I've just returned from Easter Island, a.k.a. Rapa Nui, a.k.a. Isla de Pascua, Chile. This was my second time to the island and the first opportunity to dive there. The short story is that if you have a chance to visit Easter Island, GO! Diving aside, it's one of the most unspoiled and relaxing places you can visit. The stone heads (Moai) are enigmatic and it's great fun to drive around the island and visit all the archeological sites. It's probably not worth going all that way for the diving, but if you happen to find yourself there definitely get a few dives in.
There's two dive shops on the island, Orca Divers and Mike Rapu Diving, both next to each other down by the small cove in Hanga Roa. Ya can't miss 'em. Both appear to be well appointed and competent. I went with Orca Divers (mostly because they advertise that they accept credit cards, but then Mike Rapu probably does too). For a diving operation on a remote island, I found the service and equipment to be excellent. I didn't have any of my own gear with me so I rented from them. Orca Divers uses well-maintained ScubaPro BCs, Regs, and wetsuits, much of it new or nearly so. Dives typically cost US$50 each in the harbor, $60 for other sites, with full equip rental.
All the diving is from open fiberglass boats, about 6m/20ft long. They have ladders available for re-entering the boats, which helps. Dive sites are from 3 to 30 minutes away or more, depending on where you go. Conditions can be rough due to wind and waves (especially when entering or exiting the Hanga Roa harbor -- there's always people surfing there which gives you some idea of the conditions); diving may not be available on some days due to weather. The dive shop was very flexible about times: basically I just showed up, said "I want to go diving!" and they would say "Great, we're going out at these times and you can come along, or we can just take you out now."
The water temp was typically 72F/22C, visibility about 60 feet despite the frequent rains while I was there. I hear the vis often exceeds 100ft. I dove with a full 5mm plus a 2mm vest with a hood. There's no big fish life -- I'm still puzzled about that, there's no big fishing fleets so I don't know where all the fish are, but maybe it has to do with the general isolation of the island. There's an amazing amount of hard corals, much of it pristine and healthy. The number of species, however, of both corals and tropical fish, seems limited. It's almost as if the island's isolation has kept a wide variety of critters and corals from colonizing it.
Still, the diving was relaxing and beautiful. There's not a lot of colors in the corals, but perhaps a night dive would change that (I didn't do one). If you get a chance, dive beyond the harbor at some of the local "motu" or islands. I dove the neaby island of Motu Nui (center of the old "bird man" cult on the island, if you're familiar with the history there) and thought the wall was fantastic. The volcanic nature of the area makes for some interesting underwater topography.
US dollars are preferred all over the island, as well as Chilean Pesos. Exchange rates are awful, so it pays to have lots of cash available. There's just one ATM, and it doesn't take Visa or Plus System cards (bummer for me). Travelers checks can be exchanged for lousy rates at the bank, gas station, or one other cambio in town -- these are the only sharks you'll see while diving there. Credit cards and travelers checks are not accepted at many places, and if they are you'll probably get charged much higher rates. In the off season the local B&B and hotel operators come down to the airport to greet each incomming plane, offering rooms to tourists who may not have anything lined up. I took a basic room at a B&B, with attached bathroom, for US$30 a night. Car rentals and food on the island are a bit pricey, especially the beer, because it all has to be imported, but there are some good empanada shops around town for those on a budget. There are no MacDonalds, Pizza Huts, Starbucks, Hilton hotels, or any other franchise sorts of places, which is one reason why the island still feels magical.
There's two dive shops on the island, Orca Divers and Mike Rapu Diving, both next to each other down by the small cove in Hanga Roa. Ya can't miss 'em. Both appear to be well appointed and competent. I went with Orca Divers (mostly because they advertise that they accept credit cards, but then Mike Rapu probably does too). For a diving operation on a remote island, I found the service and equipment to be excellent. I didn't have any of my own gear with me so I rented from them. Orca Divers uses well-maintained ScubaPro BCs, Regs, and wetsuits, much of it new or nearly so. Dives typically cost US$50 each in the harbor, $60 for other sites, with full equip rental.
All the diving is from open fiberglass boats, about 6m/20ft long. They have ladders available for re-entering the boats, which helps. Dive sites are from 3 to 30 minutes away or more, depending on where you go. Conditions can be rough due to wind and waves (especially when entering or exiting the Hanga Roa harbor -- there's always people surfing there which gives you some idea of the conditions); diving may not be available on some days due to weather. The dive shop was very flexible about times: basically I just showed up, said "I want to go diving!" and they would say "Great, we're going out at these times and you can come along, or we can just take you out now."
The water temp was typically 72F/22C, visibility about 60 feet despite the frequent rains while I was there. I hear the vis often exceeds 100ft. I dove with a full 5mm plus a 2mm vest with a hood. There's no big fish life -- I'm still puzzled about that, there's no big fishing fleets so I don't know where all the fish are, but maybe it has to do with the general isolation of the island. There's an amazing amount of hard corals, much of it pristine and healthy. The number of species, however, of both corals and tropical fish, seems limited. It's almost as if the island's isolation has kept a wide variety of critters and corals from colonizing it.
Still, the diving was relaxing and beautiful. There's not a lot of colors in the corals, but perhaps a night dive would change that (I didn't do one). If you get a chance, dive beyond the harbor at some of the local "motu" or islands. I dove the neaby island of Motu Nui (center of the old "bird man" cult on the island, if you're familiar with the history there) and thought the wall was fantastic. The volcanic nature of the area makes for some interesting underwater topography.
US dollars are preferred all over the island, as well as Chilean Pesos. Exchange rates are awful, so it pays to have lots of cash available. There's just one ATM, and it doesn't take Visa or Plus System cards (bummer for me). Travelers checks can be exchanged for lousy rates at the bank, gas station, or one other cambio in town -- these are the only sharks you'll see while diving there. Credit cards and travelers checks are not accepted at many places, and if they are you'll probably get charged much higher rates. In the off season the local B&B and hotel operators come down to the airport to greet each incomming plane, offering rooms to tourists who may not have anything lined up. I took a basic room at a B&B, with attached bathroom, for US$30 a night. Car rentals and food on the island are a bit pricey, especially the beer, because it all has to be imported, but there are some good empanada shops around town for those on a budget. There are no MacDonalds, Pizza Huts, Starbucks, Hilton hotels, or any other franchise sorts of places, which is one reason why the island still feels magical.
I was just traveling around South America at the time and had the opportunity, so what the heck. I had a great time -- it's a neat place to just hang out and relax.
