Sharks, Dolphins & Manta Rays: An Adventure Diving with Big Fish in French Polynesia

Once you have landed in Bora Bora, you'll see why these islands are so special, brilliant blue waters are framed by lush emerald islands - in this tropical paradise, even the airstrip is spectacular. Stepping off the plane, you'll be immediately struck by Mt. Otemanu rising up from the brightest turquoise lagoon.

Once you have collected your bags, you'll be met and transferred to your hotel by speedboat, which will take around 20 minutes. Settle into your hotel and enjoy a relaxing afternoon, looking forward to the diving days ahead.

During your time here you will be picked up from your hotel jetty for your two-tank morning dives at around eight in the morning. The first morning will see you heading to the south-east of Mt. Otemanu, starting at 'Tapu' which is a dive site just inside the Teavanui Pass. Teeming with shark life, including black tips and lemon sharks, you don't even need to move on this dive just relax and enjoy the shark spectacle. Your next dive of the day is a little further south, located off the island of Toopua. This dive site is home to plenty of marine life, with a particular highlight being the school of eagle rays that you are virtually guaranteed to see hoovering up the sand in the current.

Your second day of diving in Bora Bora will be at Anau, which is a manta cleaning station located on the eastern side of Mt. Otemnau, within the lagoon. Visibility at this site tends to be over 10 metres and is a great spot for all levels of divers. The dive starts in the middle of a colourful coral garden, where you will wait for the mantas to swoop in, ready to be cleaned by small cleaner wrasses. There can be up to 10 mantas here at one time, so it's a special spot and a great species to tick off so early in your Big Fish adventure.

After days full of diving, head back to dry land for a relaxing evening discussing all of the animals that you spotted during your dives.

Once you have landed in Rangiroa, you'll notice the stark contrast between the two island groups; the Society Islands and the Tuamotus. The Tuamotus are made up of almost 80 low-lying, coralline islands and atolls forming the biggest chain of atolls in the world. The nature of these atolls, with their passes, make for the most exhilarating dives, as you will find out over the next few days.

Check into your hotel and settle into your room before grabbing a beer and heading to the deck, to find a spot to relax. Your hotel is located right on the Tiputa Pass and as dusk approaches, watch the common bottlenose dolphins play and ride in the surf right before your eyes.

You will be collected from your hotel every morning and taken to the dive centre, which is where you will spend most of the day, going backwards and forwards from the pass in a rib. There is generally the option for three to four dives a day, with two in the morning, one in the afternoon and one at dusk. It's a five minute ride to the pass, so you can easily go backwards and forwards without having to spend lots of time enduring the ocean waves between dives! The dive centre has a great snack bar providing delicious sandwiches, which are perfect for refuelling with at lunch.

The tides are impossible to predict in Rangiroa, so expect dive times to change, correlating with the best times to dive the pass each day. It might seem repetitive going back to the same site again and again, but the currents mean that the site is different every single time - it's impossible to get bored diving here. The best time to dive the pass is on an incoming tide, where visibility and conditions make for the most rewarding dives.

One of the highlights of diving in the Pass is the resident pod of around 20 common bottlenose dolphins. They are incredibly inquisitive and if you catch them in a playful mood, they will come right up to divers, ready to play and interact. This is one of the only places on earth where you can have these sorts of interactions with this incredible species. Even if the dolphins don't make an appearance, you can expect to see schooling grey reef sharks, great hammerheads; between November and February, tiger sharks, white tip, black tips, silkies and silvertip sharks when diving here.

As the rib navigates the surf back through the pass to the dive centre after each dive, you will often be accompanied by dolphins on either side, riding the waves and jumping for joy. Dolphins close-up on the dive, dolphins joining you on the boat ride, dolphins to accompany you at sunset… diving doesn't get much better than this.

South Fakarava is extremely remote with just simple pension accommodation, but it's what lies beneath the waves here that counts. This area is home to one of the most exciting dives on earth.

You have the next two full days to dive the pass, with the best diving conditions being on the incoming tide. One striking difference with this pass is that the current here tends to be minimal, so you can enjoy the marine spectacle without being whisked too quickly away. This pass is well known for the schools of grey reef sharks that circle in the gentle current, as well as the excellent visibility and an overwhelming number larger reef fish that have been able to reach such sizes due to the protection of the atoll. The schools of sharks that you'll see here often number over 200 animals and what makes this sight even better is the warm, tropical conditions that are not often associated with this sort of shark action.

The shallow reefs located on either side of the pass are in excellent condition and are the perfect place to end an epic dive, or to swim out to from your pension, for a spot of snorkelling in the afternoon.

Settle into the slower pace of life in this remote corner of the world over these two days of your French Polynesia diving itinerary. Enjoy diving with incredible marine life, absorbing and appreciating everything about this incredible spot.

Once you have arrived, enjoy a beer on a jetty whilst watching the sunset on Fakarava, looking forward to your last two days of diving in French Polynesia.

The pass is best dived on the incoming tide and depending on the moon cycle, currents can be extremely strong. Watch schools of grey reef sharks swim effortlessly against the current, whilst you are doing everything in your power to keep in one place. All around you paddle snapper scatter and fight to keep in the same position, while black and white tips sharks patrol the reef from above and below. The outside of the pass is a fabulous dive on an outgoing tide (it is often dived a single tank in the afternoon depending on the tides), with baby reef sharks often seen here in groups of ten or more; the whole reef overflows with marine life. Diving here is all about sharks, sharks and more sharks and you can be certain that the diving in North Fakarava will not disappoint!

In between dives, head to the Rotoava Grill which is close near the dive centre, for a simple but delicious lunch of grilled fish and chips.

Once you have landed in Papeete, you have a few hours before your next flight, so head to a local restaurant or hotel to enjoy your last dinner in French Polynesia. Your flight back to Los Angeles will take around eight hours, arriving the following morning.