Question A day of diving in Tahiti or Moorea

[dolesorchard]

Our daughter and son in law have invited us to Tahiti for their 20th anniversary! A friend who dove Tahiti many years ago said that he wouldn't bother taking dive gear because the diving sucks. What's the consensus here? I'm going to bring my gear and dive at least one day, but my wife says she doesn't want to be bothered!

 

[stiebs]

I haven't been there recently - spent a few days in Moorea back in 2007. It was on the way back to Australia after 6 weeks backpacking around South America, so was not in any way a diving holiday. I hired gear to do a double boat dive on one day.

Was not blown away by the diving, and felt like I was taking my life in my hands with the state of the gear I was given to use.

YMMV.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I just recently did 6 days of two tank dives on Bora Bora..... and would say that the diving was a 5 out of 10. Lots of blacktip sharks and one dive with a huge squadron of eagle ray's that was memorable and the highlight of my trip.... Otherwise......good but not great!

 

[CWK]

Oh dear. I’m thinking of taking my dive gear there next year.

 

[dolesorchard]

What are you comparing it to? Most of my diving has been in the Caribbean. Four years ago I went to the Philippines and was blown away. Caribbean diving is quite disappointing after the Philippines.

 

[Manuel Sam]

I've never done any scuba diving on the island of Tahiti or Moorea. My only experience in Tahiti has been snorkeling with humpback whales, and in my opinion, that is a worthy experience, whether done from Tahiti or from Moorea. But the season for humpbacks runs somewhere between July and October (their wintertime). Waht is the timing of your trip?

All of the scuba diving I have done in French Polynesia has been in the Tuamotu Archipelago - about an hour away by domestic propeller plane flight. There is a reason why most of the postings in this forum concerning French Polynesia are focused on the Tuamotus, and why the few liveaboards that offer or have offered dive trips are also focused on the Tuamtous.

If you could extend your stay and fly to either Fakarava or Rangiroa (or both), then I would wholeheartedly endorse bringing dive gear and spending at least 4 days in either Fakarava or Rangiroa. Depends on what you wish to see.