French Polynesia - Advice Please

[robertwgraves]

Thanks for asking the question and all the answers. We'll be renting a sailboat in Raiatea and hitting Bora Bora for NYE - was already thinking Bloody Mary's. sounds like dive ops are hit or miss. Any other suggestions for Raiatea, Tahaa, or BorA Bora diving?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[peppolalli]

Just back form Rangi and Fakarava south.
Both are great spots for drift dive and big pelagics, tons of sharks, mantas, eagle ray and dolphins (Rangiroa only), and if you are lucky also big hammerhead and marlin.
December and january it's a different time though, it's summer in Polynesia and maybe you can see more hammerhead in that period.
For Rangiroa I suggest "The six passengers" (6 passengers - Rangiroa - Centre de plongée sous marine - Diving center in French Polynesia) a very reliable dive center with 4 dive options per day, very professional and skilled people.
For the accommodation I slept @ Pension Loyna http://www.pensionloyna.com a family pension where Loyna - a true polynesian born - serve breakfast and dinner included ........ a clean, friendly place with great food in the evening.

There are more than family pensions there, from mid range hotel like Maitai to a luxury one (i.e. Kia Ora).

Enjoy Polynesia, I really liked this place .... a lot !!

 

[medic5]

We did 4 nights Moorea, a 10 night Paul Gauguin Cruise and then 6 nights Rangiora staying at the Kia Ora in July. Both land stays were in overwater units. I am not a die hard diver. The cruise also stopped at Rangiora for 1 day and I also did dives on that day. It was great to dive with Jean Michel Cousteau who was a guest lecturer on the ship. With about 50 dives completed I can tell you that diving the pass in Rangiora was very hairy. It was a very choppy day and I am sure I am misstaken but there were probably 6-10 foot seas and we were in a zodiac. We went outside of the pass and drifted back in. I barely remember what I saw on the first dive as after I got in the water I was so happy to still be alive that I wasn't thinking.

The dives were great, the drift not that strong, and on one dive we did swim with dolphins at about 70 feet. The dives from the ship were coordinated with Top Dive. When we stayed at the Kia Ora I did dives with The 6 Passengers. They are "known" for having a maximum of 6 passengers but that is really not the case. We had 9 divers with 2 divemaster. The groups had less than 6 but Top Dive did the same thing. With Top Dive there were about 24 of us in 3 larger zodiacs but no group had more than 6 divers per dive master. In hindsight I would have done the dives from the Kia Ora with Top Dive. It is so much more convenient as they are based at the Kia Ora. If you are staying elsewhere I would dive with The 6 Passengers. Their shop is very nice and they have a great area for relaxing between dives, including a decent restaurant next door.

Just back form Rangi and Fakarava south.
Both are great spots for drift dive and big pelagics, tons of sharks, mantas, eagle ray and dolphins (Rangiroa only), and if you are lucky also big hammerhead and marlin.
December and january it's a different time though, it's summer in Polynesia and maybe you can see more hammerhead in that period.
For Rangiroa I suggest "The six passengers" (6 passengers - Rangiroa - Centre de plongée sous marine - Diving center in French Polynesia) a very reliable dive center with 4 dive options per day, very professional and skilled people.
For the accommodation I slept @ Pension Loyna Rangiroa pension Polynesie Francaise - Loyna a family pension where Loyna - a true polynesian born - serve breakfast and dinner included ........ a clean, friendly place with great food in the evening.

There are more than family pensions there, from mid range hotel like Maitai to a luxury one (i.e. Kia Ora).

Enjoy Polynesia, I really liked this place .... a lot !!

 

[peppolalli]

We did 4 nights Moorea, a 10 night Paul Gauguin Cruise and then 6 nights Rangiora staying at the Kia Ora in July. Both land stays were in overwater units. I am not a die hard diver. The cruise also stopped at Rangiora for 1 day and I also did dives on that day. It was great to dive with Jean Michel Cousteau who was a guest lecturer on the ship. With about 50 dives completed I can tell you that diving the pass in Rangiora was very hairy. It was a very choppy day and I am sure I am misstaken but there were probably 6-10 foot seas and we were in a zodiac. We went outside of the pass and drifted back in. I barely remember what I saw on the first dive as after I got in the water I was so happy to still be alive that I wasn't thinking.

The dives were great, the drift not that strong, and on one dive we did swim with dolphins at about 70 feet. The dives from the ship were coordinated with Top Dive. When we stayed at the Kia Ora I did dives with The 6 Passengers. They are "known" for having a maximum of 6 passengers but that is really not the case. We had 9 divers with 2 divemaster. The groups had less than 6 but Top Dive did the same thing. With Top Dive there were about 24 of us in 3 larger zodiacs but no group had more than 6 divers per dive master. In hindsight I would have done the dives from the Kia Ora with Top Dive. It is so much more convenient as they are based at the Kia Ora. If you are staying elsewhere I would dive with The 6 Passengers. Their shop is very nice and they have a great area for relaxing between dives, including a decent restaurant next door.

I don't know Top Dive but I've found a relaxing and friendly atmosphere with 6 Passengers, open minded instructors who take you underwater with no stress or pressure of any kind, even if you find strong current (and I can assure you that strong means very strong) you can follow them easily and with fun.

And they can also pick you up everywhere in Rangi, even Kia Ora at specific time during the day.

Plus there is the "Ugo factor".
Ugo Mazzavillani is one of the owners who is a very skilled videographer diving Rangiroa since '90ies and can bring the "moment" of your dive right on your home TV with his customized DVD.

The feeling to me about Top Dive remembered me a kind of factory assembly line, but I could be wrong of course.

 

[Mike]

We did 4 nights Moorea, a 10 night Paul Gauguin Cruise and then 6 nights Rangiora staying at the Kia Ora in July. Both land stays were in overwater units. I am not a die hard diver. The cruise also stopped at Rangiora for 1 day and I also did dives on that day. It was great to dive with Jean Michel Cousteau who was a guest lecturer on the ship. With about 50 dives completed I can tell you that diving the pass in Rangiora was very hairy. It was a very choppy day and I am sure I am misstaken but there were probably 6-10 foot seas and we were in a zodiac. We went outside of the pass and drifted back in. I barely remember what I saw on the first dive as after I got in the water I was so happy to still be alive that I wasn't thinking.

The dives were great, the drift not that strong, and on one dive we did swim with dolphins at about 70 feet. The dives from the ship were coordinated with Top Dive. When we stayed at the Kia Ora I did dives with The 6 Passengers. They are "known" for having a maximum of 6 passengers but that is really not the case. We had 9 divers with 2 divemaster. The groups had less than 6 but Top Dive did the same thing. With Top Dive there were about 24 of us in 3 larger zodiacs but no group had more than 6 divers per dive master. In hindsight I would have done the dives from the Kia Ora with Top Dive. It is so much more convenient as they are based at the Kia Ora. If you are staying elsewhere I would dive with The 6 Passengers. Their shop is very nice and they have a great area for relaxing between dives, including a decent restaurant next door.

I venture if you continue your diving and become more expeirence and comfortable in the water under more advanced conditions you'll change your mind in regard to diving with a cookie cutter, dumbed down dive op like Top Dive and begin to appreciate the experience of diving with a top notch operation like Six Passengers.

I don't doubt you were in 6-10 foot seas on the Zodiac, that's about average conditions there, but top side conditions don't matter once you splash in, it's what's under the water that counts.

---------- Post added September 14th, 2013 at 09:06 AM ----------

Plus there is the "Ugo factor".

Simply amazing, his videos come right out of the camera and onto the screen with no editing and they look like finished, edited professional videos! He's so quiet and unassuming, we dived with him for a number of days before I figured out he was one of the owners, you'd never know it as he just seems like another diver, that is another diver with a big video camera housing.

 

[kneptoon]

I have some detailed blogs/trip reports on this forum site 7/13 from a trip to Rangiroa and Fakarava. I hope they are helpful.