Hi Everyone,
Just a quick summary after some outstanding time spent diving in Polynesia.
- Bora bora diving is good, Mantas are back in the lagoon (maybe because hotels are empty at >1000$/night...)
- Tuamotus islands are MUCH better.
- Tikehau is very good. dive club (Raie Manta) is worth it. Small, but friendly and professional. Nice crew and you feel well taken care off, CMAS card or not.
- Fakarava is the best (probably better than Ranguiroa, while i need to go back there to make sure).
Whether the north pass (reef path), VERY large, or the south one (Tumakohua), the diving is really outstanding (US people would say Awesome, and British may say so as well
...)
You actually see school of sharks (by hundreds) very easily. Visibility is like infinite. When they complain about it, it means you are getting ~200ft.
This is really a top spot !
Now, if you are not french, and if you don't own your nice FFESSM/CMAS level2 card, you'd better be very careful selecting your dive club.
I only tried 2 out of the 3 down there in Fakarava, but I can easily recommend to avoid Teavanui.
This clubs sucks bad. Divemasters are reaching a level of arrogance I've never found anywhere else (Europe, Carribbeans, and in the other Polynesian Islands). And I was told it is not just being unlucky. The tone is set by the director who's been there for a while.
They pack the boats like crazy, don't pay attention to customers, talk and handle you like you are getting your first pool dive, etc. List of complaints would be very long, including some safety margin as well, while main problem is arrogance.
I can't comment about TopDive, the second club, but I may suspect is follow the same path, as it is large, and needs to maximize business and follow the motto: "who cares, customers are always happy with what they'll see, and they'll come back so no choice for them..."
But there is a choice ! You have a very small club own by Serge and Carine:
club
It's only the 2 of them, so seats are limited. But:
- Very pro attitude from the beginning to the end
- They take good care of you (including take your equipment to the boat and back).
- You see real customer intimacy. Goal is to have fun and please any divers expectations. Very accommodating based on what you want to do and your level.
- Boat is faster and has a little bimini !
- While not a big deal, (depends for whom), Serge dives with BP/W
- And a lot of other very good things and positive feedback for Serge and Carine
Maybe just a coincidence, they are from Switzerland, and not France...
Only issue with Serge and his Fakarava diving center is that I'm not the only one who has noticed he's much better than the others, so it is difficult to get a spot as he seems often booked. It is very easy to understand, and I would absolutely recommend this club over others for any divers, experimented or not.
Just a quick summary after some outstanding time spent diving in Polynesia.
- Bora bora diving is good, Mantas are back in the lagoon (maybe because hotels are empty at >1000$/night...)
- Tuamotus islands are MUCH better.
- Tikehau is very good. dive club (Raie Manta) is worth it. Small, but friendly and professional. Nice crew and you feel well taken care off, CMAS card or not.
- Fakarava is the best (probably better than Ranguiroa, while i need to go back there to make sure).
Whether the north pass (reef path), VERY large, or the south one (Tumakohua), the diving is really outstanding (US people would say Awesome, and British may say so as well
...)You actually see school of sharks (by hundreds) very easily. Visibility is like infinite. When they complain about it, it means you are getting ~200ft.
This is really a top spot !
Now, if you are not french, and if you don't own your nice FFESSM/CMAS level2 card, you'd better be very careful selecting your dive club.
I only tried 2 out of the 3 down there in Fakarava, but I can easily recommend to avoid Teavanui.
This clubs sucks bad. Divemasters are reaching a level of arrogance I've never found anywhere else (Europe, Carribbeans, and in the other Polynesian Islands). And I was told it is not just being unlucky. The tone is set by the director who's been there for a while.
They pack the boats like crazy, don't pay attention to customers, talk and handle you like you are getting your first pool dive, etc. List of complaints would be very long, including some safety margin as well, while main problem is arrogance.
I can't comment about TopDive, the second club, but I may suspect is follow the same path, as it is large, and needs to maximize business and follow the motto: "who cares, customers are always happy with what they'll see, and they'll come back so no choice for them..."
But there is a choice ! You have a very small club own by Serge and Carine:
club
It's only the 2 of them, so seats are limited. But:
- Very pro attitude from the beginning to the end
- They take good care of you (including take your equipment to the boat and back).
- You see real customer intimacy. Goal is to have fun and please any divers expectations. Very accommodating based on what you want to do and your level.
- Boat is faster and has a little bimini !
- While not a big deal, (depends for whom), Serge dives with BP/W
- And a lot of other very good things and positive feedback for Serge and Carine
Maybe just a coincidence, they are from Switzerland, and not France...
Only issue with Serge and his Fakarava diving center is that I'm not the only one who has noticed he's much better than the others, so it is difficult to get a spot as he seems often booked. It is very easy to understand, and I would absolutely recommend this club over others for any divers, experimented or not.
