Live from Rangiroa!

[oira79]

Just finished 3 very good two-dive days with the Six Passengers in Rangiroa. We've seen dolphins almost every dive. Today I saw a silvertip shark so close up that I saw a hook in its mouth. Spotted eagle rays, no mantas yet, but hopeful. Huge schools of jackfish. This morning I hung onto a rock and the school came so close to me that I practically joined it.

The water temperature is reasonable with a 3mm wetsuit. Current varies; today we had a strong-current drift dive, which was fun. Good viz, 20-30 meters.

The Six Passengers used to be named after the number they would take on any one dive but now there's a boat called The Double Six. I still like the divemasters. They set up your gear and put it on the boat, very nice if you're using a heavy negatively-buoyant tank as I am.

We're staying in Raira Lagon, also so far so good. We paid for garden view but we have semi-ocean view. Nice view from the restaurant and very peaceful here. It's a good mid-priced option. I'm a wine lover (blog.wblakegray.com) so I'm pleased that their wine list is decent and reasonably priced, not the case in much of French Polynesia. Very solid Petit Chablis last night for 3400 francs.

If you're thinking about coming to Rangiroa, there are grocery stores open with reasonable stocks, unlike Fakarava where we're headed next. But I don't see any dive shops, so bring any equipment you need. We're renting everything save masks. The Six Passengers does not have strap-on fins, so I'm not using my booties, and fortunately I brought business socks as quasi-booties (veteran tip).

 

[electrix]

Sounds great !! It is at the top of my list for diving.

 

[WalhaiBH]

High ,
going to be in Fakarava ( Tetamanu )and Rangiora ( Pension Bounty / six Passengers)in Nov/ Dec. Could you please tell me what prices can I expect in the supermarkt or pension. (Beer wine water fruits chocolates )Thanks for your help
Herbie from Germ,any

 

[oira79]

Herbie: Supermarket prices are not as bad as you'd think in Rangiroa, not much higher than Germany. But the markets here are not refrigerated, so the stuff in boxes and cans looks pretty dusty. Still, if you plan to cook and have equipment to cook, you can do so here. Produce is limited but available; there are eggs, milk and meat. Wine is poorly stored in markets, but my pension apparently buys wine direct and stores in a fridge and that makes a difference.

On Fakarava, your choices will be much, much more limited. Anything you really want to eat, you should bring. If you're going to Fakarava first, bring it from Germany.

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Also, there is one pharmacy on Rangiroa, none (i believe) on Fakarava. So I brought a bag of the sort of medications you might need on a dive trip but are used to being able to easily buy: over-the-counter painkillers, cold medicine, antibiotic cream, bandages. Hopefully that bag will remain full for this entire trip, but if you needed something like that, you might not be able to get it here, in either place.

 

[WalhaiBH]

Thanks for the info, looking forward going. I`ll be in the US first ,doing the Grand Canyon japanese style .Work at the DEMA in Las Vegas and afterwards to Tahiti. In Fakarava we having full board, so there is only the drinks . In Rangiora it is half board ,but we do have a kitchen and a fridge.
Thanks Herbie

 

[oira79]

Full board in Fakarava? I guess you have no choice in Tetamanu, you're at the other end of the island from where everything is. Great diving down there.

My statement about medicines goes quadruple in Tetamanu. They're not even going to have aspirin unless you can buy one from a fellow traveler.

Here are some must-carries for me: antibiotic cream. You have to hang onto the corals here, even live ones. I don't like doing it but it's the way drift dives in the north of the island are structured. I have had several minor scrapes and you really want antibiotics on that right away.
Mosquito repellant.
Tiger Balm, which is very effective at reducing the itch of mosquito bites (also works on sore muscles)

Ziploc plastic bags. Food attracts all sorts of critters to your room, so any opened packages should be zipped shut.

You can buy anything you want in Las Vegas, you don't need to bring anything from Germany unless you really need a particular brand of something.

Don't bring chocolates. They'll melt in transit. Buy locally; Rangiroa has some, mostly Cadbury, probably stale. We're going without.