I was in the Cook Islands for a glorious month back in October of 1995. I did my open water check out dives on the reefs of Aitutaki (with humpback whales) and have been diving non-stop every since.
I dove with Cook Island Divers on Rarotonga and Aitutaki SCUBA on Aitutaki. I don't have any inside skinny on Cook Island Divers over the other outfit(s) that are currently in operation. All I know is that while other dive operators have come and gone on Rarotonga Greg's operation has been the one steady one there. If you get a chance to dive on Aitutaki, youll love Neil (with Aitutaki Scuba) is a real gem. He and Greg are close and keep in touch by ham radio, although they may use e-mail more now than before. I have read mixed reviews about peoples experiences with Neil at Aitutaki SCUBA but I had no problems at all dealing with him and he is a very laid back one man operation, and I have no bad experiences at all to report.
Both Cook Island Divers and Aitutaki SCUBA are safety conscious but laid back. You should be able to dive your own profiles or computers if you so choose. Most of the dive briefings were minimal but sufficient. Back in 1995 I believe we were experiencing the end of an El Nino, which had made the reefs lackluster but according to Greg and Neil the reefs were making a comeback and showed signs of color and brilliance that did not discount what they were saying. If you choose to dive with Cook Island Divers it is good to have reservations in advance. As I recall they were booked almost every day, they had small rigid inflatable boats that carried a maximum of 8 divers, and though we spent a month in the Cooks we did not actually do our SCUBA diving until the last week. I have recently heard that they have added several new boats so this should not be a problem for you. As far as the diving goes I will have to admit that I am extremely biased about the Cook Islands. Since diving there I have been diving in Hawaii, Cozumel (numerous times), Saba, the Bahamas and throughout the Florida Keys. I will have to admit there is better diving then the Cooks but it is still the place I remember the most fondly. Maybe it was the fact that almost every dive included whale sightings on the surface and whale song while divingnot to mention the beautiful encounter with a Humpback and her calf while doing my very first checkout divehad I known I would most likely never see a mother and her calf so close underwater again I may have been more duly impressed and somewhat less intimidated. Sometimes the whale song was so loud you could feel it reverberate through your entire body. The dives were usually deep and the water temperature was between 72 and 80 degrees depending upon the Island. The visibility was phenomenal even Cozumel doesn't compare here; we had visibility well over 200 feet on every dive. You will see a wide variety of hard corals and have an opportunity to do numerous swim thrus. The Fish life if interesting and diverse though not as profuse as one would hope to see, that we did not get to see any large sea life under water except the whales and them again on the surface~usually within 100 yards of the boat~more than made up for it. After returning to the dive shop from the dives everyone would sit down with a hot cup of coffee or tea log their dives and talk about the diving. I was sad to learn this is not how it is at every dive shop/dive destination.
We were there almost the entire month of October, which is springtime in the Cooks. The weather was a constant 83 hi/ 70 low for almost the entire time with very little variation. There was plenty of light liquid sunshine and although we had windbreaker type rain jackets that we carried with us at all times it seems that I recall they were almost constantly tied around our waist even when it rained.
We did not rent a caran fact I regret to this day just for the fact that I dont have the Cook Islands issued drivers license that is required of every person wanting to rent a car. The drivers license test and card are more for revenue than to test your driving ability, in talking with the locals there I was not surprised to learn that no one in their distant memories had failed the test. I wish I had that keepsake drives license to display with my triangular 2 dollar coin. That we did not have a car did not in any way prevent us from getting around the island and exploring to our hearts contentthere is a round island bus which is as easy to figure out as clockwise and counter clockwise. Between the bus and bicycles we were well covered for our transportation needs. The dive shop on Raro came to our hotel and picked us up and then dropped us off at the end of the day as I recall.
Our motel did not have air conditioning (we stayed at the Paradise Inn in Avarua) but the ceiling fan was more than adequate and we had no trouble falling asleep at night to the magnificent sound of the surf on the outer reef. The Cook Islands are not known as a flashy resort destination (one of the reasons we chose to go there) so if you are looking for Clubbing and Nightlife you will be highly disappointed, there are several bars in Avarua and throughout the Island but they are very laid back. Our hotel had an honor bar--you took/made what you wanted and marked it down on a card to be tallied up at the end of your stay. For dinner and drinks I recommend the view at Trader Jacks although I know they were recently wiped out by a typhoon but were in the process of rebuilding--not sure what stage they are at in the rebuilding process.
I think you'll find everything on the Island is this way(laid back). If you've been to Hawaii or Mexico you may find it slightly unsettling not to have individuals at every street corner giving out brochures or enticing you to buy timeshares. There will be no little children trying to sell you chicklets or flowers. You can walk through the entire shopping district and market place with no one saying anything but Kia Orana and MaeTake. Tipping is not the norm nor is it expected this was a hard concept to get used to and it may have changed by now so ask around. English is the primary language although spoken in a New Zealand accent but all of the locals speak Cook Island Maori.
Here are a few recommendations: -The Cross Island Trek- with a good video camera or camera -The Cultural Village -The Circle Island Tour -Dinner at the Flame Tree -Dinner at Portafinos -Breakfast at the Blue Note Café (good coffee from Atiu) -Purchase and drink some of the Coconut Cream Liqueur from the Perfume Factory. The local brewery produces a distinctly local Lager that most be consumed more than once to acquire the taste for it, of course it is called Cook Islands Lager and the flavor definitely grows on youI would recommend buying a case and bring it back to the states as you cannot get it elsewhere.
If you have the chance I would also recommend trips to Mauke and Atiu (I am assuming that you have at least planned a day trip to Aitutaki--which has one of the most beautiful lagoons in the world) these island will really take you back in timealthough I know of no diving opportunities on either island and power is generally on only from sun up to sun down on Mauke you will get a chance to visit with the locals and have entire beaches to yourself except for the company of an occasional sow that is hunting coconuts. And though these Island may take you back in time dont be fooled that the locals may not be as worldly as yourselfin discussions with locals on Mauke I was hard pressed to find any that had traveled less in the U.S. then I had, most having done cultural dance programs in L.A., Seattle, New York, Minneapolis and Miami not to mention doing the same at venues all over Europe.
I think that you will find it much cheaper to vacation in the Cooks as compared to say Tahiti or Fiji, but this only matters if cost is a concern to you. The biggest expense is getting there. Enjoy your trip and post a trip report when you get back. I've always wanted to return but as of yet have not had the opportunity.
Here is a link that may be useful
http://www.cinews.co.ck/index.htm
Steve
What a great town! My brother lives in Portland and has a place near Sisters at Black Butte Ranches. I'd love to live in Bend (even though the name makes us divers a bit queasy!). I would miss the diving virtually off my front door, though.
