Bora Bora and Moorea

[Scotttyd]

Heading to to our honeymoon in June/July.
Soon to be wife is a non-diver - but loves snorkeling.

I am wondering if anyone has any input into dive ops here - staying at the Hilton in Moorea and IC Le Moana in Bora Bora. Would love a place where we could go together (me diving, her snorkel - we did this in Barbados).

If not - any general idea for a good dive op that would pick us up?

thanks!

 

[kelemvor]

Someone needs to give her an OW class as a wedding gift!

 

[Scotttyd]

I have been trying to give her OW classes for 4 years!

 

[Wingy]

Personally id stay away from Top Dive and go and see Robyn the lady who books all the tours in Bora Bora - shes at the peir in Viapete every day or contact Bora Diving Centre - you may find unless you can line up when other divers are going out BDC will not go out with just one diver..however, that may change with a snorkeller. Contact them by email first - Bora Diving Center | Bora Bora Diving


In Moorea I would recommend http://www.mooreabluediving.com/ - be mindful he often only goes out once a day.

 

[Diver Dave1]

Back in 2006, I used Top Dive on Moorea and Bora Bora. Liked them on Moorea, hated them on Bora Bora. Its been long enough that things may have changed but I would never use Bora Bora TopDive again personally.

 

[TSandM]

I would stay away from Top Dive on Moorea, and here is why: A friend of ours was diving with them. Their practice was to moor the boat and leave it unattended. My friend tried to reboard with no staff on the boat - she slipped and fell, hitting her shoulder on the engine, and broke her arm. (The injury was severe enough to require a shoulder replacement, and she does not dive any more.). Two weeks later, we dove with them, and they were still putting all the staff in the water. They had not changed anything about the boat to make it easier for someone to reboard, or less likely to fall. I have no tolerance for an organization that changes nothing after a serious accident.

 

[wico6768]

I second or third the vote away from Top Dive.

They are kind of the 'corporate big' dive op of FP and they come in and swallow up (or try to) the smaller ops but do not give you what those smaller ops do.

The only Top Dive op in any of FP we have found good, was Fakarava. They really surprised us! So I would suggest to check with Wingy's suggestion for Bora (the Op we went with, the DM died of cancer a few years ago and top dive then swallowed that op up too) and in Moorea, we went with Moorea Fun Dive. They were very safety conscious, we had our 16 year old daughter with us for her open water cert dives. It was just the 3 of us. They had a couple others out with a guide, but they are a small op. Top Dive is the cattle dive of FP. (imo) So far, they haven't run our favorites out of Rangiroa, and I hope that never happens.

It's a beautiful place to dive (and snorkel), and I am sure you and your new wife will love it.

Also, we always book ours on our own rather than through the resort, because we like to choose based on our research ahead of time. Sometimes the resorts will push a certain dive op over others. They will pick you up, so you can choose the op you want even if they are not at the resort. Just let them know where you will be staying and request that. Sometimes people have rental cars in Moorea, so just let them know you need to be picked up when you book.

 

[Scotttyd]

think we are going to stick to snorkeling - as much as it kills me, but kind of sounds like you see everything you really get to see in the shallow water/free diving. It is a honeymoon - so I better not leave her or scuba steve will take her away

 

[medic5]

We will be at the Hilton in June before our Paul Gauguin Cruise. It will be our 4th visit. Spectacular snorkeling in the lagoon at the Hilton. After our prior trips we have yet to go to the lagoonararium but we will do so on this trip. The last time we were there at the Hilton, 2 years ago, Top Dive was no longer on site and I used them for a couple of dives. I thought they were fine but they are based at the Intercontinental, about a 20 minute drive away. They did pick us up.

On Bora Bora I highly recommend Reef Encounter as a snorkel trip. Fast ski type boat that takes no more than about 6-8 people and circumnavigates the lagoon with about 4 stops for snorkeling. We have done this 3 times and last time finally saw the manta rays.