Finesse
Guest
Well I wish we were still there !!!!
What a great trip this was for us .. Our first destination was Manihi, an Atoll about 350 miles north of Tahiti. Manihi is part of the Tuamotus Island chain which also includes Tikehau and Rangiroa to name a few. We flew into Rangiroa on our way to Manihi . WOW to see the Lagoon of Rangiroa .color was remarkable !!!!! Different hues of Blues and Greens just looked electric under the sun. Next time we will spend a few days on Rangiroa to discover its lagoon.
It was only a short trip to Manihi from there and once again we were awe struck by the appearance of the lagoon and surrounding waters. We came to find out that many a time this lagoon is used for photo ops as it is so nice. The Atoll is about 3 miles wide and somewhere around 19 miles in length. A small airstrip is all the twin prop plane has to land on and there is no control tower or anything else for that matter ..just a wind sock for the pilot to use for guidance .The airport . a lonely thatched roof hut.
MANIHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT .Hello
There is little to do on this atoll ..except relax ..which was almost automatic .The resort does run some activities i.e. Picnic on a motu(small Island), visit a pearl farm, some snorkeling trips and of course diving. The travel brochures inform that this is mainly a diving destination however we found that while we were there only a handful were divers. There is only one restaurant with the resort or anywhere for that matter .. so choice was very limited .food was OK and you have the most luck if you enjoy fish .
The resort is relatively small ..somewhere around 30-40 bungalows between overwater to beach front to garden accommodations, this was what we liked about it .. If youre looking for crowds, stay on Tahiti or go to Hawaii (I heard some where that Hawaii has more visitors in a month or a week .well you get the idea .. than Tahiti has in a whole year) Of course the over waters are the most expensive and the Garden are the least expensive ..The overwaters allow you to snorkel right off your sun deck ..which was pretty neat.
Resort from boat
The weather was perfect....most of the time bright clear skies (an occasional shower would come and go) and temps in the mid 80's.....November starts Polynesias summer months and brings more considerable rain so we were told. The refreshing breeze continued day and night....which made for a very comfortable stay.
Service was great ..the Polynesians and many French (as this is French Territory) where all extremely friendly and accommodating.
Blue Nui Dive Center
This is the only center on the atoll ( that we knew of) but after our experience even if there were others I wouldnt dive with anyone else. They are a group of four centers (Manihi, Bora Bora, Tikehau and Tahaa). The night prior to diving anyone who wanted to dive would meet at the Bar and talk one on one with the Dive masters or the Manager/Dive Instructor, Thierry, of that site (Thierry (Terry) was unbelievable and made this such a great experience)
Pool and Bar
It was great as you could learn of what dives were available and develop a relationship with the people you would dive with in the morning (this was a huge asset to new divers (i.e. my better half) to help settle any concerns that they had) Dives happened three times a day 8am, 10 am, and 1or 3 pm. All sites (4 or 5) except one were 5-10 minutes from the resort/dive center so the surface interval was spent riding back to the dive center and getting new tanks. Night diving is available but you need a few people, I think 3-4 , to sign up before that happens. Cost of a dive I believe was around $65/dive (that included all gear, tank and shorty wetsuit) .no discount if you had your own stuff. Packages could be purchased for a discount and what you didnt use could be applied at the other Blue Nui centers.
The Dive Center it was a few steps from our bungalow (the furthest bungalow was maybe a 3-4 minute walk). All of our gear was stored at the center and locked up (we brought our own gear). Fresh water dunk tank and shower were right next to the boat. When we got to the boat in the morning everything was on the boat and ready to go .It was great. We did not use the centers gear but it looked in very good shape .. especially after hearing some stories of what others had dived with on other Islands during there stay. The dive boat was about 23 , Aluminum with twin engines .. so it was a quick ride to the sites.
Diving
We typically did the two morning dives as it left the rest of the day to chill out. The circus , the cleaning station, was typically the first dive, then in the ocean for the later dives. Vis was Ok inside the lagoon .but much better outside. Of course Mantas were cruising all around while at the circus. The reef offered tons of fish and some nice hard coral. Boat moored on the reef edge of the wall which was several thousand feet deep. Sharks (black tip and Grey reef ) were in the area but after a while left. Lots of stuff to see. Never got below 80 feet and typically stayed around 60-70 feet. Vis was great and the water temp was an nice 82 degrees. A few days prior to our arrival a Humpback whale and her calf were spotted so the divers got a special treat and were able to snorkel along side her.
Cost . well best not to look at the cost of things anywhere in FP and if you looking to do it on a tight budget this might not be the best spot (French Polynesia) to come to ..As with the trip everything is expensive .From about $3.50 US for an 8oz bottle of coke (yes I said 8oz) to the $20.00/person breakfast of scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, various types of bread rolls croissants Dinner well we wont go there..If your going best to get a prepaid meal plan ..and go to happy hour at the bar (next to the pool) from 5 to 6 pm to get the best deals if your looking for tropical drinks $6-7 ..otherwise $13.00 a pop.
Bora Bora to come later
What a great trip this was for us .. Our first destination was Manihi, an Atoll about 350 miles north of Tahiti. Manihi is part of the Tuamotus Island chain which also includes Tikehau and Rangiroa to name a few. We flew into Rangiroa on our way to Manihi . WOW to see the Lagoon of Rangiroa .color was remarkable !!!!! Different hues of Blues and Greens just looked electric under the sun. Next time we will spend a few days on Rangiroa to discover its lagoon.
It was only a short trip to Manihi from there and once again we were awe struck by the appearance of the lagoon and surrounding waters. We came to find out that many a time this lagoon is used for photo ops as it is so nice. The Atoll is about 3 miles wide and somewhere around 19 miles in length. A small airstrip is all the twin prop plane has to land on and there is no control tower or anything else for that matter ..just a wind sock for the pilot to use for guidance .The airport . a lonely thatched roof hut.
MANIHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT .Hello
There is little to do on this atoll ..except relax ..which was almost automatic .The resort does run some activities i.e. Picnic on a motu(small Island), visit a pearl farm, some snorkeling trips and of course diving. The travel brochures inform that this is mainly a diving destination however we found that while we were there only a handful were divers. There is only one restaurant with the resort or anywhere for that matter .. so choice was very limited .food was OK and you have the most luck if you enjoy fish .
The resort is relatively small ..somewhere around 30-40 bungalows between overwater to beach front to garden accommodations, this was what we liked about it .. If youre looking for crowds, stay on Tahiti or go to Hawaii (I heard some where that Hawaii has more visitors in a month or a week .well you get the idea .. than Tahiti has in a whole year) Of course the over waters are the most expensive and the Garden are the least expensive ..The overwaters allow you to snorkel right off your sun deck ..which was pretty neat.
Resort from boat
The weather was perfect....most of the time bright clear skies (an occasional shower would come and go) and temps in the mid 80's.....November starts Polynesias summer months and brings more considerable rain so we were told. The refreshing breeze continued day and night....which made for a very comfortable stay.
Service was great ..the Polynesians and many French (as this is French Territory) where all extremely friendly and accommodating.
Blue Nui Dive Center
This is the only center on the atoll ( that we knew of) but after our experience even if there were others I wouldnt dive with anyone else. They are a group of four centers (Manihi, Bora Bora, Tikehau and Tahaa). The night prior to diving anyone who wanted to dive would meet at the Bar and talk one on one with the Dive masters or the Manager/Dive Instructor, Thierry, of that site (Thierry (Terry) was unbelievable and made this such a great experience)
Pool and Bar
It was great as you could learn of what dives were available and develop a relationship with the people you would dive with in the morning (this was a huge asset to new divers (i.e. my better half) to help settle any concerns that they had) Dives happened three times a day 8am, 10 am, and 1or 3 pm. All sites (4 or 5) except one were 5-10 minutes from the resort/dive center so the surface interval was spent riding back to the dive center and getting new tanks. Night diving is available but you need a few people, I think 3-4 , to sign up before that happens. Cost of a dive I believe was around $65/dive (that included all gear, tank and shorty wetsuit) .no discount if you had your own stuff. Packages could be purchased for a discount and what you didnt use could be applied at the other Blue Nui centers.
The Dive Center it was a few steps from our bungalow (the furthest bungalow was maybe a 3-4 minute walk). All of our gear was stored at the center and locked up (we brought our own gear). Fresh water dunk tank and shower were right next to the boat. When we got to the boat in the morning everything was on the boat and ready to go .It was great. We did not use the centers gear but it looked in very good shape .. especially after hearing some stories of what others had dived with on other Islands during there stay. The dive boat was about 23 , Aluminum with twin engines .. so it was a quick ride to the sites.
Diving
We typically did the two morning dives as it left the rest of the day to chill out. The circus , the cleaning station, was typically the first dive, then in the ocean for the later dives. Vis was Ok inside the lagoon .but much better outside. Of course Mantas were cruising all around while at the circus. The reef offered tons of fish and some nice hard coral. Boat moored on the reef edge of the wall which was several thousand feet deep. Sharks (black tip and Grey reef ) were in the area but after a while left. Lots of stuff to see. Never got below 80 feet and typically stayed around 60-70 feet. Vis was great and the water temp was an nice 82 degrees. A few days prior to our arrival a Humpback whale and her calf were spotted so the divers got a special treat and were able to snorkel along side her.
Cost . well best not to look at the cost of things anywhere in FP and if you looking to do it on a tight budget this might not be the best spot (French Polynesia) to come to ..As with the trip everything is expensive .From about $3.50 US for an 8oz bottle of coke (yes I said 8oz) to the $20.00/person breakfast of scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, various types of bread rolls croissants Dinner well we wont go there..If your going best to get a prepaid meal plan ..and go to happy hour at the bar (next to the pool) from 5 to 6 pm to get the best deals if your looking for tropical drinks $6-7 ..otherwise $13.00 a pop.
Bora Bora to come later
