THE QUEEN OF THE ISLANDS
Mention Tahiti, and people will usually picture to themselves forested mountains dropping down to soft white or black sand beaches and calm lagoons with crystal clear turquoise water. Such scenes famously feature in several films about the mutiny on HMS Bounty, starring Hollywood legends like Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, and Mel Gibson. Brando loved Tahiti so much he even signed a 99-year lease for his own atoll, Tetiaroa. First settled by Polynesians around 500 BC before being “discovered” by European explorers in the 16th century, Tahiti is today an autonomous overseas territory of France. The Tahitian people are known for their warmth, hospitality, carefree spirit, and vibrant music and dance traditions. Together with its surrounding archipelago of over 100 islands and atolls, Tahiti is regarded as one of the world’s best cruising destinations. While tourism is the mainstay of Tahiti’s economy, agriculture, black pearls, and fishing remain crucial industries.
In 2022, plans for floating docks for two fishing cooperatives, one in Vai Tupa Bay in Faa’a and one in Port Papawain in ‘Aruē, started to take shape. The municipalities of Faa’a and ‘Aruē, in partnership with the Direction des Ressources Marines and SF Marina Iberica, initiated projects to build two state-of-the-art floating concrete pontoon docks. These new docks, one with a length of 83 metres and width of 3 metres, and one 99 metres long and 4 metres wide, both equipped with walkable aluminium fingers and gangways, offer well-protected berths for 20–24 “Poti mārara” traditional coastal fishing boats. The docks are securely anchored with heavy chains and precast concrete anchors, allowing them to accommodate fluctuations in water levels while having limited impact on currents and marine ecosystems. Notably, Tahiti is at an amphidromic point, also known as a tidal node, where there is no lunar tide, and the solar tide of approximately 70 centimetres occurs at regular intervals. The concrete pontoons were designed and constructed by SF Marina in Wallhamn, Sweden, and transported to the site by ship.
The new docks were officially inaugurated by Taivini Teai, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Resources, in May 2024.
