Dive Review of TOPdive/Havaiki Lodge (Fakarava) Maitai Ran in
French Polynesia/Fakarava, Rangiroa

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TOPdive/Havaiki Lodge (Fakarava) Maitai Ran: "Good diving, topside experience, unhealthy reef", Mar, 2024, by Michael Kay, CA, US ( Contributor 15 reports with 5 Helpful votes). Report 12923.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Fakarava and Rangiroa are small islets on their respective lagoons. I chose these destinations, hotels, and dive operator based on other readers’ reports. Top Dive is a friendly, professional operation. All dives were done with 35% nitrox. On both islands, dive sites are 10 -20 minutes from the pier, in the pass connecting the lagoon to the ocean. Dive times are somewhat flexible, based on the tides. The big draw is diving in the pass as the current draws marine life into the lagoon. The one dive where we did experience the current was spent holding on to the rocks, with little to see. Overall, small numbers of fish. We saw barracuda, a variety of sharks (including a hammerhead), and dolphins. On one dive a lone dolphin approached each diver in our group demanding to be petted, the highlight of the trip. Unfortunately, the coral is almost completely dead. The locals claimed it was from a recent storm, but it’s hard to believe one event would have nearly wiped out the entire reef. Both hotels (www.havaiki.com; www.rangiroa.hotelmaitai.com)had excellent accommodations (Fakarava a little more rustic) and dining.
Websites	TOPdive
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Hawaii Australia Thailand Indonesia USVI Florida Puerto Rico
Closest Airport	Papeete	Getting There	United to Papeete, then Air Tahiti (next day) to Fakarava. Inter-island flight to Rangiroa.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	surge, currents
Water Temp	28-30°C / 82-86°F	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	5-20 Ft/ 2-6 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Entire group surfaced together
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
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	[None]

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Dive Review of TOPdive/Havaiki Lodge (Fakarava) Maitai Ran in French Polynesia/Fakarava, Rangiroa

TOPdive/Havaiki Lodge (Fakarava) Maitai Ran: "Good diving, topside experience, unhealthy reef", Mar, 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 TOPdive/Havaiki Lodge (Fakarava) Maitai Ran in
French Polynesia/Fakarava, Rangiroa