Dive Review of BlueWay/Pension Poerani Nui in
French Polynesia/Tuamotu Archipelago

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BlueWay/Pension Poerani Nui: "Personal treatment by top pros in their Tuamotu atoll paradise Manihi", May, 2024, by michele jacquin, CA, US ( Reviewer 4 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 12995.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food	N/A
Service and Attitude	N/A	Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Two French diving Pros in their 50s decided after dive travel all over the world to find their dive paradise home in the tropics and build a pension and personal dive operation in the atoll of Manihi, Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia, to share with guests. Thus, Bernard and Martine built on a private motu (individual islet in the atoll) with their own dock a fantastic dive "club" with a robust six pack boat and new gear. They also have pension accommodation for four, but at the time of my visit, this option was not available. I stayed in the four bungalow pension on the next motu, Pension Poerani Nui and walked across the shallow ocean channel between motus to the boat and brought my own gear. In this remote atoll of the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia, the conveniences of the world are basic but the amount of fish is stunning. The feeling reminded me of trips to S. Baja California before the Cabo nightmare. Remote, wind, few but friendly people, sparse vegetation and a sea brimming with life and no light pollution allowing stunning night skies full of the Milky Way and thousands of stars including the Southern Cross. We sat on a dockside bench beside the lagoon at sunset and watched a parade of black tips and Tahitian stingrays go by. Pension Poerani Nui was basic but comfortable with Propane heated hot water and mosquito net. No AC and you are at 14 degrees south of the Equator with plenty of wind. Air 80s F, water 82 F. Water from rainfall cache system is potable. Food was fish and rice and baguettes, generally rearranged on the plate for different meals in the open air a frame eating house. The multiple pension cats that keep down the rat population may be eyeing your fish. However, it was very fresh. The owner of Pension Poerani Nui is a spear fisherman and the parrotfish you saw earlier may be on your plate that night. Vegetables are flown in. Fruit is not abundant. Since the clientele is mostly French, if you want something more spicey bring a bottle of hot sauce. And, consider protein/energy bars with vitamins or dried fruit/nuts or your favorite snacks. Otherwise it is the basic three meals served, no selections and breakfast is coffee, bread, croissant, fruit. Beer and wine are available (no BYOB) and Myriam the hostess is very friendly and attentive. There are mosquitos and I always had my bug spray handy. There are adequate electric plugs for batteries and fire extinguishers in the wooden bungalows. Wifi was robust enough for us to ipad live stream the online Teahupoo Pro surf contest. Payment for the Pension is bank transfer prior to arrival to their bank in Papeete. I dove four days, two tanks. The dive sites are around the pass, either outside on the atoll wall, in the pass, or in the lagoon. The trip across the lagoon from their dock to the dive sites is about 25-30 min. BlueWay does not have nitrox and therefore the deep dives on the outside of the atoll will be brief. However, for the diving I did to about 90 ft it was fine. Inside the lagoon has coral gardens affected by bleaching but not dead, full of reef fish. Bernard said that many corals distressed in January appeared to be recovering by May. Viz was 30-60 ft in the lagoon by the pass. Many black tip, white tip, some nurse sharks both in the lagoon and outside the atoll. There were huge Napoleon Wrasse. Eleven reef mantas are known to the DM, all with names. We were visited by "Trident" identified by the three black marks on its abdomen for a 15 minute swooping and circling ballet . Dives outside the atoll on the wall of the island plunging into the deep blue had visiblility 80-100 ft and surge due to a large south swell. Apparently at depth below my comfort level (150ft) there are massive formations of coral that look like giant rose petals. I saw Clouds of pyramid butterfly fish, purple anthias, unicorn fish, parrotfish, schools of jacks and barracuda with circling black tip sharks. The atoll has only one pass and it is narrow, 100 meters wide and 30 meters deep. During the ripping current/drift dive (feeling like Peter Pan flying) I saw sharks, large groupers, Napoleon wrasse. Not the Fakarava "wall of sharks" but no divers but the two of us. Bernard and Martine are very attentive and adjust the dive profile to your experience, skills and interests. Bernard speaks english, Martine "a bit". Most of their clients are French speaking, some from Tahiti others from France. This operation is personalized. They are very safety conscious, diving only in the am. I was told if there was a medical evac required on the island, it was not easy at night. They ask you to remove your BC before climbing the boat ladder and they pull the gear up the side of the boat. They later explained they do not know what diver may have an occult Patent Foramen Ovale and potentially have a resulting pulmonary embolism formed after exertion. Since I am a retired Critical Care RN, I got it. Like I said, very safety conscious. I brought a yoke reg, and they had an adapter. I left my gear with them daily and they rinsed it and hung it to dry. For three days it was just me and the DM either Bernard or Martine. Payment is in CASH by CFP Franc (French Polynesian Franc). There is one ATM on the atoll at the Post Office across the pass from the airport and 25 minutes from BlueWay by boat. The price was around 90 dollars per tank dive for almost private diving. To top it off we were served a delicious Mai Tai by Bernard while on his porch getting the dive log signed at the end of the week. Myriam at Poerani Nui said that BlueWay appeared to be for sale, but being so unique it may be a while. Martine and Bernard certainly like to travel, they said there next adventure was Malpelo. Any diver who wants a taste of the remote Eastern Pacific atolls of French Polynesia should look no further than Manihi and BlueWay. And, do it soon.
Websites	BlueWay Pension Poerani Nui
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Huahine, Raiatea, FP. La Jolla, CA, Fakarava, Rangiroa, Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oe, (Marquesas) FP, Kauai, Maui, Hawaii Island, Bonaire
Closest Airport	Papeete	Getting There	LAX>PPT via Air Tahiti Nui, PPT>Manihi via Air Tahiti three times a week ATR 42 pass aircraft
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	calm, choppy, surge, currents, no currents
Water Temp	81-83°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	30-80 Ft/ 9-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Stick with DM. I did not have photo gear.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Did not dive with a camera. Very personalized dive operation probably can accommodate UW photographers.

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Dive Review of BlueWay/Pension Poerani Nui in French Polynesia/Tuamotu Archipelago

BlueWay/Pension Poerani Nui: "Personal treatment by top pros in their Tuamotu atoll paradise Manihi", May, 2024,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of BlueWay/Pension Poerani Nui in
French Polynesia/Tuamotu Archipelago