No swimming?

Due to a recently diagnosed and fairly serious medical issue, it looks like I am going to have to have surgery before my cruise. As a result, I won't be allowed to swim. I will be able to get into the water, but not swim. I will need to keep it out of my face (nose/eyes) at all costs.

Has anyone been on the PG and not gone swimming? We have several excursions booked where snorkel is part of them, do you think I will still enjoy, even though I will have to remain in the boat while the others swim and snorkel, or should I rethink and book different excursions?

The doctor says I will be healthy enough to travel, as long as I'm willing to follow his "rules." Thoughts?

PS--Cancelling is not an option. I am using the trip as the carrot to look forward to after what will be a grueling surgery and initial recovery period. If I don't have the surgery prior to travel, I will need to be on medication with very unpleasant side effects.

It will be hard to keep it out of your nose face and eyes.

I dont swim but love the water in FP. Inadvertently it gets into my eyes and face. You can protect your eyes with shades but not your nose or face.

I would change all your excursions to land ones.

Are you on the 7 nighter?

Some of the excursions you can do are

4x4 in Huahine, Moorea and BB.

Helicopter in BB

Bloody Mary for a meal - I think its overpriced but worth a single visit

Circumnavigation by boat in BB

Trail of the ancients in Moorea

Take a car and drive around the island of moorea including a stop at Temae beach

Visit a pearl farm

Sorry to hear your news but enjoy while you can.

FP is breathtakingly beautiful from both land and sea.

Thanks Emdee. I'm going to look at the excursions you suggested. I'm thinking on the private Motu I'll be able to wade out to waist deep to enjoy the water while still keeping a couple of feet between it and my face. The pool on the ship will be safe for me to get in and maybe even splash around in a little, as I won't be dealing with waves or current, so I'll get some use out of my new bathing suit. :)

I'm trying hard to make lemonade out of lemons. :)

My husband sometimes comes on snorkel trips and does not get out of the boat. You could do that. On Motu Mahana or the Bora motu you could just go into the water part-way and enjoy the feeling of that fairly safely I think.

Thanks Wendy!

Right now we have the following booked:

Lagoon Cruise and Polynesian Feast--I think this one I'll keep as it involves a lot more than swimming and snorkeling.

Bora Bora Island Cruise by Le Truck, another that might have a short swim or snorkel component but is more than just that.

Dolphin Watching Expedition--I know that sometimes they allow people into the water, but I'm sure I'll enjoy just watching from the boat.

Trails if the Ancients Trek--this one should be Ok. I want to think there was a part where people could swim, but it was optional.

We had also booked Huahine Nautique for a tour that included the Pearl Farm, Snorkeling, a picnic lunch. I think I booked that in FamilyGoBoston's advice, maybe she can weigh in in whether it would still be fun to skip the snorkel part and enjoy the rest if the tour.

I had Patricks tour booked in Papaetee our last day in Tahiti, that's mostly land if I recall.

Huahine with Marc's tour will be fine. The only parts in the water are the drift snorkel area for about 20 minutes and if you want to get into the water with the sharks at the end but here is a link I took of that part and I didn't get into the water ............ a fun time :)

Patrick's on Tahiti will be fine ........

I think I would pass on a lagoon tour in Bora Bora, it's all about getting into the water. Take a 4X4 tour there.

On Moorea I would simply rent a car and enjoy several of the things I mention on this link ...........

Moorea things to do

You'll love the lagoon cruise and Polynesian feast. At the sand bar you can see the rays and sharks very clearly from the boat, so there's no need to even get into the water. However, if you do want to it's quite shallow, less than four feet, and there's no need to out your face in the water. Just make sure you have swim shoes.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Neither of my children really got in the water during a snorkeling excursion, yet the guide brought the rays up to the boat so they could touch them, and they enjoyed that. He also took their camera and took underwater pictures for them.

Is this Dr. Poole's dolphin excursion? You definitely should keep that. There is not always an opportunity to get into the water, and it's really interesting and I found him one of the most personable and best guides I've ever had.

Trails of the Ancient should be fine.

The private island should be no problem; you can wade out and enjoy the water without it getting close to your face.

Dear ducklite,

I was signed up for a Huahine snorkeling trip during our vacation on the PG in 2012. Due to a brief asthma problem the morning of our excursion, I decided it would be better if I didn’t snorkel, but I enjoyed the boat trip anyway. The scenery was beautiful and our guides shared their local culture, played the guitar and sang to us, and even demonstrated how to open a coconut. (And they were funny, too!) There were also a few other passengers who did not snorkel. I really enjoyed this excursion, despite not being able to snorkel.

Best wishes for a speedy and uneventful recovery from your surgery.

Marc's Huahine trip is worth it. Very relaxing day. Since i dont swim I just leaned over and saw the fish and sharks in the shark feeding. Marc also offers a combo 4x4 motu picnic.

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to keep everything as is, and invest in a swimmers nose plug as a precaution anytime I could be around any sort of splashing. I have a feeling that I'll be enjoying the pool onboard as I won't have to contend with waves or current.

Now if I could just get the doctors to set a date for surgery... The clock is ticking.

Don't feel too bad about the surgery before your trip just remember you can't have a better place for recovery. I also will have surgery before my trip on the PG. But unlike you I will have about 7 weeks to recover before I go on the PG and mine is a foot surgery and I can't think of a better place to be after surgery. Hope everything goes smoothly and enjoy your trip.

I saw another surgeon for a second opinion. Both doctors agreed on the diagnosis, but despite both making compelling cases for their positions, both offered very differing opinions on when and how to do the surgery. I will be getting a third opinion, and at this point due to timing, won't have surgery until I get back from Tahiti at the earliest.

The second surgeon did make a better case as to why this doesn't have the sense of urgency that the first surgeon seemed to think it had. The risk of waiting a few months is very minimal and one I am willing to take. Even if my condition was to worsen, it would be a slow and gradual process, and I'm not worried about losing a fraction of a percentage of functionality before getting treatment.). There are fewer than a dozen surgeons qualified to do the procedure I need in the US, hopefully at some point two will be in agreement. :)

Glad to hear your update, sounds like you can enjoy FP before dealing with what needs to be done .......... relax, enjoy your trip :)

I probably shouldn't have been so vague, it's not overly personal, I have a tumor (a benign one thank goodness!) in my noggin that needs to be removed. Obviously quite serious, but it could also be a far more precarious situation and involve the "C" word.