Instant Reader Report
on Raie Manta / Ariana Pension in
Tahiti and French Polynesia / Rurutu (Austral Island Group) on
2003/09
by
Laura Todd , CA, USA
Report Number 031110134811374

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 Hawaii, Honduras, Fiji, Sea of Cortez, Palau, Tonga, Niue 

Dive Conditions

Snorkeling only - contact with whales regulated  

There are no accomodations for photographers even though world famous UWP's
come here.  Bring a waterproof hard case for your stuff and expect to do
all care at your accomodation.    

Overall Rating

This trip was for whale watching, not diving, but is easily combined with
the quite good diving elsewhere in Tahiti. This operation is only open
July through October when the whales are around Rurutu.  They are the only
shop in town and it shows - a little competition would do Raie Manta a
world of good.  For US $100 per outing, customers are apparently entitled
to a pick up at their accomodation and 3 hours at sea and that's it.  The
staff barely spoke to customers all week, preferring to chat amongst
themselves and with the local boat drivers.  These guys deserve a mention
for the "Utterly Lacking in Service" award for stopping
unanounced at the local grocery store with an open truck full of shivering
customers post afternoon outing for about 20 minutes so the owner could do
his personal food shopping. Also sorely lacking was safety equipment.  The
only thing that could vaguely be construed as safety gear that I saw was a
cell phone; no life jackets, no throw ring, no radio, no first aid kit. 
Speaking of which, if you want anything to eat or drink, bring it with
you.  They advertise that raincoats are provided; in reality this means
there are 6 coats for 24 customers.  These do nothing to keep you dry but
do prevent freezing in the high winds and constant saltwater spray.  At
these prices, you'd think they could invest in some simple ladders, but
no.  Everybody has to scramble back into the fiberglass fishing boats
using the swim step.  All of this wouldn't be too big of a deal in calm
conditions, but it was rough as hell for us all week = swells in the 2 -3
meter range (6-9 feet plus) with gnarly chop sloshing around on top of
that due to the high winds.  Bring more seasick medication than you think
you'll ever go through.  I found the climate otherwise delightful with
daytime temps in the low 80's and into the low 70's at night, but others
were cold.  It is much cooler here compared to the rest of Tahiti. The
most important thing to know is that the island is not overrun with
whales.  The humpbacks do come here consistently, but only 12 - 20 and
they are mostly different whales each year.  Some years they are very
tolerant and even seek human interaction, sometimes they are quite shy. 
They are wild animals and there is no guarantee as to the nature of your
contact with them.  We had quite a bit of good surface sightings including
breaches but only 4 chances to be in the water with whales in a week.  

Pension Ariana has a lovely setting with bungalows scattered down a
flowering hill above a nice beach with sunset views.  Unfortunately the
accomodations could have been a lot cleaner; one customer complained that
they arrived to find the sheets from the previous guests still in place. 
The rooms were dark and very buggy.  Mosquito nets would go a long ways;
bring your own as "Mama" is not real receptive to feedback.  The
food was simple but adequate.  One guest who used the kitchen to prepare
food for her baby stated that it was dirty.  A better choice would be the
new Manotel, which has four pretty bungalows and reportedly great food. 
The only downside here is that there is no landscaping to speak of and the
beach is across the road.  It's very helpful to have some French here.  Do
take the island tour; there are interesting caves and very nice views. 
The local women do very high quality pandanus weaving; the intricate hat
bands are especially nice.  Credit cards are not used on the island.  It's
best to pre-book everything with a Papeete travel agent, who will meet your
international flight with vouchers.  I have found Tahiti Tours to be very
professional.  

DON'T take the weekly Hawaiian Air flight to Tahiti; they stranded us on
the return for FOUR DAYS due to an electrical problem.  Hawaiian's idea of
compensation for this delighful sidetrip was a discount on future travel
for those who stuck out the whole four days and squat for those of us who
got home a little earlier without any help from Hawaiian. 

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