Moorea in July

[bmorescuba]

Hi Experts,

My wife and I are planning a trip for this upcoming July. Neither of us has ever been anywhere near French Polynesia, and we've been doing a lot of research. I think the island of Moorea would suit us well. We're considering staying in the Opunohu Bay area, which looks lovely beyond belief.

This will be a trip with diving, as opposed to a diving trip. My wife does now dive, but we love snorkeling together. So, I will book morning boat trips on half the days and we'll spend the rest of the time together - exploring, snorkeling, and hiking. Moorea seems like a good balance. Not too developed, but not too rustic. Not 100% focused on diving, but plenty of dive ops. Plenty to do on land and in the water.

I'd like to know if others agree with this assessment. Any great snorkeling places or dive op recommendations are welcome too. I gather from SB that Top Dive is not well liked.

I know it's crazy to go all the way there and not do Rangiroa/Fakarava, but our trips together have to be about balance. And it seems easier to pick one place rather than island hop. I'm happy whenever I'm underwater, so as long as Moorea has good diving, I'll be happy, even if it's not as good as Rangiroa/Fakarava. Also, I love sharks, rays, and dolphins, but I'm more passionate about macro. One other question - I've seen so many pictures where people seem to be feeding fish in the lagoon, handling rays, feeding sharks, etc. Are the standards just different there? None of that would fly most of the places I've been.

Thanks a bunch for any inside info.

 

[Wingy]

Hi from a non expert Moorea is a very very pretty island - so is Tahiti. Firstly those pics you see of people standing there like muppets molesting rays and throwing are taken in the Lagoonarium tour on Bora Bora - you are right, Moorea is a little more laid back. Moorea diving is a little better than Bora Bora but you also have the opportunity to jump on the Ferry across the sea of the moon and do a day diving Tahiti (there is a small wreck there and if the Tahiti express is flowing you should get a thrill a minute drift dive in). There is only one op who perpetuate this feeding cr@p - Topdive who I would stay away from if I were you. After the Tuomotos I did a few dives with Moorea Blue diving based at the Moorea Pearl Resort - www.mooreabluediving.com.

My opinion on Topdive's feeding of sharks is the same as yours and most other dive ops in French Polynesia - absolutely unnecessary. For that and a myriad of other reasons they should be out of business IMO.

Oponohu Bay is pretty and Moorea is small enough for you to explore with a hire car you can see the whole island in a day. If you are thinking of hiking up Le Belvedere...um, consider a car its a long twisty windy way up there. You also have the opportunity basing yourself in Moorea to go over and do a couple of day trips to Tahiti which really is a spectacularly beautiful island. Im not a person for organised tours but due to time constraints I did a circle island tour and loved it. The lava tubes, blow holes triple falls and Jardin and Maraii's are gorgeous - dont bother paying for the lunch at Paul Gaugin museum unless you are avid art fans. Enjoy your holiday - its a very pretty part of the world.

 

[Cali_diver]

Moorea is really pretty and diving is OK.. We have stayed at the Sheraton (which is now the Hilton I think) and the Intercontinental. The Hilton had fantastic snorkeling right off the beach and off the over-the-water bungalows. The Intercontinental not so much. We dove with Top Dive and I would not recommend them if there are other choices.

 

[guyzack66]

Moorea is a beautiful island, no doubt about that. But when it comes to diving, it is not exceptionnal. It would really be a pity not to split your vacation and do some island hopping with a mix of Moorea and Rangiroa. If you need to skip something, skip Tahiti. But being 200 miles from the Tuamotu and missing it, it does not make any sense. Sorry for being blunt.

 

[medic5]

We have been to French Polynesia 4 times, most recently in June 2015. Moorea is a great place both for land and sea adventures. If you want to stay at a resort you can't beat the Hilton. The overwater bungalows are spectacular and the snorkeling is beyond belief. The diving is good but not great for the region. Some shark dives, plenty of tropical fish, etc. You can also do some lagoon tours which do have the typical feed/pet the stingrays. Dr. Poole's dolphin tour is very popular but we have not done this yet. We have used both Top Dive and Moorea Blue.

The Hilton does not currently have a dive operator on site. If you go with Top Dive they drive you to the Intercontinental, if you use Moorea Blue they drive you to the Pearl. No big deal in either case. Both were fine operators. You should also rent a car for a day and explore and also consider a half day at the Lagoonararium.

We did Rangiora both off the cruise ship and then after on a 6 night stay. Not a lot there except for diving and it is high intensity diving. If you have the $$ I would recommend a few nights on Bora Bora. The lagoon is magical and snorkeling with the mantas is a great experience.

 

[t-mac]

Ia orana! Agree with the assessment of others. When we went a few years ago, we ended a trip on Moorea, staying at the Hilton, over the water. It is visually exactly what you expect French Polynesia to be. The island is definitely small enough to see and do a lot and it is an almost magical place. The people are not as easy as places like Rangiroa, but they do loosen up and show you some of the famous Polynesian warmth if you engage them. Definitely do that. I think you will find the balance you seek and your wife will be very happy too. You'll just have to go back to dive Bora Bora, Rangiroa and Fakarava!

 

[Wingy]

t-mac makes a great point - Polynesians are wonderfully fun people. I agree the people on Rangi are far more open but if you step off the tourist track and walk up to the Roullotte trucks past the pearl heading back to the ferry pier you will get a great meal and the likely chance of dancing and singing from the heart not from a script. Not getting to know a little bit of polynesian culture would be a big mistake, take a walk around the banque and marche and Caramelline the patisserie and go and have a chat to the ladies in the Pareo shops and take a stroll going nowhere in particular. Polynesian people love chatting to tourists who bother to go for a walk around their island not just see it in a cruise ship tour bus.

 

[t-mac]

What Wingy said! The resorts are beautiful and the guided tours are easy, but the best thing I did on Moorea was to rent a car and get out meeting people outside of those sheltered environments. We got the car from the concierge at the Hilton who was a bit aloof. When we returned and told her of all the things we did and the people we met, she got very animated and told us of all the other things we needed to do. So we rented a car again the next day, this time with a nice discount, and did a completely different tour of the same island based on our new friend's advice. You invest a little interest in them and they return it many fold. This is making me want to go back!

 

[Butch Fries]

Noticed several mentions of Fakarava - we're currently saving our pennies for a trip there (we've been to Moorea twice and have the tattoos to prove it). Really OT but any words of advice about Fakarava would be appreciated.