February 13, 2025

WRITTEN BY | Brianna Randall

SOURCE | Forbes

French Polynesia has one of the healthiest populations of sharks and rays on earth. Rangiroa is one of the best places to swim or dive with these creatures. My husband was lucky enough to see hammerheads and a tiger shark while scuba diving, and I had drift-snorkeled over dozens of grey reef sharks.

Rangiroa’s abundant sharks are thanks in part to its thriving coral reefs and clean water. It also helps that the Polynesians leave sharks in peace rather than hunting or harvesting them, which is all too common in many other parts of the world.

“French Polynesia is a great example of a country that has protected a lot of its waters, and is receiving huge benefits from tourism because of these protections,” explains Rima Jabado, the chair of the International Union of Conservation and Nature’s Shark Specialist Group.

Sharks are the second-most threatened vertebrates on earth after amphibians. Jabado led a report released in December that details the global status of 1,250 species of sharks and rays. One-third of these species are threatened with extinction, and we’ve lost 50% of all sharks and rays since the 1970s, mainly due to overfishing.

“We’re trying to change the image that these species have so people want to protect them,” Jabado explains.