Hi, All
With the Caribbean reefs in poor health, I’m switching up my dive travel destinations. Living on the West Coast of the USA in Portland, Oregon, it takes less travel time to get to the South Pacific than it does to get to the Caribbean islands. This year, I’m exploring my boundaries to the South Pacific, and this is the fourth segment of my 50-day adventure, via cruise ship from Sydney, Australia, to Honolulu, Hawaii. I’ll conclude my travels on The Big Island, Hawaii.
The first portion of this trip started on the island of Taveuni, Fiji. I stayed at Paradise Taveuni , and I wrote a trip report on that experience. Trip Report - Paradise Taveuni-March/April 2024
The second portion of this trip was on the main island of Fiji, Viti Levu, staying at Volivoli Beach Resort in Rakiraki. Trip Report - Volivoli Resort, Fiji-April 2-11, 2024
The third portion of the trip was a single day of diving in Sydney, Australia. Trip Report - Sydney, Australia-April 2024
I had never been to French Polynesia (FP), and I wanted to experience what it was like to dive there with an eye towards a future dive destination. The cruise made three stops in FP, Papeete, Moorea, and Raiatea. I was unable to coordinate any diving in Moorea due to the ship’s arrival time.
I went diving with Fluid Tahiti in Papeete. The cost included the equipment and I paid extra for the round-trip transfer. There was a mix-up with the meeting location, the taxi driver not finding me, back-and-forth texting, and I arrived very late for the first dive. Fortunately, they had two boats, so I got on the second boat going out and still got two dives. The shop staff and the dive guide spoke very good English. I was diving with two other French women. I was on a smaller boat, perhaps enough room for six divers, and we did a back-roll for entry. The dive guide was also the boat captain. There was a briefing, but it was…brief. Otherwise, I felt safe and it was an ordinary two-tank dive.
The reef is in rough condition and very browned out. The first dive was at a wreck, and the visibility was not great. A few divers couldn’t follow the guide and lost their way, and they surfaced in a short time. I stuck close to the guide and was rewarded with a yellow seahorse in the sand. Otherwise, I didn’t take many pictures. I make it a practice to not put a photography flash on a seahorse more than three times, so I think this was the best shot (below).
In Raiatea, I went diving with Hemisphere Sub. The cruise ship docked very close to the pickup point, and the round-trip transfer was included with the cost of diving, along with equipment. There were eight divers from the ship, all with varying experience levels, mostly vacation divers doing it once a year and those with large gaps of time from their last dive. The boat was large and roomy, and the staff did a great job. It was safe and uneventful.
I enjoyed the diving here much more than Papeete. Though the visibility was still a challenge, the dives included a reef and a wreck with decent healthy coral in most places, and sightings included an eagle ray, 3 white tip sharks, and I counted 10 turtles. There was also some nice topography in and around the wreck. Here, I got a few more photos.
The above-water landscape is stunning! The reefs reach a long ways from shore in shallow water and make some beautiful contrasting shades of blue in the reflecting sun. There are lots of things to do topside.
I’m happy I had the opportunity to try diving in FP. I would not return to make a dedicated dive trip at these locations. I hear that Fakarava and Rangiroa are the places to go. That may be a trip for the future. I would categorize the location as a vacation destination with a dive or two thrown in for fun and see what you see. If you do decide to visit, keep in mind the cruise ships come in from about October to April. Many cruise lines make FP a regular stop on their itinerary, and others, like the one I was on, are leaving Australia to cross the Pacific to bring the ships over for the Alaska season.
With the Caribbean reefs in poor health, I’m switching up my dive travel destinations. Living on the West Coast of the USA in Portland, Oregon, it takes less travel time to get to the South Pacific than it does to get to the Caribbean islands. This year, I’m exploring my boundaries to the South Pacific, and this is the fourth segment of my 50-day adventure, via cruise ship from Sydney, Australia, to Honolulu, Hawaii. I’ll conclude my travels on The Big Island, Hawaii.
The first portion of this trip started on the island of Taveuni, Fiji. I stayed at Paradise Taveuni , and I wrote a trip report on that experience. Trip Report - Paradise Taveuni-March/April 2024
The second portion of this trip was on the main island of Fiji, Viti Levu, staying at Volivoli Beach Resort in Rakiraki. Trip Report - Volivoli Resort, Fiji-April 2-11, 2024
The third portion of the trip was a single day of diving in Sydney, Australia. Trip Report - Sydney, Australia-April 2024
I had never been to French Polynesia (FP), and I wanted to experience what it was like to dive there with an eye towards a future dive destination. The cruise made three stops in FP, Papeete, Moorea, and Raiatea. I was unable to coordinate any diving in Moorea due to the ship’s arrival time.
I went diving with Fluid Tahiti in Papeete. The cost included the equipment and I paid extra for the round-trip transfer. There was a mix-up with the meeting location, the taxi driver not finding me, back-and-forth texting, and I arrived very late for the first dive. Fortunately, they had two boats, so I got on the second boat going out and still got two dives. The shop staff and the dive guide spoke very good English. I was diving with two other French women. I was on a smaller boat, perhaps enough room for six divers, and we did a back-roll for entry. The dive guide was also the boat captain. There was a briefing, but it was…brief. Otherwise, I felt safe and it was an ordinary two-tank dive.
The reef is in rough condition and very browned out. The first dive was at a wreck, and the visibility was not great. A few divers couldn’t follow the guide and lost their way, and they surfaced in a short time. I stuck close to the guide and was rewarded with a yellow seahorse in the sand. Otherwise, I didn’t take many pictures. I make it a practice to not put a photography flash on a seahorse more than three times, so I think this was the best shot (below).
In Raiatea, I went diving with Hemisphere Sub. The cruise ship docked very close to the pickup point, and the round-trip transfer was included with the cost of diving, along with equipment. There were eight divers from the ship, all with varying experience levels, mostly vacation divers doing it once a year and those with large gaps of time from their last dive. The boat was large and roomy, and the staff did a great job. It was safe and uneventful.
I enjoyed the diving here much more than Papeete. Though the visibility was still a challenge, the dives included a reef and a wreck with decent healthy coral in most places, and sightings included an eagle ray, 3 white tip sharks, and I counted 10 turtles. There was also some nice topography in and around the wreck. Here, I got a few more photos.
The above-water landscape is stunning! The reefs reach a long ways from shore in shallow water and make some beautiful contrasting shades of blue in the reflecting sun. There are lots of things to do topside.
I’m happy I had the opportunity to try diving in FP. I would not return to make a dedicated dive trip at these locations. I hear that Fakarava and Rangiroa are the places to go. That may be a trip for the future. I would categorize the location as a vacation destination with a dive or two thrown in for fun and see what you see. If you do decide to visit, keep in mind the cruise ships come in from about October to April. Many cruise lines make FP a regular stop on their itinerary, and others, like the one I was on, are leaving Australia to cross the Pacific to bring the ships over for the Alaska season.
