French Polynesia May - June 2017 - bucket list trip

[Suebee]

I am so excited to book this lifetime goal trip to French Polynesia with my husband David Warner.

The itinerary is: Rangiroa 4 nights // Fakarava (north and south) 8 nights // Bora Bora 6 nights (with a couple transfer nights in Papeete). We will probably be diving with Top Dive in all locations.
2 of the 4 accommodations are full board. Bora Bora and Fakarava north, are breakfast only.

I will do my best to post a timely review upon my return in mid June.

I welcome any tips, shared experience, inspiration, or suggestions (including good or affordable (?) restaurants in Bora Bora or Fakarava)

Is anyone else on this board travelling to the south pacific this spring?
What is your next bucket list trip?

Eeeek!

Sue

 

[Boiler_81]

I went in 2013 and had a blast. I will absolutely go again at some point.

Here is a trip report I wrote on my Rangiroa and Fakarava experience. Trip report for Rangiroa and Fakarava in French Polynesia It's rather long. If there is one thing you should take from it is to make sure your certifications are up to the French standards and they recognize your certification as being at least equal to a CMAS 2 star card. To go on many of the dives, you will need Advanced PLUS Rescue in the non CMAS systems.

I had an SEI card which is equivalent to CMAS 3 star. That card should have allowed me to do any dive. However, the operators did not recognize it as such. When I returned to the US, I had SEI to issue me a CMAS 3 star card. I'm ready to go for my next trip.

 

[Wingy]

I'm CMAS certified, having been forced to dive with TopDive in Bora Bora because I travel solo my biggest piece of advice is - get yourself CMAS certified, and avoid topdive like the plague.

Affordable restaurant and Bora Bora really don't go together but you really should have a meal at Bloody Mary's - it's an institution.

Rangiroa - Lili Cafe on the pier

In Papeete hit up one of the roulottes for a great dining experience - avoid the ones that set up near the yacht club and head further out just past the Manava Suites where you will find a bunch of them parked up.

 

[Suebee]

Thank you both @Boiler_81 and @Wingy !! appreciate the advice. David and I were told that our diving experience (including Galapagos, Port Hardy BC, and Soccorros) would allow us to dive in the Tuamotos by Top Dive, but we are getting our rescue diver (on top of our AOW) after reading on SB just to be sure.

I'm CMAS certified, having been forced to dive with TopDive in Bora Bora because I travel solo my biggest piece of advice is - get yourself CMAS certified, and avoid topdive like the plague.

...

I am curious, what was your issue with them? They come highly recommended and there aren't many options in south Fakarava (4 nights)

I will read your trip report next @Boiler_81 and let you know if I have follow up questions.

Thank you both again!!

 

[Suebee]

I went in 2013 and had a blast. I will absolutely go again at some point.

Here is a trip report I wrote on my Rangiroa and Fakarava experience. Trip report for Rangiroa and Fakarava in French Polynesia It's ...

i loved the report and had read it earlier in my planning. Thank you for posting it!

 

[Schwob]

I'm CMAS certified, having been forced to dive with TopDive in Bora Bora because I travel solo my biggest piece of advice is - get yourself CMAS certified, and avoid topdive like the plague...

What's the reason behind the advice to get CMAS certified? Why CMAS?

 

[Wingy]

Starting with Suebee - TopDive are the cattleboat cruise ship providers. They have fed the sharks at BB for so long even though they proclaimed to have stopped the process "years ago" the sharks are so conditioned to show up as soon as they drop approach the dive site. They know the schedule. If there is one place in the world where baited dives have never been required it's FP. I don't really want to do a hatchet job on any dive op, that was 4 years ago, things may have changed for the better.

To Schwaeble - French Polynesia follows French water sport/industry practice. PADI etc are not recognised/ considered to be of a lower standard of education.

A lot of French overseas territories like Reunion and Mayotte are CMAS but ar starting to recognise PADI...but again, at a lower standard

 

[Schwob]

To Schwaeble - French Polynesia follows French water sport/industry practice. PADI etc are not recognised/ considered to be of a lower standard of education.

A lot of French overseas territories like Reunion and Mayotte are CMAS but ar starting to recognise PADI...but again, at a lower standard

Thanks.
Higher standard + cattle drive.... hmm
I guess standards don't necessarily change the way money is made...

Talked a bunch with a nice, older French couple on an LOB last summer. Long time divers. Their dive training system did seem more rigorous (and maybe better in that sense) at least as I understood it. Of course I had no idea what it was called...

 

[charlier]

OMG. I rarely plan dive trips, but next year, My wife and I are considering a trip to Rangiroa and Fakarava. How long - probably about a month or so. We are not in a rush and would like to experience diving over an extended period. What are the limitations for us given the CMAS vibe. My wife is a PADI Rescue diver and I am a PADI instructor. best, cmr...

 

[Wingy]

As an instructor and AOW + Rescue which equates (from memory) to CMAS** you shouldn't have any problems - you should be able to get CMAS equivalent cards issued - sure there are CMAS instructors in Singapore Charlier if not pm me