples, dictating what’s for supper.

Getting There Air Tahiti and Air Moana have direct flights (70 minutes) from Papeete

Visibility 30 to 100-plus feet

Water Temperature 78°F to 86°F

Current Mild to strong

Recommended PADI Certifications: Peak Performance Buoyancy; AWARE Shark Conservation

Best Time to Visit Year-round; dry season is May to October.

Dive Center Dive Spirit Fakarava (divespiritfakarava.com/en)

Moorea: For the Adventurous Diver

Moorea, an island just 8 miles from French Polynesia’s main island of Tahiti, is a magnet for adventure seekers. Dramatic peaks punctuate the landscape, with hiking trails, waterfalls and pineapple plantations dispersed throughout. A barrier reef shelters the island’s turquoise lagoon. Breaking waves attract surfers, and quaint little motu (islets) are easily reachable by kayak or stand-up paddleboard. A wide range of accommodations, from five-star resorts to homestay-style lodgings, ensures there’s a room for every budget. Unlike more remote islands in the region, which require a short but pricey flight, a ferry ride from Papeete, Tahiti’s capital, delivers you straight to Moorea’s comparatively quiet shores for around $15 USD.

For ocean lovers, Moorea is one of the few places in the world where you can look a humpback whale in the eye. Peering into the soul of such an intelligent, massive being will move even the most stoic diver. These whales migrate past Moorea from August to November, with strong juveniles and bulls leading the charge. Toward the end of the season, mothers and calves linger, taking a slower journey back to the frigid, food-rich waters of the Antarctic.

Related Reading: Exploring Moalboal's Underwater Landscape

Moorea has about 15 notable dive sites. Pink whip stingrays and blacktip reef sharks glide through the clear and shallow waters of the lagoon, often drawn to the thrum of boat engines by generations of fishermen and tour boats feeding them (a now-forbidden practice). Blow bubbles with sea turtles, lemon sharks, manta rays, Napoleon wrasse and a vibrant mix of reef fish. Experienced divers can descend 100 feet to Jardin des Roses, a breathtaking blanket of flower-like Montipora corals. New divers will still find plenty of excitement at sites like Lemon Shark Valley, where curious lemon sharks and schools of red snapper swim along walls of coral reef.

Getting There Ferry from Tahiti (40 minutes) or flight with Air Tahiti or Air Moana (15 minutes)

Visibility 30 to 100-plus feet

Water Temperature 77°F to 87°F

Current Mild to moderate

Recommended PADI Certifications Freediver; Deep Diver

Best Time to Visit May to November

Where to Dive Scubapiti (scubapitimoorea.com/en)

Bora Bora: For Stellar Diving and More

The poster child for French Polynesia just might be the square-shaped peaks of Bora Bora, surrounded by an impossibly bright blue lagoon. Following that, Bora Bora is known for its take-your-pick accommodations of luxury overwater bungalows and poolside cabanas. Here, breakfast spreads of French pastries and tropical fruits are brought to your room by canoe. To some, this opulence is the dream, but Bora Bora’s diving scene tends to get lost among the chatter. Make no mistake, however: It’s a standout destination for divers, especially those whose life partner doubles as their dive buddy.

Inside the island’s lagoon is a cleaning station for reef mantas. These gentle giants can span up to 15 feet from wingtip to wingtip. More than 130 individuals have been documented since 2000. Watch them glide, twirl and flip like aquatic acrobats as wrasse nibble parasites from their skin and gills.

Out on the reef, Bora Bora’s sole pass is prime for shark spotting. Blacktip reef sharks often appear the moment your boat arrives. Once you descend, you might see lemon sharks in deeper waters, while octopuses and eels hide within the coral. A pod of spinner dolphins frequents the pass; they often come to surf the wake of a dive boat’s bow.

Admiring the intricate patterns on a single eagle ray is enough to headline a logbook dive entry, but they’re often spotted in large numbers at the site Toopua. The site’s strong current attracts the eagle rays, which gather and hover in formation with the current’s help. A shallow, vibrant reef hosts moray eels spanning 10 feet long, octopuses, anemones and their resident fish, crustaceans and harems of parrotfish. During your surface interval, you’re met with the captivating sight of Bora Bora, where brooding basalt peaks catch drifting clouds and the lagoon glimmers like a sky turned liquid.

Getting There Flight from Papeete with Air Tahiti or Air Moana (50 minutes); ferry from Papeete (seven hours)

Visibility 30 to 100-plus feet

Water Temperature 77°F to 87°F

Current Mild to moderate

Recommended PADI Certifications Underwater Naturalist Specialty; Fish Identification

Best Time to Visit May to November

Where to Dive Eleuthera Bora Diving Center (boradiving.com/en)