French Polynesia...Fakarava North or South?

[Brian Vaccarella]

Hi,

I have 10 days planned for Fakarava on my trip to FP and wondering which is worth a longer stay, the North or the South? Will be there from June 20th-30th after 5 days in Rangiroa.

Thanks!!

 

[Boiler_81]

I went seven years ago and enjoyed both sides. I would split the time equally between the two.

I'm sure there is a lot of dated information in my trip report, but some of it may be useful Trip report for Rangiroa and Fakarava in French Polynesia

I do know Dive Spirit has changed owners since I was there

 

[moorish8idol]

I just went over December. This might be a bit of a controversial opinion but I would recommend staying in North for the entirety of your visit and then do one or two day trips down to the South. I don't need extreme creature comforts or anything but the South is really isolated and small and the bungalows rather basic. I like the ability to take a free bike out for spin and explore the island a bit, experience different snacks at lunch and get the occasional massage etc (all of which are available in the North but to my knowledge not in the South).

I can highly recommend Veke Veke Village in the North. I absolutely loved that place. The bungalows are bright, clean and spacious and some of the closer ones have wifi access (mine did - otherwise they have wifi in the common dining area and dock), a porch and are all a few feet from a protected bay. You can go out and snorkel or swim from the dock and enjoy the nurse sharks and blacktips and little fish. On nice, dry nights, they serve the included dinner (3 courses, no less) outside on the dock and it is run by a lovely Polynesian family who adore their animals Puka, Pousky (the sharpei dog mixes) and cat Noisette (who always comes to visit at dinner but never begs for food). They offer bikes (its a lovely 10-15 minute ride into the main "town") and it is sandwiched between 2 lovely snacks that offer killer food at reasonable (for FP) prices.

I can't recommend Dive Spirit. From what I heard, they have been through a lot of management issues lately. New management in 2020 but the shop seemed in poor shape (along with their gear) and organization - in December they cancelled tons of dives (and continued to book new ones for the following day when they had zero chance of actually providing them). I can HIGHLY recommend Thibault and his shop at O2 divers. They were lovely people, well run shop, great gear and had a nice family vibe. Plus the location is spectacular. As with all the shops, they will come pick you up from wherever your pension is in the morning (and even take you back for lunch if you have afternoon dives). O2 (as with the others) runs day trips down to the South Pass (probably 1 or 2 a week or more in high season).

All of that being said, I did my double dives down in the South Pass with the local guides that work out of Tetamanu Village and they were fantastic. Food was good too. Just don't think I could spend more than a day there - I would feel too claustrophobic.

 

[KarlHungus]

Just completed a week at Fakarava. 4 days in S then 3 in N. If I had to do it again I’d probably go with 2-3 days in the S, tops.

The S is beautiful and charming but the accommodation at Tetamanu Village is not great - aside from mosquitos, which are expected, I had termites and cockroaches. The showers are essentially PVC pipe with cold salt water.

In terms of diving, here’s how I’d describe each:

South
- easy drifts
- narrow pass
- healthy coral
- consistent sharks
- very few massive schools of fish
- limited dive sites
- very casual dive environment with mixture of skill levels; guides are typically seasonal

North
- can have very strong currents
- wide pass
- coral is healthy in spots but sparser, not like S
- impressive schools of sharks that IMO were more entertaining than S
- massive schools of fish that sharks would chase alongside Tuna, Napoleons
- more structure diving with advanced divers and knowledgeable guides

 

[btscott]

Thanks for the report.

Headed to FP in a little over a week. Bouncing around Tahiti, Rurutu and Moorea before heading to Rangiroa and Fakarava. Will head to Rangiroa with 6 Passengers and then Fakarava. Will do South first for 3 days at Tetamanu. Then 3 days in the north at Havaiki and diving with O2 Fakarava. Figured it would be better to do south first with accommodations being so sparse and then finish our trip to FP at Havaiki.

Who did you use for diving and how were they? Did you get some time in the water with Humpbacks?

How was COVID? Hear it is getting pretty bad. FP just made CDC Level 4 list. Hear it is mostly a problem on Tahiti and Moorea. How were the outlying islands?

Appreciate the info...

 

[KarlHungus]

Thanks for the report.

Headed to FP in a little over a week. Bouncing around Tahiti, Rurutu and Moorea before heading to Rangiroa and Fakarava. Will head to Rangiroa with 6 Passengers and then Fakarava. Will do South first for 3 days at Tetamanu. Then 3 days in the north at Havaiki and diving with O2 Fakarava. Figured it would be better to do south first with accommodations being so sparse and then finish our trip to FP at Havaiki.

Who did you use for diving and how were they? Did you get some time in the water with Humpbacks?

How was COVID? Hear it is getting pretty bad. FP just made CDC Level 4 list. Hear it is mostly a problem on Tahiti and Moorea. How were the outlying islands?

Appreciate the info...

funny enough I basically did the same itinerary in Fakarava except 4 days in S then 2 days diving with O2 as well (3 nights at Havaiki).

Tetamanu is pretty rugged but you should be okay for 3 days. I didn’t really have any issues until my last night when my bungalow was hit by swarmer termites. One tip - ask for a plug in fan. I didn’t have one until my last night, as I didn’t realize they had any.

The dive shop is very casual, laid back. I did two “sunset” early night dives which were pretty insane. In fact, the “Our Planet” Attenborough special on Netflix spends a large portion of the Shallow Seas episode on Fakarava South night dive. It’s bonkers.

Havaiki was certainly nicer. I booked last minute and had a garden bungalow, but the beach bungalows had AC and looked a bit nicer. Nothing but positives in terms of diving with O2. Very professional, great boat/captains and dive guides that know the N well.

I found the N to be more varied and exciting.

no whales in Faka

you get COVID tested upon arrival and upon departure at the airport. Very easy. Results are within 10-20

 

[btscott]

Thank you for the information.

Was on the fence about the sunset dives, but will add them in now. Sounds like not much else to do in the South other than dive, eat and read. Will ask for a fan, thanks for the heads up.

Got upgraded to a beach bungalow at Havaiki.

Regarding whales, didn't know if you had a chance to swim with them in Moorea, Tahiti or Rurutu. Headed to Rurutu for a few days to swim with them.

Regarding COVID, rates have skyrocketed to over 1,000 cases per 100,000. Didn't know if you found any issues from that perspective. We just plan to hunker down and spend time on the water wherever we are.

Thanks again.