Rangiroa - perspective

by Olivier Parent

Title

Rangiroa - perspective

Artist

Olivier Parent

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Rangiroa in French Polynesia's Tuamotu : jetty (pier) over the lagoon at the Maitai hotel.

Rangiroa (Tuamotuan for 'vast sky') is the largest atoll in the Tuamotus and one of the largest in the world. It is about 355 km northeast of Tahiti. The atoll consists of about 415 motus, islets and sandbars comprising a total land area of about 170 km². The atoll has a flattened elliptic shape, with 80 km in length and a width ranging from 5 to 32 km wide. The lagoon is so large that the currents that come in and out through the passes and with the winds can sometimes create interior storms.

Rangiroa is a major underwater diving destination because of the lagoon's clear blue water and exceptionally diverse marine fauna. The most popular sites are the Blue Lagoon, Avatoru pass, Tiputa pass, and Les Sables Roses ('the pink sands'). Rangiroa offers some of the best dives in the world in and around the Tiputa Pass, which lies at one end of the one main road and runs 3.5 km to the Avatoru Pass. Sedentary common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) regularly play group in the Pass. They can be viewed from the mainland but it is also one of the few places where they can be approached in scuba diving. Because of its large size and the existence of only two passes, each high tide creates a strong incoming current while each low tide creates a strong outgoing current in those two passes. When the current is flowing inward through Tiputa Pass, hundreds of sharks gather at the entrance to the Tiputa Pass, about fifty meters deep. Led by the strong current, sharks can remain motionless and allow divers to observe them without any difficulty. Large manta rays, green sea turtles, and humphead wrasses can also be seen. Occasionally, tiger sharks and hammerhead sharks can also be spotted.

A notable site in the atoll is the famous Blue Lagoon, which is a smaller lagoon formed on the southwestern edge of Rangiroa. Its shallow waters accentuate the bright blue color of the water. The Pink Sands are sandbars surrounded by numerous ro'a are located on the southeastern portion of Rangiroa.

This image is available as canvas print, framed print, acrylic print, metal print, wood print or poster in a variety of sizes. It can also be printed as a greeting card, T-shirt, jigsaw puzzle, throw pillow, duvet cover, shower curtain, fleece blanket, beach or bath towel, tote bag, zip pouch, phone case, coffee mug, yoga mat, spiral notebook, etc.

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January 23rd, 2021

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