Cook Islands

[annw24]

Thinking of going to the Cooks in late September/early October and would like suggestions for good dive operators. My preference is for a small operation (no cattle boats!) and, since I will be by myself for the diving parts of the trip and will be new to the area, I want a divemaster in the water guiding the dive. Also, I've been spoiled in Hawaii by having the crew set up the tanks and all that, letting me save all my energy for diving. Any chance of getting that kind of service in the Cooks?

 

[greg somers]

I am from New Zealand and may be able to give you some suggestions,but the Cook Islands are just that.Different islands with some distance between them.Are you looking at Rarotanga or Aitutaki? There isn't an abundance of operators
on either island.The speed is really laid back.If you can give some more details than I can scratch up some details for you.The currencies there are Cook Island and New Zealand dollars as the Cooks are a NZ protectorate.
Cheers soon to be brown all over Ears,
The Thunder from Down Under,
The Gasman.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi annw24,

The Cook Islands host many Canadians over the winter months and hordes of Austrailians & New Zealanders the rest of the year, all of whom I quite enjoy.

It's a decent location for the beginning diver who likes tropicals. The diving is not challenging. As a bonus, there are often white-tipped reef sharks (harmless unless severely provoked) about, some quite large.

However, be aware that as with many venues in this greater region Roratonga currently is suffering from serious coral dieback. Not only have there been high water temps, but also a crown of thorns infestation. Sections of reef are colorless & silted.

Go with Edgewater Resort. The operator uses steel hulled inflatables, holding about 6 divers per boat, and is reasonably priced for this region

Hope this gets you started.

DocVikingo

 

[JustAddWater]

I went to the Cook Islands this past June. On Rarotonga there are about three dive operations. I heard good reports about each of them, but chose Cook Island Divers. All of the dives were small groups (3-6 divers). They offered morning, afternoon, and night excursions. Unfortunately, all dives were one tank dives. I inquired whether mult-fill dives were available; they didn't offer it. That just meant more beach time and island drinks with my wife. The dives were fantastic! (Say hi to Divemaster Mel) We saw beautiful reef fish, invertabrates, and pelagic species. We also travelled to Aitutaki. There is one operation on this island named Aitutaki Scuba. This outfit is a much smaller, family operation. Great diving with island humor. Divemaster: "Me go in? No, I'm afraid of water." He went in. Keep in mind when you're planning that there is no diving on Sundays, out of respect to island religious custom. Have a blast! Beautiful place, beautiful people, great diving.

 

[annw24]

Thanks for your replies and suggestions.
JustAddWater: did you make reservations with Cook Is. Divers and Aitutaki Scuba ahead of time?....or do you just call them after you arrived?
I have e-mailed both and been waiting over a week but receivced no replies or acknowledgement. I've heard of "Island Time" but have only a couple of weeks before take off.

 

[JustAddWater]

I made reservations at Cook Island Divers the day before my dives. They have morning and afternoon dives daily(except for Sundays) And night dives about every other night, based upon demand. They operate two small boats, and neither of them were full on the days I dove. You could probably show up 30 minutes before a scheduled departure and make a dive. If you need transportation more notice is neccessary. ( a couple of hours) They arranged roundtrip transportation for us to and from our lodging. When we arrived in Aitutaki, we told our lodging transport person that we were interested in diving. She stopped at Aitutaki scuba so we could arrange a dive. One hour later they picked us up at our lodge. Both places are very low key. The most difficult part is getting off of island time. Have fun!!