Toopua is a small volcanic island that carries far more history than its size suggests. A five-minute boat ride from the main island of Bora Bora, it sits in the southwestern lagoon with the Conrad Bora Bora Nui on its eastern shore, large groups of spotted eagle rays in the water below, and the ancient stones of the Bell of Hiro at its summit. Access is by boat only, accommodation is exclusively luxury, and the lagoon views from the island are among the finest in French Polynesia.
Toopua also offers three ancient marae sites, cup stones carved into the shoreline rocks by Polynesian ancestors, and some of the best diving in the Bora Bora lagoon. The volcanic walls of the island drop into rich coral formations below the surface, making it as rewarding underwater as it is above.
What makes Toopua worth the crossing? A historically significant volcanic island with world-class lagoon diving, ancient Polynesian heritage, and a luxury resort setting that most Bora Bora visitors only admire from a passing boat. These essentials will help you plan your visit well.
Toopua is a volcanic island in the southwestern part of Bora Bora’s lagoon, in the Society Islands of French Polynesia. It lies about 1.2 to 1.9 miles (2 to 3 km) west of Vaitape, Bora Bora’s main village, and is reached by a short private boat transfer.
May to October is the dry season, with calmer lagoon conditions, better diving visibility, and the most reliable weather for exploring Bora Bora. June to October is peak season for eagle ray sightings at the Toopua dive site. November to April is wetter and quieter, with lower prices and fewer visitors.
Climate
Toopua has a tropical maritime climate year-round, with average temperatures around 81°F (27°C). Humidity is high throughout the year. The dry season from May to October brings trade winds that keep conditions comfortable. The wet season from November to April brings heavier rain and occasional rough lagoon conditions.
Fly from Papeete, Tahiti to Motu Mute Airport on Bora Bora (BOB), around 45 minutes. From the airport, a ferry crosses the lagoon to Vaitape pier on the main island. Guests of the Conrad Bora Bora Nui are then transferred by private resort boat to Toopua, a further five minutes across the lagoon. Arrange all transfers in advance with your accommodation.
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Location Conrad Bora Bora Nui 📍 Motu To’opua, Bora Bora, French Polynesia Located on a private motu, this resort is unique in Bora Bora for its views of both the Bora Bora lagoon and the open ocean. Additionally, some overwater bungalows offer breathtaking views of Mt. Otemanu. Guests can easily access the main island with…
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ACCOMMODATION
Location Conrad Bora Bora Nui 📍 Motu To’opua, Bora Bora, French Polynesia Located on a private motu, this resort is...
📍 Southwestern lagoon, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Toopua sits in the southwestern part of Bora Bora’s lagoon, separated from the main island by a narrow stretch of turquoise water. It lies directly west of Vaitape, Bora Bora’s main village, and is visible from the coastal road and from most of the island’s western resorts. The smaller island of Toopua-iti sits just to the south. Together the two islands mark the southwestern edge of the lagoon, where the ancient volcanic caldera once formed the outer wall of Bora Bora’s original crater.
The Conrad Bora Bora Nui is one of the most acclaimed luxury resorts in French Polynesia. Its overwater bungalows line the eastern shore of Toopua, facing directly across the lagoon toward the main island and the dramatic profile of Mount Otemanu. The view from the bungalow decks, turquoise water in every direction and the jagged volcanic peak rising above the treeline, is one of the most photographed resort views in the Pacific.
The resort is accessible by private boat transfer from the main island ferry dock at Vaitape, a crossing of around five minutes. Non-guests do not have access to the resort facilities or the island’s private beach areas. Dive operators and lagoon tour boats pass close to Toopua’s shores, but land access outside the resort requires prior arrangement.
The Conrad Bora Bora Nui on Toopua Island, with Mount Otemanu rising behind
The waters surrounding Toopua Island are home to one of Bora Bora’s best-known dive sites. The Toopua dive site is a lagoon dive with a depth range of 16 to 100 feet (5 to 30 m), making it accessible to beginners and rewarding for experienced divers. The volcanic walls of the island drop into the lagoon floor, creating coral walls, sandy shelves, and swim-throughs that support a rich and varied underwater community.
The signature sight at Toopua is eagle rays. Large groups of spotted eagle rays are regularly encountered here, gliding along the coral walls in formations that stop divers in their tracks. Their distinctive spotted patterns and graceful wingbeats make them one of the most photogenic subjects in the Bora Bora lagoon. Sightings are most frequent between June and October, when ray activity peaks across the lagoon, but encounters happen year-round.
Beyond the eagle rays, the Toopua site is known for its enormous anemones, each housing resident clownfish in the way that made the species famous. Moray eels occupy the coral crevices throughout the dive. On the sandy shelves and banks at the base of the wall, stingrays and scorpionfish rest between currents. The dive ends in a broad coral garden of multicolored formations that provides a calm and colorful finale to the experience.
Eagle rays
Groups of spotted eagle rays are the signature sight at Toopua. Most active from June to October but present year-round. Look for them along the coral walls and over the sandy shelves.
Anemones and clownfish
Toopua is known for its unusually large anemones, each home to resident clownfish. One of the most reliably photogenic encounters at this site.
Coral walls and swim-throughs
The volcanic base of Toopua creates genuine wall diving with small caves and swim-throughs. Moray eels, parrotfish, and surgeonfish fill the coral on the descent.
Sandbank marine life
At the base of the wall, stingrays and scorpionfish rest on the sandy bottom. The dive finishes in a wide, colorful coral garden at a comfortable depth.
Large groups of spotted eagle rays are a signature sight at the Toopua dive site
Toopua sits in the southwestern lagoon, making it easy to pair with other experiences on or around the main island of Bora Bora.
Bora Bora lagoon tour
Most lagoon tours circle past Toopua and include views of the island and Conrad resort from the water. Some include a snorkel stop above the Toopua site.
Anau and Tapu dive sites
Pair the Toopua dive with Anau, known for manta rays, or Tapu, known for lemon and blacktip sharks. Many Bora Bora operators offer two-dive packages covering multiple sites in one day.
Mount Otemanu
The view of Mount Otemanu from the water between Toopua and the main island is one of the finest in Bora Bora. An early morning lagoon crossing gives the best light.
Matira Beach
Matira Beach at the southern tip of the main island is Bora Bora’s only public beach. A natural way to round off a dive day with an afternoon on the sand and a sunset over the lagoon.
“Most visitors see Toopua as the backdrop to the Conrad resort or the setting for a dive. Few know it is one of the most historically significant pieces of land in all of Bora Bora.”
Wander in Paradise
Toopua Island in the Bora Bora lagoon, a volcanic fragment of the island’s ancient crater
Toopua is not a motu. This distinction matters. The coral sand motus that fringe Bora Bora’s outer reef are low-lying accumulations of broken coral and shell, built up over centuries at sea level. Toopua is a volcanic island, formed from the same ancient shield volcano that created the main island of Bora Bora millions of years ago. Its rock is basaltic, primarily alkaline basalts and hawaiites with gabbro intrusions, the same volcanic foundation that underlies Mount Otemanu and the main island’s peaks. Toopua has real elevation, real geology, and a real history written in stone.
The geological history of Toopua begins with the collapse of Bora Bora’s original shield volcano. The bay of Tuuraapuo, which now separates Toopua from the main island, occupies what was once the volcano’s main crater. When the southwestern wall of that crater collapsed, the remaining fragments stayed above the waterline. Toopua and the smaller Toopua-iti to the south are what survived. They are the last visible remnants of the crater rim that once enclosed the entire southwestern side of the volcano.
The highest point on Toopua, Mount Mauaohunoa, rises to 486 feet (148 m) above sea level. This peak is not incidental. It is a surviving segment of that ancient crater rim, a piece of Bora Bora’s volcanic skeleton that has been standing in the lagoon for millions of years. The island spans around 0.56 square miles (1.45 km²) and sits at coordinates 16°31’S, 151°46’W, enclosed within the lagoon between Toopua-iti to the south and Motu Tapu to the northwest.
The waters surrounding Toopua are among the most productive in the Bora Bora lagoon. The island’s volcanic walls drop into the lagoon and create the underwater topography that makes the Toopua dive site so rich, coral walls, sandbanks, and depth variation that attracts a wide diversity of marine life. The channel between Toopua and the main island carries gentle current that brings nutrients into the lagoon from Teavanui Pass, Bora Bora’s only opening to the Pacific Ocean.
The southern cliffs of Toopua reveal its volcanic origins, basaltic rock rising directly from the lagoon
Toopua has been an inhabited and sacred part of Bora Bora’s world for as long as people have lived on the island. Three ancient marae, the stone ceremonial platforms that formed the spiritual and social centres of Polynesian life, have been identified on Toopua, though all are now heavily degraded. What has survived in better condition is the story of what stood at the island’s summit.
At the top of Toopua sits an ancient pile of enormous stones known as Te-oe-a-Hiro, the Bell of Hiro. According to Polynesian tradition, the great legendary hero Hiro had two stone bells built on Toopua, used to communicate across the lagoon during times of warfare and ceremony. The stones were struck to produce two distinct tones. A high-pitched ring warned of enemies approaching the lagoon before they could enter through the pass. A deep, resonant toll signalled the end of combat or the order to retreat.
The legend records Hiro’s own words when striking the bell: “When I strike the bell, its resonance and spirit will travel across the entire island. Men, gods, and spirits will know that I need them.” The sound carried as far as Vaitape on the main island. Elders have long said that in earlier times, the bell could be heard as far as the island of Maupiti, more than 44 miles (70 km) to the northwest.
At the base of the bell, large rocks on Toopua’s shoreline are covered in small cup-shaped hollows, called pierres à cupules. These carved stone basins served multiple purposes depending on their location and size. Some were used to prepare medicines. Others held the ink for tattooing. Some collected sea water for the production of salt. And some served as receptacles for the pito, the umbilical cords of newborn children, connecting each new life to the land of their ancestors. The western coast of Toopua-iti carries several of these cup stones as well.
No. Toopua is a volcanic island, not a coral motu. Its rocks are basaltic, the same volcanic foundation as the main island of Bora Bora, and its highest point, Mount Mauaohunoa, rises to 486 feet (148 m). It is a surviving fragment of the rim of Bora Bora’s ancient volcanic crater, formed millions of years ago when the southwestern wall of the original caldera collapsed.
The Conrad Bora Bora Nui is located on the eastern shore of Toopua. It is one of the most acclaimed luxury resorts in French Polynesia, known for its overwater bungalows with direct views across the lagoon toward Mount Otemanu. Resort access is by private boat transfer from Vaitape pier on the main island.
Te-oe-a-Hiro, the Bell of Hiro, is an ancient pile of enormous stones at the summit of Toopua, tied to the legendary Polynesian hero Hiro. According to oral tradition, Hiro had two stone bells built here that were struck to warn of enemy invasions or to signal the end of battle. The sound carried to Vaitape on the main island and, according to local elders, once as far as the island of Maupiti more than 44 miles (70 km) away.
Public access to Toopua outside the Conrad resort is limited. Dive operators and lagoon tour boats visit the waters around Toopua regularly, and some may arrange shore visits by prior arrangement. There is no public ferry or water taxi service to the island.
The Toopua dive site is known for large groups of spotted eagle rays, enormous anemones with resident clownfish, moray eels, stingrays, scorpionfish, coral walls, and a wide coral garden at the end of the dive. The site ranges from 16 to 100 feet (5 to 30 m) and is suitable for beginners and advanced divers.
Eagle rays are most active between June and October, when activity peaks across the Bora Bora lagoon. The dive site is accessible year-round. Morning dives offer the best visibility. Currents can be strong on some sections, so confirm conditions with your operator before booking.
Toopua is around 1.2 to 1.9 miles (2 to 3 km) from the main island across the lagoon. The boat crossing from Vaitape pier takes around five minutes.
Yes, the shallower sections of the Toopua dive site are suitable for snorkeling in calm conditions. Some lagoon snorkel tours include a stop above the site. The shallow end anchors at around 13 to 16 feet (4 to 5 m), making it accessible for confident snorkelers.
