The Tarnais at the end of the world: Christophe swims with turtles and sharks in Tahiti

“Tahiti has become my home,” says Christophe Serin. It's been 16 years now since this 53-year-old from Tarnais settled in French Polynesia with his family. Swimming in the clear waters of the Pacific and enjoying the sun (almost) all year round quickly convinced him to settle in Tahiti.

But that's not the only reason. Leaving Rayssac, his hometown, after passing the baccalaureate in 1989, he then joined the national navy. “I was on a stopover with the army. I did my first dive and it was a revelation.”

When he retired as a sailor, he trained to become a diving instructor. “I wanted a system that would allow me to do it all year round and see beautiful things.” With his family, he traveled to the West Indies, then to Reunion and finally landed in Tahiti in 2008. “Diving feels like flying. With the clear water of the Pacific, you see everything” , he says.

A heavenly destination more than 15,000 km from France

“I’m not necessarily nostalgic for Tarn.” Listening to Christophe, life seems much more peaceful and less stressful in Tahiti. “Here, everyone speaks informally and it's not a lack of respect. Life is just simpler here. It's good to live.” At its coldest, the water is 26 degrees.

For the landscape, Christophe has the choice between ancient volcanoes, lagoons or white sand beaches. A heavenly destination, but very far from France. Christophe is more than 15,000 km from mainland France with an 11-hour time difference. It's not always easy for him to return home and see his friends who stayed in France. “You have to earn a good living to travel and live decently here.”

Human and underwater encounters

Christophe's daily life is regularly punctuated with wonderful encounters. During its diving sessions, the Tarnais comes across underwater animals such as turtles, sharks and even whales from August to November. An unusual life but the Tarnais realizes how lucky he is. “With climate change, we see the coral whitening. Unfortunately, sharks are coming less and less.”

He also notes a change due to El Niño, an ocean phenomenon causing warming of Pacific waters. “The coral cannot withstand this rise in temperature.” During his lessons, he does not hesitate to raise awareness among apprentice divers about the preservation of Polynesian fauna and flora.

“Diving is becoming more and more popular. I have a large social group with people from different cultural backgrounds.” But he does not forget that people come above all to have fun and explore the depths of the Pacific. “It’s very enriching, we are all united with the same passion.”

Canadians, Taiwanese… Tourists from all over the world come to discover the richness of Tahiti and sometimes even the Tarnais. “When I meet French people, I tell them that I come from a corner of Toulouse. That’s how I came across someone from Blaye-les-Mines.” Even on the other side of the world, Christophe will always find a Tarn resident to discuss his native land.