Diving from Tahitian Princess

[lagerfran]

Hey everyone, well my husband and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary so we are going on a cruise. Not a liveaboard, we have been doing that forever so something a little more relaxing this time. We both are very experienced divers so we don't want to go the the usual "cruise ship" dive operators.

Has anyone gone diving off the Princess before and if so in the last year or two? We are doing the 10 day trip in Feb so Huahine, Bora Bora and Rarotonga, Raiatea & Moorea. Any suggestions for dive operators that you know connect with the ship??

Thanks!

 

[budaman]

We were on the TP last November on the same itinerary. We used Pacific Divers in Rarotonga. They did not require prepaying, which was a factor as Raro is missed on occasion. Liked the operation, but they are located a distance from the pier, so the transport back & forth takes up a good part of your shore time. Raro is also where we ended up buying Black Pearls and was by far the least expensive diving at $70 for a 2 tanker. Didn't dive Huahine as we couldn't find an operator we were comfortable with and the ship does not offer a diving excursion....ended up renting a small motorboat and cruising the lagoon & snorkeling when we found a nice spot. On Raiatea, we used the ship excursion, Hemisphere Sub, and really liked them. The ship charges $142 for a 2 tank and this was about the same fee that any of the other operators charged and after checking all the websites, was leaning towards Hemisphere anyway. On Bora & Moorea, we contracted with Top Dive and wife & I split the 10 dive pkg they offer, doing 5 dives each. On Bora, a single the first day & a 2 tank the second day and on Moorea a 2 tank. Top Dive was 1st class and also picked us up at the pier. We had taken all our equipment, so we did not have to rent, so don't know what any of the operators rental gear was like if your leaning towards renting. Also, be prepared for sharks.....lots of sharks. They're nice sharks though! They became very commonplace by the end of the trip...just another fish.

We'll be returning next year, but will be on the Star Flyer for that trip. We loved the TP, but wanted to experience the sailing adventure on our next adventure. Pics from the TP trip in the link below.

http://web.mac.com/csealove/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html

Mike

 

[lagerfran]

Wow thanks so much for the info. I was leaning towards Top Dive, we probably won't take our gear, I want to really relax, ha ha. So we'll wing it. As for sharks, I sure hope so, they are my favorite fish. Did the whites in Guadalupe and tiger sharks with Abernathy in the Bahamas, so large lemons are good, hope to see some, I love these guys, they make for great photos.

Really though thanks for the info, I was also reading about Hemisphere and was wondering who the ship went with, glad to see they go with a good organization. Did not want to be on a boat that caters to beginners either, maybe if we contact them ahead of time we can work something out "professionally".

Thanks again and enjoy your sailing!

 

[budaman]

One thing I forgot to mention, we never had a dive with more than 6 people. It surprised me there weren't more divers on the ship. If you haven't checked the Cruise Critic site, they have Roll Calls for specific ships & cruise dates. That's how we hooked up with other divers on the ship. We had some good times!

Mike