Dive Review of
Nemo World/Novotel Bora Bora Beach Resort in
French Polynesia/Bora Bora

Caribbean, Red Sea, Gulf of Mexico

Dive Conditions

Due to surface chop we were drift diving, which meant we had to stay with
the group.  

No rinse tank on the boat. Cameras were piled on a ledge in the middle of
the boat.   

Overall Rating

Nemo World is right on the Novotel property, so it was very convenient for
us. On some dives, we were very cramped, with dressed cylinders laying on
the floor of the boat for lack of room on the sides. They had several boats
- a catamaran with giant-stride entry and small aluminum-hulled boats with
back-roll entry. The staff were good and provided adequate briefings. No
fresh water or dry storage space on the boat, but hot sweet tea and fresh
coconut were provided between dives. Viz was better outside the lagoon, and
we often went to the same dive site. The operation is set up more for
resort diver types as opposed to hard-core destination divers, so profiles
were conservative. The coral was a bit abused, but the reef life was good.
We saw tons of sharks (black tips), turtles, butterflyfish, anemonefish,
stingrays, and triggerfish. Diving was expensive compared to Atlantic Ocean
diving - $150 for a two-tank trip. As tipping is uncommon in French
Polynesia, no one tipped the dive staff - a first in my experience!

The Novotel was nice, basic, and clean. All rooms are on the opposite side
of the road from the beach, so we had a view of a garden. The room had A/C,
a safe, small fridge, shower, ceiling fan, phone, coffeemaker, and TV. The
staff were helpful and made restaurant and excursion reservations for us.
Overall it was a great value for the price. The location is good as well,
at Matira Point with excellent beaches. We were next door to a good market
where we stocked up on breakfast, lunch, and snack foods. We were also
walking distance to several nice restaurants. We did get a ride to Bloody
Mary's, which I thought was over-hyped. Placards on the table encourage
tipping, we were charged for the ride which our hotel staff said would be
free, and they were late to pick us up and to bring us back to the hotel.
Next time I will get a reservation at Villa Mahana - it's much more
expensive, and much harder to get in to, but everyone we talked to said the
food was the best they ever had. 

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