Huub Vlogsvideo
Alone in a Deserted Paradise
June 19, 2026 · 19 min · 90K views · Tikehau
What this video covers
Huub departs Rangiroa at 0600 on high tide, transiting the Tiputa Pass with residual outgoing current, then sails 45 miles to Tikahau on his 38-foot catamaran Limonada.1:18 Timing the Tikahau pass entry proves the trip's central challenge: conflicting tide tables from multiple sources leave him uncertain of the tidal state, and he arrives at 1500 — midway between low and high — running both engines at 2,500 rpm to push through at 2.7 knots against current.2:03 He anchors at 50 feet off Motumanu, a manta ray cleaning station, alone in a large lagoon with a thunderstorm building.5:19 From there he dinghies two miles to the village, dives the pass to see Tikahau's large fish schools, then departs on a 185-mile overnight passage to Papeete.7:35 Entering Papeete harbor requires calling Port Control on VHF, then a second call near the airport to cross the runway approach; his handheld VHF from the ditch bag fails completely during the call, a gap he flags as a safety issue.14:29 He anchors near the mooring field in 7 feet of clear water with a 3.3-foot draft.18:37 Tidal pass entries in the Tuamotus proved less difficult in practice than their reputation suggested.11:39
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