Dive Review of TOPdive/AirBnB's in
French Polynesia

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TOPdive/AirBnB's: "Three Island Dive Trip", Jan, 2024, by Francis Loncar, WI, US ( Contributor 15 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 13213.
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Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude	N/A	Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
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Comments	Tahiti dive trip Spent 2 weeks during February 2024 in French Polynesia diving on 3 islands, this review covers diving on the main island of Tahiti, Bora Bora and Rangiroa. My daughter and I split our time between Topdive and Eleuthra Plongee, we each brought our own gear. Both shops offer similar dives, boats and prices, including a discounted dive package for a set number of dives that can be used between both divers and on different islands. Topdive was located at the IHG resort, but is a long walk from the parking lot when carrying gear, but I was able most days to negotiate with the guard to drive down and drop off at the dive shop. Eleuthra was located at a marina about 2 miles south of IHG, parking was plentiful and the boat was located across the street from the shop. Dive sites are nearby so the boat goes out for a dive and we go back to the shop for our surface interval, where we ate a snack we brought along. Most dives were south of both shops, although were did do a shallow dive by the airport and some by the port near the city. Neither of the alternate sites were good diving, the airport sites are shallow and sandy, and the city site had such strong current that when I soared past the mooring chain, I grabbed on and we spent the last 20 minutes just admiring the view while hanging on. Then we spent another 30 minutes collecting divers spread across the ocean. Diving was quite pleasant, usually about an hour spending time between depths of 30 to 80 feet many times along a wall. Probably the favorite site was underwater fresh water springs from the mountains on land, turtles basked in the cooler water of the springs by the dozens. Sharks were around but not numerous, but that was made up for by a number of aggressive Trigger fish who went after fins with a purpose. Corals are not as varied or spectacular as the Caribbean, very similar to Hawaii and there were some efforts at planting corals. Fish life was scattered, most likely due to the lack of nutrients in the water, but was compensated by great visibility. In total, we spent 9 days diving before my daughter had to return home, I would say if you had 4 days of diving you would cover most of the dive sites. We stayed in an Air BnB across from the marina by Eleuthra Plongee, and unless you are staying at a resort, you need a car to get around. After diving on Tahiti, I flew to Bora Bora on Air Tahiti, I had paid for the upgraded ticket due to my dive gear, but I don’t think it was needed as the flights were only ½ full, and no one seemed to care very much about the weight of my checked bag. Flight was uneventful and since the airport is located on an outer islet, a ferry ride is needed from to your destination with the pier outside of baggage claim. I went to the main island to stay at an AirBnB and once again rented a car in Vaitape. If you go to the central island make sure to look at what time you need to be at the ferry for your return flight, it is earlier than you may assume. For the resorts they have their own ferries so deal with them. Since most tourists go to the resorts, restaurants are not plentiful, so I cooked in my accommodation. I used Topdive in Bora Bora, which was a nice but minimalist shop. Unfortunately, by the time I got to Bora Bora, French Polynesia was hit with a wave of 5 tropical storms, staying just under hurricane strength. Thus, I only had one day of diving, for a total of 3 dives, before the weather shut everything down, but they were 3 nice dives. First dive was in the lagoon, over what looked like dead coral, but the DMs stated without any sunshine you could not see the color. That dive was looking for Manta Rays which showed up on slow leisurely swims. We were instructed to hug the bottom per govt rules so as not to disturb the rays, and they came close enough to get great photos. Second dive of the morning was outside the atoll, where we were dropped into a school of blacktip sharks waiting for us at the stern of the boat. Great photography, nice reefs and a really pleasant 2nd dive. Finally, the afternoon dive was in the ship channel in the lagoon looking for eagle rays, with once again to hug the bottom if they were spotted. Water was fairly murky due to the wind and rain, but they did show up, schools of them a dozen or more at a time. Photography wasn’t great, but the experience was well worth it. My next two days were spent watching rain and the cruise ships who had taken refuge in the lagoon, never did I get so wet as being caught in the periodic deluges when I tried to venture out. One thing I learned was that French TV shows are as inane as their American counterparts. From Bora Bora, I flew Air Tahiti to Rangiroa, an atoll with a ring of narrow islands surrounding a lagoon that is said to be larger than the island of Tahiti. The islands are for the most part under 200 yards wide, and are not connected by bridges. I stayed in a local resort that had a series of individual huts located on the lagoon side, with breakfast included and could also eat dinner, but needed to decide each morning as there is only a single entrée served. There was also a pizza restaurant and a small grocery store within a short walk. I dove with 6 Passengers, which was part of the Eleuthra package, so all my dives were prepaid. Since the weather was deteriorating quickly, I arrived at noon, got to my hotel, had the dive shop pick me up and was in the boat by 2. The boat is a RIB that could hold 6 to 8 divers. Since the shop is located on the lagoon, they must go through the pass to reach the reefs on the ocean and the dive profile is dependent on the current due to the tide state. Very nice dive with dolphins passing by, sharks mainly in the deep water, but huge numbers of Barracudas in schools that blotted out the light. Ending the dive near the pass with the current was a test of stamina due to the surf and sea conditions. Next day got to the shop in the morning, but the Captain decided the seas were too rough even in the lagoon to safely go out diving, so they canceled for the day. Spent the rest of the time at the resort dining hall facility watching the impressive surf and taking some walks during the breaks in the rain. The next morning the seas looked the same, but at the dive shop they decided to go out rather than give out more refunds. To say the least, it was nice to get into the water, since we were completely drenched in the boat ride out, and the seas were so rough we needed to do a live drop, which was interesting with divers of various skill levels. Once in the water, we got a treat, couple of large bottlenose dolphins showed up for belly rubs, and as soon as we started another dozen joined in, and we had 20 minutes of playing with the dolphins. We had been warned in the briefing to watch our depth and not follow the dolphins as they can change depths much faster than we poor humans can stand. The rest of the dive was watching fish life including the waves of barracudas, the sharks remained deep. Boarding the RIB in huge swells and current in the pass to the lagoon was a struggle, the crew earned their tips. Back to the shop we went where your gear with the tank is put on a cart to go to the shop and refilled. At least you knew your gear setup remained the same. The divers waited under some gazebos in the pouring rain having a snack. Out we went again through huge swells that a 5 minute ride took 30 minutes. The 3rd dive had nothing remarkable except fighting massive surge and strong currents. Another roller coaster ride over the swells in the lagoon, the RIB handled it well, the only downside was nothing for the riders to hang onto. Overall the trip was well worth it, probably the next time a couple days on Tahiti to get acclimated, then onto Rangiroa and Fakarava I was surprised at the diving in Bora Bora, considering the weather the dives were still very good. Note diving and staying in French Polynesia is expensive.
Websites	TOPdive
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Kauai, Cozumel, Fla Keys, Wisconsin, Palau, Maui, Grand Cayman, Aruba, St Lucia, Puerto Rico, Turks & Caicos
Closest Airport	Tahiti	Getting There	Flew from MSP to LAX and then to PPT. Took Air Tahiti to other islands
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy	Seas	calm, surge
Water Temp	80-85°F / 27-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	20-100 Ft/ 6-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	For AOW depth was restricted to 90 feet
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		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	My ratings are an average because it varied from warm sunny weather with fantastic visibility to diving during a tropical storm where the water was churned up significantly, particularly in the lagoon.

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Dive Review of TOPdive/AirBnB's in French Polynesia

TOPdive/AirBnB's: "Three Island Dive Trip", Jan, 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/AirBnB's in
French Polynesia