South Pacific Charts

We have received a few questions about the charts we used in the South Pacific.   We pulled together all of the charts we used throughout our travels across the SoPac islands from fellow cruisers in Mazatlan, Mexico.  All of our charts were full sized copies made at several different printers for about 8 pesos a meter or about $2 for a 2 meter chart.  Some of our charts were copies of copies and this worked fine as long as the original copy was good.  Quality would drop off after 20 or 30 copies at one printer and we would then take our business to another printer.

We organized the charts from several boats and handled all of the copying in return for the use of their charts and we were able to compile the complete set listed for under $100.  It was a lot of work and we made over 100 copies total for all of us which was a challenge just to carry but they is chart set served us well. 

Copies work fine though I prefer full sized copies.  We have a small chart table but I found the 4/5th scale charts we purchased for Mexico hard to read.  Being as they are cheap I don't mind folding them.  Color originals are useful when in reef infested waters like Fiji or Ha'apai in Tonga but otherwise a copy is just as good. 

The following is a list of charts we took to the South Pacific.  We needed no other charts until we reached Whangarei in New Zealand and then we wished we had a harbor chart.  We supplemented the charts with cruising guides.  We had Charlie's Charts for the South Pacific which was very useful.  We had Anchorage's of the South Pacific which was occasionally useful.  We had Landfalls in Paradise which was rarely useful but inspirational reading before we left.  Jimmy Cornell's Cruising Handbook was occasionally useful.  The South Pacific Handbook didn't provide anything about anchorages but it gave us everything else we needed about the islands we visited.

The following list has some duplication because we were getting them so cheap that we went for the DMA and BA charts of the same place.  If I had to choose I would tend to take the DMA chart because they more often provide a Datum which is required to transfer waypoints to your GPS with any accuracy.  Many areas of Tonga and Fiji are being resurveyed right now so wait until the last minute to buy new charts if you feel compelled to spend the bucks.

Here are the charts we used with the most frequently referenced in bold:

Go West South Pacific Charts