Bora Bora - Docking
Once you have entered through the pass you may well be approached by Francis, in a fast RIB, asking if you are looking for a mooring (see moorings below).
There is no free anchoring anymore, anywhere around the island but there are over 100 moorings available at a cost of 34 Euros/day (discounts available for monthly and yearly hireage).
Anchoring:
Strict new anchoring restrictions have come into effect in Bora Bora Island internal waterways and anchoring is now prohibited except in authorized areas. As these areas are greatly restricted, in the main, yachts must use moorings or marinas – both of which have limited capacity. Read these latest reports for all the details and anchoring maps:
- Restrictions and Costs Increase for Cruisers (May 2022)
- Significant Changes to Anchoring Restrictions for Cruising Yachts (Feb 2020)
- Current Situation from the Association des Voiliers en Polynesie (AVP – Nov 2019)
The Bora Bora lagoon has been divided into authorized zoned anchorage areas with specific restrictions applying to each. If your boat is over 10m in length and you are planning to anchor for more than 24 hours, you must use one of the authorized anchorage areas.
The anchorage areas are allocated to vessels based on the length of the vessel, with different areas for vessels under 20m in length and vessels over 20m.
Officially, vessels are now required to declare their arrival by VHF, phone, fax, or email to the authorized manager responsible for the desired anchorage to gain approval for anchoring. However, no one appears to know quite how this should be done.
Most cruisers are reporting that it is possible to anchor for a few hours at dive/snorkel spots, but not overnight.
Strict rules have also been put into place regarding navigation and water sport activities within designated anchorages and discharge of wastewater.
In November 2022, the DPAM made more changes in the Hitiaa anchorage area of Bora Bora due to the protection of cables and outfalls in the inner waters of the lagoon of Bora Bora.
The Hitiaa 1 berth is deleted and the anchorage stations Hitiaa 2 and Hitiaa 3 are renamed Hitiaa 1 and Hitiaa 2 respectively. The area dedicated to the mooring of sailing boats has been moved. These areas are noted in the following document.
See Regulation of the anchorage of ships in the inland waters of Bora Bora by DPAM for full details and maps.
See also these documents from DPAM but available on the AVP website (Association des Voiliers en Polynesie) which outline the most recent changes.
Official texts and orders published in the JOPF
Also see this report for details.
- Prohibited anchoring zones on Bora Bora – Zone A has been reduced and a new Zone J has been introduced. Source: AVP.
Notes:
- It is forbidden not to use a holding tank.
- A charge is made for anchoring, however collection of payment is reported to be patchy.
- Anchoring off MaiKai Marina is not recommended, it is 30+ meters deep with lots of coral at the bottom, and nasty gusts constantly rush down the mountain, tossing boats around.
- It is possible to anchor off Bloody Marys if the mooring field is full, in 20-30m, holding is good.
Moorings:
A great many moorings in the bay are not insured. Those with BBMS on them belong to BB Mooring Services (Francis) and are reported to be insured (be sure to see the certificate and read the fine print). They are also reported to be inspected every 6 months. Call on VHF Channel 16, Francis speaks English, French and Tahitian.
BBMS moorings cost 4000 francs /night (USD$35) (from 1 May 2022). However, cruisers who visited in August 2022 report being charged USD$40/night.
The moorings at the Bora Bora Yacht Club, MaiKai Marina and Bloody Mary’s Restaurant are all older moorings and it is dubious as to how well they are maintained.
Over 100 new mooring buoys were installed in Bora Bora Lagoon during 2019. They are capable of holding vessels up to 70 feet and have been verified by a professional diver (2022).
Bora Bora Yacht Club – located just inside the only channel entering the lagoon. There are mooring buoys here for boats of less than 20m. The mooring field here is well protected from prevailing winds from the East and South. Note that now the moorings are managed by BB Mooring Services, and not the YC, you have to pay for the moorings and for the daily shore pass if you wish to use the Club’s services (see their listing for more details).
MaiKai Marina – located just around the corner, closer to Viatape and near the fuel dock. This marina is reported to be closed, but moorings are still available here. Pick up a mooring if you see one free.
Bloody Mary’s Restaurant – Renowned for the famous people who have drunk and dined here, Bloody Mary’s is a must-do, if not to eat then at least to experience the Happy Hour (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). There are moorings out front and a long timber dinghy dock to make access easy. They also can provide water and ice.
Notes:
- Be prudent and still inspect any mooring you pick up.
- If winds are high, it is always safer to stay with your boat. Be sure to check the insurance held by the moorings operator. Most stipulate that the skipper must be on board during “high” winds.
- Fees reported August 2022 for mooring buoys are US$40/night.
- For an additional 2000 xpf plus a 1000 xpf card deposit you can purchase 700 liters of water at the town dock.
- The mooring fee includes garbage collection from your boat three times a week.
Dinghy Docks:
- The Bora Bora Yacht Club has a dinghy dock, available for use if you buy a shore pass.
- Bloody Mary’s has a dinghy dock which is for use by customers.
- In Vaitape dinghies can tie to the ferry dock opposite the tourist office.
- The MaiKai restaurant and dinghy dock have closed.
Town Docks:
A public dock is available for loading/unloading at downtown Vaitape at the fish market, opposite the cemetery. Good for shopping or offloading/taking on guests from the airport. There is a ferry to the airport here. Note however this dock has no security and while it is possible to overnight there have been reports of theft from boats in the past.
Marinas:
MaiKai Marina has a floating dock, for loading/unloading, and a fixed dock. It does appear however that this marina is currently closed.
Security:
There was a rash of dinghy/motor thefts in 2015, not only in Bora Bora but also Huahine and Raiatea. After a period of quiet, it appears that outboards and dinghies are being targeted once again. Be sure to lift your dinghy and outboard and lock them at all times.
Last updated: January 2023
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Related to following destinations: Bora Bora, French Polynesia, Society Islands
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October 2020
Prices for the government moorings have increased. Francis still collects the money, mostly every day.
There are NO discounts for multi-day moorings. It is now 3000 XPF (~$30 US) per day. Francis expects to be paid in cash with French Polynesian bills. He will supply a receipt and collect your garbage. No reason to pay for multiple days with no discount. He doesn’t work on Sundays.
If you purchase a card for water, be sure to get detailed instructions on how to use it. It’s complicated. The faucet at the the Vaitape city dock is automated and your card must be correctly inserted and removed to activate the flow. Any leftover water amounts will be recorded on your card when you finish. There is a $10 deposit for the plastic card. Get your deposit back from the grocery store or Francis when you return the card. So it’s $30 for a card with 600 liters allowed. If you can get your deposit back ($10) then it was still pretty expensive water.
Francis said that in the future yachts may be required to purchase tickets/credit at Bloody Mary’s to use moorings. Anchoring is no longer allowed per local government restrictions.
September 2019
Bora Bora moorings
Francis works for them and is very helpful.
Tel : 89 44 08 88 or call him on channel 9 , he speaks very good English .
These are the costs of moorings
1 night 2000
3 nights 5000
7 nights 10000
This means you can move around the island to different moorings without paying individually at each destination. Francis will also tell you if there is a mooring available on the otherwise of the island . At the time of writing this 17th September 2019 they were in the process of removing the moorings outside Bloody Mary’s, they were going to replace them with 20 new ones. Francis also collects garbage, I think this is every other day ( not on Sundays). Separate glass and other recycling from general rubbish.
There didn’t seem to be any rules in place regarding anchoring and we saw a number of boats anchored, we just found it easier to get a buoy, although maybe not so easy during the earlier months .
Bloody Mary’s, best dinghy dock in a long time. Happy hour ( Mon, Weds, Fri ) BOGOF on cocktails and on a pitcher of beer ! We really liked the atmosphere here, there was a band on there on a weds.
If you walk around the road to the right of Bloody Mary’s ( about 20 minutes) there is a public beach with a couple of restaurants. There is also a local snack bar but it wasn’t open when we went ( on a Monday) . There’s a mini market a short walk to the left of bloody Mary’s.
We took our dinghy to the town ( Vaitape) and put it near to the ferry dock, right in front of the tourist information office. It’s quite protected in here. There’s a Chin Lee supermarket then a hardware store and further on there’s another bank ( ATM), and if you walk further there’s a Super U.
You can still anchor in front of Bloody Mary’s. Although it is not free. Francis (on Channel 9) charges 10,000 xpf per week. He will collect your garbage as well. He also maintains the morning balls for the yacht club. You can call ahead and inquire about availability.
Bora Bora Bora Laverie provides laundry service, pick up/delivery. Call 87 37 74 85 for arrangements. Prices vary. I paid $36 per large bag (creatively stuffed). It was returned in 24 hrs.
My outboarder got stolen while my boat, Faule Haut, was at the dock in Vaitape during the night from 30 to 31st of Dec. 2018.
It was mounted on the yacht. I was on the yacht but did not hear anything.
Skipper Ingo Patalla on sailboat http://www.faule-haut.de
The owner of the Bora Bora Yacht Club, Bekri Sumbul would like to note that his email address is contact.bbyc@gmail.com
This is my Third visit to Bora Bora in the last 12 months and would like to say both Yacht Clubs are great to visit. The Bora Bora Yacht Club does, however, have more of a Yacht Club feel about it in my opinion.
The owner charges a $20,000 XPF fee per day for facilities (Wi-Fi, garbage showers and access etc) Water and Laundry costs extra on demand but it is well worth it for quite good internet connection and all other services. I believe the moorings are Government owned and the mooring I used did seem to be a very good repair.