has an 8,000-nautical-mile range and professional diving center making it well-suited to venturing off track in the tropics. It ensures the choppy 10-hour overnight cruise from Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, to Taha’a, where the wild vanilla orchid grows, is a comfortable experience. The 118 islands of Tahiti are the first hub for superyachts in the South Pacific, spanning a territory as wide as the United States.
Fins, a snorkel, and an aptitude for adventure are all that’s needed for swimming with humpbacks, but below the waves more world-class diving opportunities await. The Opunohu canyons and Ceran Pass are two hot spots filled with blacktip sharks, sea turtles, and barracuda. Deep-sea fishing charters also prove popular, with mahi mahi and colossal marlin thriving off the coast of Huahine island.
And then it’s just a short 10-nautical-mile cruise from the dramatic shoe-shaped cove of Cook’s Bay on Mo’orea back to Tahiti’s surf and international airport, making it the ideal start and end to a two-week itinerary. With yachts settling in for the entire summer season, the opportunity to push deep into the heart of Polynesian wilderness has never been more accessible.