Drift Snorkeling on Tahaa

[LifesAway]

Is there anybody out there that has done the drift snorkeling excursion through the ship on Tahaa? I have read that it is for more experienced snorkelers. Is this because the current is so strong and you need to be a good swimmer? or is it for depth, distance, etc.? Can anybody give me an idea of what it entails? I have snorkeled quite a few times but my husband has only snorkeled twice in Hawaii but he is not a strong swimmer. We do have snorkeling vests if that helps. Thank you for any info...

[Friscorays]

I would take "experienced" with a grain of salt. The current is not particularly strong. They just want to weed out people who are so inexperienced that they will have difficulty avoiding running into coral. It sounds like you and your husband should be fine.

[Friscorays]

Couple other threads and a recent review on the topic:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=756612

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=972579

 

http://www.frommers.com/community/forum.cfm/australia-south-pacific/tahiti-french-polynesia/crusing-paul-gauguin-through-french-polynesia-tuamotus-islands

[LifesAway]

Thanks for your quick reply and the links. Looks like it should be OK and a lot of fun!

[mikenbob]

We have done this excursion twice and the conditions were very different each time. Once the currents were somewhat mild and relatively easy to navigate. The other time the current were fairly intense (so fast that we they offered the chance to do the route twice as it went by so quickly). The concern is the ability to both navigate the currents and swim around the coral heads while being comfortable snorkeling. We take our own snokels with backflow preventors to make it a little easier. The water is about waist deep so that is not the issue, but there is almost no way to stand up one you are in the coral garden without damaging the coral or yourself. The coral and aquatic life is beautiful on this excursion, but it is definitely not for a beginner snorkeler...although, it also does not require that you are an "expert". Some experience and comfort in the water is required.

[Oktoberfest]

We took the same excursion and I agree that you do not have to be an expert in snorkelling. Nevertheless, we were brought to different spots and since the current was intense, the single snorkelling was short. This required us to go on and off the boat pretty often. And being honest, that was the most exhausting part.

 

Aleks

[MightyQuinn]

We did the PG Coral Gardens Drift Snorkel in April. We snorkeled in a shallow channel between motus with the help of a moderate current. It was not a challenging swim since the current did most of the work, although I do think you should be comfortable in the water.

 

I have to say that we were completely underwhelmed with this excursion. Even though it was a brilliant sunny day, most of the coral was dull and there was very little sea life. We had huge expectations for colorful coral and tons of fish, based on photos we had seen of the Tahaa Coral Garden. We were very disappointed and can only conclude that the PG operator didn't take us to the same spot that others rave about. Our overall experience was pleasant enough but I wouldn't recommend this excursion as a must-do.