Recommendations for Dive Company & Sites in Moorea

[Derrek Davis]

My wife and I are heading to Moorea for a little R&R but also want to dive some while there. We would appreciate some guidance on what dive shop to use and a list of top 5 dive sites. We know the diving is average, but we are not there specifically to dive, and the wife loves sharks and rays, so I am sure she will be happy with most any dive here.

We are staying at the Hilton Resort, so were considering TopDive since it is onsite. However, we really prefer the smaller operations that give more personal services and who don't do the touristy dives, but the true diver dives. Seems like FunDive would be that type of dive shop?

Thanks in advance for all your insights and guidance.

 

[Cali_diver]

Top Dive is fine. The diving in Moorea is not very good. Reef is in poor condition. There are lemon sharks and black tips with a few turtles but that is about it.

 

[Wingy]

I am not a fan of TopDive and the way they operate at all. Moorea diving is pretty bland...coral gardens is about the only site that wasnt totally boring. There is a guy at the Moorea Pearl hotel who does SMALL groups and less cattleboat style dives then Top Dive. Other than that, agree with everything Cali divergirl said. Heres Lino at the Pearls site which gives you an idea of what diving is on offer - he only leaves early mornings tho unless its super high season

http://www.spmhotels.com/resort/moorea/experience/diving


If you are looking for the truer diver dives.....go to rangiroa and fakarava. You wont find anything awesome in Moorea.

 

[Cali_diver]

We had the top dive boat to ourselves both days we were in Moorea this year so I guess we were lucky, but in Bora Bora the top dive boat was small with two groups of 6-8 divers with 2 DMs/Guides. They were over crowded in Rangiroa as well. Maybe if you find a smaller op they will take you somewhere better....

 

[TSandM]

I would strongly recommend AGAINST TopDive on Moorea, and this is why: A friend of ours was diving on their boat, and she finished her dive. They had left the boat entirely unattended, so she had no help getting back on. She lost her balance and fell against the engine housing, because there were no handholds to catch herself. She shattered her shoulder (and ended her diving career) and had to be airlifted off Moorea.

Now, this could happen to anyone, and I wouldn't blame the dive op for it. But we dove with them two weeks later, and NOTHING had been changed. They STILL left the boat unattended, there was no help for divers reboarding, and they hadn't even installed any handholds or anything to stabilize people. When you've had a diver badly enough injured on your boat to get airlifted off, I think you should look at your setup and your procedures and figure out if there is anything you can fix to keep it from happening again. I would NEVER dive with them again.

 

[charlier]

Hi all - rather than start a new thread, I wanted to ask about a related comment from Wingy. We live in Singapore and would like to visit Rangiroa or Rakarava (or...). My wife and I are experienced divers, comfortable with strong currents, etc. We like healthy coral, schooling fish, large pelagics, and importantly not many other divers. Liveaboard or land based recommendations are appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Wingy]

I dived Rangiroa with Rangiroa Paradive and could not recommend them highly enough - no coral at Rangi but drift dives that will blow your mind. There is no shore diving. In Fakarava Serge at Fakarava diving centre if he will dive with you - have had a few friends who have had bookings and arrived and been turned away - Serge wouldn't take my booking and offered no explanation for why, a friend who emailed in French got a warm welcome. Seems who Serge allows to dive with him is up to him. I then booked with Dive Spirit Fakarava were much friendlier. Top Dive in BB have had shark bites because of their constant habit of feeding sharks, in Moorea incidents like TSandM stated and while I was there a girl had her arm almost severed by a baracuda again in the area where topdive do baited dives....there is not a single reason on earth other than greed and pumping out DSD tourists to bait sharks anywhere in FP.

Contact Frank at Rangiroa Paradive (tell him Cindy referred you) and also would recommend staying at Pension Teina and Marie..lobster for dinner and breakfast included at a great rate. I chose Rangiroa Paradive over 6 passengers because even 6 passengers is too many for me

The French Gendarmes should look into Top Dives practices all through FP.

 

[Laurie S.]

I highly recommend Fun Dive in Moorea. I dove with them in 2011 and will be going back next August.

 

[TSandM]

That's strange information about Serge. We dove with him when he was working for TopDive on Rangiroa, and he was one of THE best dive guides I've ever had the pleasure to get in the water with. Not just knowledgeable, but bright, enthusiastic, cheerful, and obviously very much in love with the diving there.