Tahiti recommendations: Rangiroa or Fakarava

[kkfok]

Hi, I am planning my FP Trip on late February of next year and I am interested at Rangiroa or Fakarava, for pelagic action. However I only have the budget of doing one island. Which island is better? I really want to see sharks that I have never seen before like Hammerhead, silvertip, lemon shark....Rangiroa seems to be a good place for them but I have read some contradicting reports on diving in Rangiroa.

Thanks a lot.

[hinatea]

Ia Orana,

I would suggest Fakarava which much quieter than Rangiroa. You will have the chance to enjoy the same kind of "pelagic action". But, If your travel buddies do not dive, maybe Rangiroa should be selected.

Rangiroa dives are famous because of the diving magazine...

Please note that hammerhead sharks are not met each time...

Regards,
Hinatea

[Travelnsj]

I have a trip report posted (somewhere) in Jan 07. On Rangiroa and Fakarava....Fakarava is better. But Rangiroa is worthwhile....if you can do both plan at least 4 days diving in Rangiroa and a week in Fakarava....excellent diving!

[kkfok]

Thanks. But how does the diving compare with those in Palau? It is much much cheaper to go diving from Hong Kong to Palau than to FP, but seems that FP offer more pelagics and they come closer.

[Travelnsj]

Kinda apples and oranges....Rangiroa and Fakarava has more frequent intensity of Big Stuff Sharks and Rays...only hard corals and limited dive sites.

Palau is much more diversified. I have had some dives at the Blue Corner and at the Peleliu that equaled the best I did in Tahiti. Tahiti is excellent and I will go back. Palau has a lot more to see. your first time for either....Palau!

[kkfok]

Thanks.
Actually I have been diving in Palau before. But I had only one dive in the Blue Corner, there was no current but still have tons of big fish. German Channel was good with Manta, Gray Reef Sharks and many garden eels on the bottom. For the other dives I think they were pretty boring. I think that I haven't seen the best Palau and so is thinking to go back.

[Travelnsj]

There are so many dive sites...Ulong, Blue Holes, Big Dropoff, New Dropoff, Turtle cove etc. etc...give it a try again....But you cannot go wrong with Fakarava/Rangiroa.

[Manuel Sam]

I like diving in Fakarava better but it's a matter of personal preference.

My experience from two trips on the Tahiti Aggressor plus two stays on land in Fakarava (during those same trips) is that if you want lots of grey reefs (in large numbers and sometimes densely packed), some black tip (C. Limbatus), some reef black tip, some white tip reef, and maybe a Silvertip, then go to Fakarava.

If you want a better chance of seeing a Great Hammerhead, Silvertips, and Lemons I would opt for Rangiroa. As far as Grey Reefs, they are also there in large numbers but tend to be more spread out and deeper. Your experience may vary.

Also be aware that Great Hammerheads are seasonal and never guaranteed: in December and January, they tend to be there hunting Eagle rays. Not sure about late February.

[TSandM]

I didn't dive Fakarava, but we LOVED Rangiroa. We played with a pod of dolphins, saw mantas, saw many black-tipped reef sharks, and spent a ton of time over the healthiest and most diverse coral and reef fish populations of any of our French Polynesian dives. We did not see hammerheads, but hardly missed them, given everything else that was going on.

We dove with Top Dive there, and I'd recommend them; they have Nitrox available, have a nice dive shop, and our guide, Serge, was wonderful.

[kkfok]

Thanks very much for all your inputs.
Kia Ora Rangiroa is offering a very good price during to renovation and it is really tempting. However, I watched a DVD yesterday which is a virtual trip of diving in Rangiroa and it was quite disappointing...what I saw was just occassional gray reef
sharks or Black-tip reef sharks but underwater conditiion was like a desert, almost no corals at all. That's why I am a bit worrying about the diving conditions there.
BTW, I heard that there is no shark feeding in Fakarava, is that true?