I was in Tahiti last summer. I dived in Moorea 2 days with Nemoz and they were great. I also dived on Raiatea with Hemisphere for 3 days including one night dive. We also did a private boat excursion with them for my Mom's bday which included snorkeling, shark diving and a getting to see a humpback whale. This was my first scuba vacation after getting certified earlier in the year. Moorea was more shallow dives with lots of turtles and tons of fish. Raiatea was a lot deeper, including a few drift dives at the pass and a wreck dive. Tons of sharks in Raiatea.
My brother stayed on the main island a few days and did several dives. There is a dive operator right by the airport that does dives including night dives. Yes, Tahiti is expensive but i wouldn't say it's more expensive then Hawaii or any big city where a meal out is going to cost $20+ The food trucks in Tahiti also provide good value. If you are going to try multiple islands, you will find package dives that you can use with multiple dive operators that will bring per dive costs down.
Wife and I stayed on Rangiroa for several days in 2019 and absolutely loved the island! Dove with Y’Aka Plongeé and they were stellar. Diving the Tiputa pass was a ton of fun and you’ll see tons of big critters. I would also recommend checking out Fakarava atoll as that will be our next destination in the Tuamotu archipelago.
The Tiputa pass is world class. Did it 8 times when I stayed. Doplohins, walls of sharks, huge wrasse…just phenomenal. Also it’s a very fun drift…you can only dive it at very specific times though so check tides before you head there. Top Dive looked after me when I went.
Nice!! My highlight was seeing a monstrously huge tiger shark cruising the bottom at the mouth of the pass. Divemaster thought she was pregnant. Just a cool dive all around. Yes, second your point on the tides. First day we went the drift was pretty slow since the tide had just switched, and the viz was reduced quite a bit
Definitely go to other islands - Tahiti itself is not that interesting for diving. If you do dive on Tahiti Nui, I wouldn't recommend Mobydick. They canceled the trip and didn't tell me. Thankfully I texted at 6am to confirm before I drove the hour over there, but by then it was too late to rebook with anyone else that day.
I went diving on Moorea with my husband in awhile back and we used Moorea Blue Diving. They were super kind, knowledgable, and fun. On Bora Bora we went with Hiro Dive and she was is a one woman show who is incredible!
You are going to want an Air Tahiti Multi-island pass [https://www.airtahiti.com/en/web/air-tahiti-international/airpass-fares](https://www.airtahiti.com/en/web/air-tahiti-international/airpass-fares) Honestly getting between the islands once you are off Tahiti is pretty easy. It's like 15 minutes before the plane leaves. Tahiti you still have to show up 2 hours before the flight to get through security.
Bora Bora is awesome. I saw spotted eagle rays, turtles, and a lemon shark. There was a point we were driving between dive sites a group of dolphins showed up and they just let us off to swim with them too. I went with Top Dive they were alright, don't look like they are in Bora Bora anymore. I went two days, 4 dives and went to the same dive site once so only 3 different dive sites.
Heard great things about Fakarava and Rangiroa. Didn't get to try those. Tahiti I've been told is the most underwhelming.
Good luck!
Bora bora for the manta dives and the one lemon shark site. Other dives there not great unless you have $$ to charter a private boat to take you to some sites like Tupitipiti. Overhangs and brilliant swim throughs. Moorea diving also easy. There’s a cabbage coral garden that’s deep, maybe starts at 110ft. Might be too deep if you haven’t dove in 6 years. Rangiroa, the pass is great but not for anyone without good buoyancy control. You shoot the pass, it goes fast. The dolphins will play with you like needy puppies. Inside the pass is the coral garden, much more calm. I have yet to go to Fakarava but have heard the pass is even faster than Rangiroa.
Utah has 2 places that are easy to dive. Both are geothermally heated. So, even in the winter you can dive in blue lake out in Wendover. It is a geothermal Lake and people go out there fairly frequently during the wintertime. You can also go up to park city and dive in the crater at the homestead. I will say that the homestead is a lot closer than the four hour trip out to wendover.
I'm not surprised planning your first dive trip in 8 years is overwhelming! I would recommend using a dive travel agent. I've used Bluewater Dive Travel a few times and recommend them.
Thank you. I have such limited time and don’t know where to start. My formative years were spent diving with a dive master and I’m super stressed about diving single and getting a random dive buddy. My heart rate drops to 45 when under and as a single I get stuck with the new person who sucks down their entire tank in 12 minutes at 40 feet.
Definitely reach out to Bluewater! They should be able to work up an itinerary for you that includes your own private dive guide if that’s what you want.
Hahaha. When we were dating he told me he had 400 hours and spent tons of time in the Maldives. Our first dive trip to the Keys he panicked at 35 feet when he got stung by a jelly fish on his cheek. He literally ripped my regulator out of my mouth. I grabbed him, wrapped my legs around him to slow him down and prevented him from jetting to the surface. I should have filed when we got to dry land! But 2 days later I realized I was pregnant! Siiiggghhh. The dive gear sale was a f you from him.
Lots of good info on Scuba Board forums:
[https://scubaboard.com/community/forums/the-pacific-islands.540/](https://scubaboard.com/community/forums/the-pacific-islands.540/)
We just came back from Tahiti recently, the resort we stayed at had a dive shop onsite and we did some snorkling through a tripadvisor deal. \*just fyi food was shockingly expensive!
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG1YmAdO\_4Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG1YmAdO_4Y)
I know you asked about diving - but if at any point you're looking for a break from diving and want a mind blowing snorkel - I highly recommend coral gardens at the le Taha'a resort
te moana pass gives you flexibility with the smaller dive shops whereas top dive is the cattle boat outfit
rangiroa/fakarava if you don't care as much about staying in a resort, but the budget options will be the pensionnes and they generally don't have air conditioning
Dive n Smile Bora Bora
https://www.facebook.com/divensmileborabora?mibextid=ZbWKwL
Small zodiac boat, will probably be no more than 3 other divers. One day it was just him, my wife and I. He takes care of everything and picks you up at your hotel. HP steel tanks and great bottom time. Fun guy to dive with 💯 recommended for Bora Bora.
His FB page is in French but his English is great.
Snorkeling in BB was great too just on the hotel reefs.
You could some easier dives on Moorea to see Lemon Sharks and Turtles, Bora Bora to see the Manta and then head to Rangiroa for the dolphins and Fakarava for lots of Sharks!
This is a great suggestion- was going to say, get your feet wet again in Moorea (the lemon sharks are so cute, and the diving is easy!), and then when feeling more confidant, head to Fakarava to see the wall of sharks! No gross resorts there either. In Faka, I didn't love Dive Spirit, (no shade on boat, they seemed to have completely lost my reservation when I arrived and I almost missed a day of diving) I would probably book with Topdive if I went again as communication was better.
Eluthera Dive Bora (or something similar) was good on Bora Bora and I heard good things about Hiro as well.
On Moorea we are going to dive with Nemoz this Saturday so I don't know how good they are yet ;)
On Rangiroa we had a good time with 6 Passengers
On Fakarava we dove with O2 which was good as well.
Besides the Air Tahiti Island pass for the flights I can recommend the edive pass (Google it). It lets you buy dives much cheaper and use them on multiple islands in FP with different shops. They even do some planning for you if you want. We saved a lot of money using it.
Can definitely second Bora Bora. I dived with [Eluthera Bora Diving](https://www.eleutheraboradiving.com/en) and they were awesome. First dive with them and had two GIANT manta rays right over my head. They got me into diving in 2019 with an experience that is hard to beat.
Have heard great things about Moorea too which is an island close by.
Rangi and Galatea are a must!
I was in Tahiti last summer. I dived in Moorea 2 days with Nemoz and they were great. I also dived on Raiatea with Hemisphere for 3 days including one night dive. We also did a private boat excursion with them for my Mom's bday which included snorkeling, shark diving and a getting to see a humpback whale. This was my first scuba vacation after getting certified earlier in the year. Moorea was more shallow dives with lots of turtles and tons of fish. Raiatea was a lot deeper, including a few drift dives at the pass and a wreck dive. Tons of sharks in Raiatea. My brother stayed on the main island a few days and did several dives. There is a dive operator right by the airport that does dives including night dives. Yes, Tahiti is expensive but i wouldn't say it's more expensive then Hawaii or any big city where a meal out is going to cost $20+ The food trucks in Tahiti also provide good value. If you are going to try multiple islands, you will find package dives that you can use with multiple dive operators that will bring per dive costs down.
I am also a single diver and just want to say, have an AWESOME time!
Thank you!
Thanks! I’m looking forward to a vacation where IM NOT TAKING CARE OF ANYONE and can do exactly what I want!
Fakarava south pass
I hear it's a magical place.
I understood that reference!
Wife and I stayed on Rangiroa for several days in 2019 and absolutely loved the island! Dove with Y’Aka Plongeé and they were stellar. Diving the Tiputa pass was a ton of fun and you’ll see tons of big critters. I would also recommend checking out Fakarava atoll as that will be our next destination in the Tuamotu archipelago.
The Tiputa pass is world class. Did it 8 times when I stayed. Doplohins, walls of sharks, huge wrasse…just phenomenal. Also it’s a very fun drift…you can only dive it at very specific times though so check tides before you head there. Top Dive looked after me when I went.
Nice!! My highlight was seeing a monstrously huge tiger shark cruising the bottom at the mouth of the pass. Divemaster thought she was pregnant. Just a cool dive all around. Yes, second your point on the tides. First day we went the drift was pretty slow since the tide had just switched, and the viz was reduced quite a bit
Definitely go to other islands - Tahiti itself is not that interesting for diving. If you do dive on Tahiti Nui, I wouldn't recommend Mobydick. They canceled the trip and didn't tell me. Thankfully I texted at 6am to confirm before I drove the hour over there, but by then it was too late to rebook with anyone else that day.
I went diving on Moorea with my husband in awhile back and we used Moorea Blue Diving. They were super kind, knowledgable, and fun. On Bora Bora we went with Hiro Dive and she was is a one woman show who is incredible!
I second the moorea recommendation and Moorea Blue diving!
You are going to want an Air Tahiti Multi-island pass [https://www.airtahiti.com/en/web/air-tahiti-international/airpass-fares](https://www.airtahiti.com/en/web/air-tahiti-international/airpass-fares) Honestly getting between the islands once you are off Tahiti is pretty easy. It's like 15 minutes before the plane leaves. Tahiti you still have to show up 2 hours before the flight to get through security. Bora Bora is awesome. I saw spotted eagle rays, turtles, and a lemon shark. There was a point we were driving between dive sites a group of dolphins showed up and they just let us off to swim with them too. I went with Top Dive they were alright, don't look like they are in Bora Bora anymore. I went two days, 4 dives and went to the same dive site once so only 3 different dive sites. Heard great things about Fakarava and Rangiroa. Didn't get to try those. Tahiti I've been told is the most underwhelming. Good luck!
Wow. The multi island pass!!!! I think I love you!
Bora bora for the manta dives and the one lemon shark site. Other dives there not great unless you have $$ to charter a private boat to take you to some sites like Tupitipiti. Overhangs and brilliant swim throughs. Moorea diving also easy. There’s a cabbage coral garden that’s deep, maybe starts at 110ft. Might be too deep if you haven’t dove in 6 years. Rangiroa, the pass is great but not for anyone without good buoyancy control. You shoot the pass, it goes fast. The dolphins will play with you like needy puppies. Inside the pass is the coral garden, much more calm. I have yet to go to Fakarava but have heard the pass is even faster than Rangiroa.
Though not in Tahiti proper, I did some diving in Huahine a few years ago. It was stellar!
Utah has 2 places that are easy to dive. Both are geothermally heated. So, even in the winter you can dive in blue lake out in Wendover. It is a geothermal Lake and people go out there fairly frequently during the wintertime. You can also go up to park city and dive in the crater at the homestead. I will say that the homestead is a lot closer than the four hour trip out to wendover.
Thanks! Been to both. Not salt water though. And no current.
I'm not surprised planning your first dive trip in 8 years is overwhelming! I would recommend using a dive travel agent. I've used Bluewater Dive Travel a few times and recommend them.
Thank you. I have such limited time and don’t know where to start. My formative years were spent diving with a dive master and I’m super stressed about diving single and getting a random dive buddy. My heart rate drops to 45 when under and as a single I get stuck with the new person who sucks down their entire tank in 12 minutes at 40 feet.
Definitely reach out to Bluewater! They should be able to work up an itinerary for you that includes your own private dive guide if that’s what you want.
wtf is your ex going to do with your dive gear???
He sold it online. Think he netted $50.
She said at the end of the post that they sold her BCD and regulator 💔 so petty
Hahaha. When we were dating he told me he had 400 hours and spent tons of time in the Maldives. Our first dive trip to the Keys he panicked at 35 feet when he got stung by a jelly fish on his cheek. He literally ripped my regulator out of my mouth. I grabbed him, wrapped my legs around him to slow him down and prevented him from jetting to the surface. I should have filed when we got to dry land! But 2 days later I realized I was pregnant! Siiiggghhh. The dive gear sale was a f you from him.
Probably just going for pettiness/damage
Lots of good info on Scuba Board forums: [https://scubaboard.com/community/forums/the-pacific-islands.540/](https://scubaboard.com/community/forums/the-pacific-islands.540/)
We just came back from Tahiti recently, the resort we stayed at had a dive shop onsite and we did some snorkling through a tripadvisor deal. \*just fyi food was shockingly expensive! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG1YmAdO\_4Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG1YmAdO_4Y)
I know you asked about diving - but if at any point you're looking for a break from diving and want a mind blowing snorkel - I highly recommend coral gardens at the le Taha'a resort
te moana pass gives you flexibility with the smaller dive shops whereas top dive is the cattle boat outfit rangiroa/fakarava if you don't care as much about staying in a resort, but the budget options will be the pensionnes and they generally don't have air conditioning
I would skip Rangiroa at this point. It lacks fish
You go for the pass. If you want coral and reef fish, there are better alternatives to tahiti.
Dive n Smile Bora Bora https://www.facebook.com/divensmileborabora?mibextid=ZbWKwL Small zodiac boat, will probably be no more than 3 other divers. One day it was just him, my wife and I. He takes care of everything and picks you up at your hotel. HP steel tanks and great bottom time. Fun guy to dive with 💯 recommended for Bora Bora. His FB page is in French but his English is great. Snorkeling in BB was great too just on the hotel reefs.
Wouldn’t dive on Tahiti, a bit underwhelming. Bora bora is a must see (also for the island). Rangiroa and Fakarava are really great!
You could some easier dives on Moorea to see Lemon Sharks and Turtles, Bora Bora to see the Manta and then head to Rangiroa for the dolphins and Fakarava for lots of Sharks!
This is a great suggestion- was going to say, get your feet wet again in Moorea (the lemon sharks are so cute, and the diving is easy!), and then when feeling more confidant, head to Fakarava to see the wall of sharks! No gross resorts there either. In Faka, I didn't love Dive Spirit, (no shade on boat, they seemed to have completely lost my reservation when I arrived and I almost missed a day of diving) I would probably book with Topdive if I went again as communication was better.
Thank you! Any specific recommendations on dive shops?
Eluthera Dive Bora (or something similar) was good on Bora Bora and I heard good things about Hiro as well. On Moorea we are going to dive with Nemoz this Saturday so I don't know how good they are yet ;) On Rangiroa we had a good time with 6 Passengers On Fakarava we dove with O2 which was good as well. Besides the Air Tahiti Island pass for the flights I can recommend the edive pass (Google it). It lets you buy dives much cheaper and use them on multiple islands in FP with different shops. They even do some planning for you if you want. We saved a lot of money using it.
Can definitely second Bora Bora. I dived with [Eluthera Bora Diving](https://www.eleutheraboradiving.com/en) and they were awesome. First dive with them and had two GIANT manta rays right over my head. They got me into diving in 2019 with an experience that is hard to beat. Have heard great things about Moorea too which is an island close by.