Dive Review of
Fakarava Diving Center/Le Maitai Dream in
French Polynesia

Indonesia, Micronesia, Fiji, Grand Cayman, Honduras, Belize, Costa Rica,
Hawaii, Mexico, Bahamas

Dive Conditions

[Unspecified]  

No room on boat for rinse bucket, but can soak in your room between dives. 
You're pretty much on your own.  

Overall Rating

Fakarava is a large atoll with two passages ( North and South) that create
strong tidal currents to and from the open ocean.  The mile wide N. passage
is about 20 minutes by boat from the resort and here you can dive outside
the passage or the passage itself. The smaller S. passage is about an hour
by boat from the resort and can only be accessed during flat seas. We were
unable to get there during our 7 day stay.

The outside dives had little current and there were healthy fields of hard
coral, schooling snapper, bannerfish and buttereflyfish. Several napolean
wrasse, eagle rays, white tip, blacktip, and grey reef sharks. There are
many beautiful tropicals thriving in this pristine environment and in some
areas I felt as though I was diving in one big cleaning station.

For the passage dives we backrolled, descended immediately, and rode the
ripping current, along with white tips and grey reef sharks, over hard
corals and canyons until we reached a valley where we could drop down out
of the main current.  Here we saw large schools of bright orange bigeyes,
snapper and bannerfish.  There were always 15 - 20 sharks circling around
us, coming in from the perimeters of the valley to inspect the new
arrivals.  Because of the strong currents, this is definately not a dive
for beginners.

Serge and Carine, owners of the Fakarava Diving Center were safety
conscious and attentive. I could dive my own profile on the outside dives,
but because of the current everybody ascends together on the passage dives.
They will not let you dive the passage until they know and have witnessed
your dive experience level. I was extremely pleased with their service.

The resorts' rooms are comfortable enough, and have large bathrooms with a
shower door leading outside. There is a full bar and the restaraunt serves
very good food. There's not much to do on Fakarava other than dive, but
definately go to Hinano Pearls where proprietor Gunter Hellberg will take
you on a tour and give you an opportunity to buy some of his pearls.  

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