Featured from ScubaEarth:

All the beautiful islands that make up French Polynesia have the capacity to inspire even the hardest heart to romantic yearning. With wafts of frangipani on every soft breeze, a thousand shades of electric blue in every lagoon, coconut palms placed perfectly on every soft sand beach, the islands that make up the nation of Tahiti are beyond compare.

Underwater, Tahiti continues to inspire – especially if you like to spend your time in the water with the men in grey. You’ll see sharks on almost every dive in water averaging 150 feet (45 meters) in visibility. Manta rays, sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, dolphin and humpback whales in season all share these waters with the sharks. Most exciting, the incredible visibility allows visitors to see underwater life not only off Tahiti, but throughout the waters in surrounding areas of French Polynesia – over 100 islands spread across the South Pacific.

The Society Islands — Bora Bora, Moorea, Huahine, Tahiti — are the most well-known; they’re high, mountainous and surrounded by the lagoons that make them so famous. North of the Society Islands, the Tuamotus, are the opposite: low-lying coral atolls barely rising a few feet (meter) above the surface of the ocean. Divers travel to the Tuamotus to dive shark filled passes and indulge in the dreamy lagoons.

For out-of-water time, there are loads of adventures from hiking to kayaking, to pearl farm excursions and cultural experiences. And, if you’re going to get a tattoo anywhere in the world, Polynesia is where the term started.

Planning a visit? Check out our 100% AWARE map to find a 100% AWARE dive center or instructor. And to learn more about this week’s featured destination, visit PADI’s ScubaEarth.

Photo: ©Gerick Bergsma 2009/Marine Photobank