#21205 - 01/02/06 07:02 AM
Suggestions
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greatpumkin
Junior Member
Registered: 09/26/03
Posts: 36
Loc: Milwaukee, WI USA
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My wife and I are planning a vacation and this will be our second trip to FP. We will be visiting Bora (again) and would like to go to one additional island or atoll.
We are new to diving and plan on getting certified before we go. What would be a good place to spend three or four nights that would have acceptable diving for new divers?
Manihi is of interest to us as we are interested in seeing the black pearl farms. Anyone have any experience diving Manihi?
Thanks,
Scott
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GP
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#21206 - 01/06/06 06:47 PM
Re: Suggestions
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frequentflier
Member
Registered: 03/13/04
Posts: 86
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We dove in Manihi in 2005 as fairly inexperienced divers and the conditions are good for new divers. It is a very short boat ride (unlike Tikehau) with incredibly clear water and nice coral. There are nice areas not very deep. Rangiroa is also incredible. The pass is a little more advanced but with Six Passengers Diving we were taken through when conditions were good for a less technical dive. Fakarava is also great for diving and Pension Havaiki is an actual Pearl Farm. I got a few pearls there I really liked for the best prices I've seen in my travels and the food is wonderful and setting is very nice. It is not a 5 star resort but does have clean comfortable huts and is a very friendly place. The diving company picks you up right there, you can ride bikes to town. If you are going to dive, the Tuamotos are the place to go.
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#21207 - 01/07/06 04:44 PM
Re: Suggestions
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minou
Member
Registered: 11/30/05
Posts: 45
Loc: netherlands
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we haven't dived the tuamotus yet but are going to fakarava next month. i've looked into quite a bit of info about the diving there and although there are some dives that are for relatively experienced divers, i'm under the impression that many dive sites are very well accessible to new divers. be aware however, you'll probably be so spoilt as a new diver, you will not want to dive anywhere else afterwards! :-).
frequentflier, who did you dive with in fakarava and what time of the year was it? we booked half board at havaiki, any suggestions for lunch?
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#21208 - 01/07/06 05:01 PM
Re: Suggestions
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STM
Expert Advisor
Registered: 10/15/01
Posts: 1616
Loc: Oregon, USA
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All the tourist islands have dive sites good for beginners. Depths are typically 50-75 feet, water is clear and fairly warm, lots to see.
There are some more advanced dives available, but you have to ask to go on them, and there have to be enough advanced divers to make up a boat load.
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#21209 - 01/07/06 05:50 PM
Re: Suggestions
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greatpumkin
Junior Member
Registered: 09/26/03
Posts: 36
Loc: Milwaukee, WI USA
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Thanks for your thoughts - makes me want to go now! Are the atolls such as Rangiroa and Manihi much less crowded then Bora and Moorea (not to say they are crowded)?
We spent our first trip on the main island of Tahiti and traveled to Bora Bora and Moorea. Of these three the only one I would re-visit would be Bora. Not that I didn't like Moorea but I would rather try something new.
We stayed at the Sofitel Motu on Bora and loved having the ability to snorkel right from the overwater bungalows. It was like being isolated but within reach of at least a few people and a few restaurants.
I am trying to gage how isolated you feel when traveling to the atolls. Are you super limited as to restaurants? Also, is snorkeling accessable from the OTW bungalows? Is three nights enough to devote to an individual atoll?
Sorry for so many questions, but I learned so much from this forum on my first trip that now I am greedy. 
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GP
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#21210 - 01/07/06 07:52 PM
Re: Suggestions
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frequentflier
Member
Registered: 03/13/04
Posts: 86
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minou- we actually took full board at Havaiki as we remeber - it was 3 years ago. There was a little basic grocery store a couple "blocks" away which we rode to on the bikes they provided. We also stayed one night in a very small pension (while waiting for Motu Aito to take us to their place) and were taken "out to eat" at a place that looked like someone's house if you didn't know they served food. Otherwise I don't remeber any restaurants but we weren't looking and things may have changed. There is the Maitai Dream Resort where you could eat. The food at Havaiki is so good (some of the best we've had in our travels) that you night want to consider just eating there. Plus if you're diving it's simpler than trying to find a restaurant. Can't remember the name of the dive place but it is also just down the road and they will pick you up in their pickup. We went in October and the water in front of Haivaiki was pretty churned up when we were there but at the southern pass by Motu Aito the water and snorkeling was incredible.
greatpumpkin-the atolls (to us anyway) are very different than Bora and Moorea. We had the feeling of being at the end of the world. You are frequently pretty limited to the restaurant at the resort unless you stay in a pension closer to the village. Transportation can be tricky or expensive. Sometimes there are little grocery stores where you can get snacks or lunch items. They are incredibly beautiful with amazing diving possibilities. Three days can be enough if the flight times are OK, we like to stay 4 or 5 but we like lots of time just to read, walk, relax. Snorkeling was accessible right from the bungalows at Manihi Pearl. In Tikehau, Rangiroa, and Fakarava we stayed at pensions.
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#21211 - 01/08/06 07:46 AM
Re: Suggestions
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greatpumkin
Junior Member
Registered: 09/26/03
Posts: 36
Loc: Milwaukee, WI USA
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frequentflier-
Thanks for the complete answer! You hit on every subject. We too like the 'end of the world' feel - as long as your comfortable and happy with where you can go to eat. I would not have a problem with limited or no choices in where to eat as long as I liked the restaurant.
How do the water colors compare in Manihi and Rangiroa to Bora Bora? I would be disappointed if I flew all the way to FP and didn't see the fantastic hues that I saw in BB.
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GP
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#21212 - 01/08/06 01:54 PM
Re: Suggestions
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minou
Member
Registered: 11/30/05
Posts: 45
Loc: netherlands
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thanks for the info frequentflier, good to hear that you also went to Motu Aito, because we'll be staying there for 3 nights after 4 nights Havaiki. Any suggestions of things we need to bring to the motu? Are PADI certified divers widely accepted by the French diving organisations? Does anyone know how their Niveau I or II relates to PADI levels?
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#21213 - 01/08/06 05:10 PM
Re: Suggestions
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frequentflier
Member
Registered: 03/13/04
Posts: 86
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Take your sense of adventure, some flexibility and expectations to an incredible place and do some amazing snorkeling in the pass. When we arrived Manihi and his wife picked us up in their pickup and told us we wouldn't be going out to the motu until the next day. They took wonderful care of us, we stayed at a very small pension owned by his brother-in law, and they took us out to dinner. We met other travelers and it was a great memory. They will stop by the little grocery so you can pick up some snacks and drinks if you like. We usually bring our own little bottles of liquor from home and then buy fruit juice(great boxed juices in Tahiti), sodas, beer etc. when we're closer to where we're going. It's nice to have snacks for your own happy hour. They will be happy to store cold stuff for you in their fridge. We had our own towels. They may have provided some if you asked. The showers are a simple affair in a patio by your hut (fenced in) basically a hand held showerhead on a hose. We took our masks, snorkels and fins of course. The excursions of the day depend on who is there, what the weather is like and what everyone wants to do. The diving company that was on the south pass wasn't operational while we were there but the snorkeling was as good as some of the shallower dives we have done. It was my favorite snorkeling ever. Shouldn't need much else except some sort of water shoes, bathing suit, reading material. I can email you some photos if you want to send your email address.
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#21214 - 01/09/06 09:51 AM
Re: Suggestions
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minou
Member
Registered: 11/30/05
Posts: 45
Loc: netherlands
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tnx for the elaborate info! we've arranged our stay with Te Ava Nui diving company, which is the one from the north, but they have a base in the south now, where they take you for 4-day trips, so I suppose they'll take care of the transport. I've read only positive remarks about the place, so I'm really looking forward to it. No worries about the sense of adventure or the flexibility, we always stay at basic accommodations during our holidays, I personally think it's so much more fun than the fancy hotels!
Good to know about towels and snacks and stuff, I always try to travel as light as we can, as we can leave a lot of stuff with our friends in Papeete, and bring as little as possible to the islands.
I would love to see some photos, I'm at marionkorting@hotmail.com
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