Swimming with the rays

[MauiCats]

My wife and I will be going on a 7 day Tahiti & Society Islands cruise this August. I would really like to go snorkeling with the rays. I've noticed that PG offers several excursions that mention them.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to which excursions would be the best for this? Or, are they all pretty much the same? Or, would I be better off going with a private company? Also, my wife is not a strong swimmer so are there any particular snorkel excursions that would be better for her. Thank you.

[Tikiintahiti]

I would do Rannui Tours on Bora Bora. Lots of Rays but your standing in 4 - 5 feet of water plus they will hold your hand if need be.

 

Christopher's on Bora Bora does good hand holding but they don't focus on the rays except the big manta rays.

[Emdee]

PG offers a tour that includes land and sea 4x4 plus some snorkelling. It used to include the sting ray piece in the past. To my mind the 4x4 in Bora Bora is a must because of the wonderful views of the lagoon. So adding some snorkelling in may be better for her than a full blown snorkelling tour.

 

I dont swim or snorkel but FP is perfect for viewing fish just over the side of the boat. I have known others to hold the outrigger while viewing the fish.

[Familygoboston]

We did Patricks tour in Bora Bora ( this is called Lagoon safari in the PG excursions- same outfitter runs it with a variety of guides) and they took us to see the rays in a very shallow lagoon. We had a honeymooner who was extremely timid in the water and a little scared of the animals, they were super understanding and helpful with her. The water is waist deep, so you just have to get in, not swim. The rest of the tour was sharks, which was more deep water snorkeling, but you could easily stay on board the boat and see the animals from the outrigger boat as Emdee mentioned, that is what our timid young lady did most of the time. Her new husband convinced her to get in for a minute or so, but she got out pretty quickly and just enjoyed the "show" from the boat!

Good luck with your choice!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Not sure what it's called now but it was "Stingray Ballet" on Bora. Lots better than the equivalent on Moorea. We've always just done this via the ship, so don't know a particular operator. Water is quite shallow. Do be cautious entering and leaving the boat--safety is not paramount always--a fellow pax broke his collarbone climbing into the boat.

 

I agree with Emdee--the 4x4 on BB is a must as well.

[MauiCats]

First of all, thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I don’t think we are going to go on the “Land and Sea Safari with Snorkeling“ on Bora Bora because the description says that the snorkeling is done in water 10 – 15 feet and “participants must be experienced snorkelers.” I’m sure my wife doesn’t believe that applies to her. I was, however, considering the “Bora Bora Island by Le Truck” and the “Bora Bora Off Road Adventure” in order to see the island.

 

On Bora Bora we are also thinking about doing the “Lagoonarium – Open-Air Aquarium Snorkeling Experience,” the “Stingray Ballet & Snorkel

Safari,” and the “Lagoon Excursion with Maohi Nui” that I understand is Patrick’s company and which has excellent reviews on Trip Advisor. Of course, the Tepeva family’s Raanui’s Tours also get great reviews. I know we can’t do them all so I still have to narrow it down.

 

On Moorea there’s also the “Lagoon Discovery with Snorkeling” (this may be the one Wendy meant when she mentioned one that wasn’t so good) and Hiro’s Tour. Plus we’d also like to go on the ”Dolphin Watching Expedition,” the “Trails of the Ancients – Trek,” and the “Botanical & Agricultural Walk.”

 

Ah… so many choices, so little time! What to do…what to do…

[Tikiintahiti]

Other than the manta ray location you will be able to stand up with your head out of water at all other locations Rannui goes to.

[Familygoboston]

First of all, thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I don’t think we are going to go on the “Land and Sea Safari with Snorkeling“ on Bora Bora because the description says that the snorkeling is done in water 10 – 15 feet and “participants must be experienced snorkelers.” I’m sure my wife doesn’t believe that applies to her. I was, however, considering the “Bora Bora Island by Le Truck” and the “Bora Bora Off Road Adventure” in order to see the island.

 

On Bora Bora we are also thinking about doing the “Lagoonarium – Open-Air Aquarium Snorkeling Experience,” the “Stingray Ballet & Snorkel

Safari,” and the “Lagoon Excursion with Maohi Nui” that I understand is Patrick’s company and which has excellent reviews on Trip Advisor. Of course, the Tepeva family’s Raanui’s Tours also get great reviews. I know we can’t do them all so I still have to narrow it down.

 

On Moorea there’s also the “Lagoon Discovery with Snorkeling” (this may be the one Wendy meant when she mentioned one that wasn’t so good) and Hiro’s Tour. Plus we’d also like to go on the ”Dolphin Watching Expedition,” the “Trails of the Ancients – Trek,” and the “Botanical & Agricultural Walk.”

 

Ah… so many choices, so little time! What to do…what to do…

A second trip:p;)

Seriously though, I think most of the Lagoon tours in BB were making the same "rounds" so it's really just a matter of picking one that works with your budget and preferences. Haven't really seen any that were poorly reviewed!

 

As for Moorea, we missed out on a lot due to weather, but I will say, if you value excellent guiding, and by that I mean experts who can not only show you a place but put it in context; I would strongly suggest finding a way to fit in both Trail of the Ancients and Dr Pooles Dolphin watching. Both men lecture on board and are extremely knowledgable as well as entertaining. My choice for a first visit anyway, would be to take advantage of that expertise in guiding and take those ships tours. It was honestly the most disappointing part of our trip that both were missed (on our trip they scheduled the same day due to a conflict the men themselves had, and we had to choose just one, and in the end BOTH tours were cancelled due to weather, as was nearly every other tour)

 

If you are interested in the agricultural school, you can stop by independently (we did) buy a smoothy and schedule a short tour with them directly. There would be time to do this either before or after one of the ships tours, if you dont mind a very busy day! We biked to the agricultural school, it's a couple of miles away from the pier, so it would be a lengthy uphill walk, or you could take a cab.

 

The views are lovely on the way up. At the top of the road where the agricultural school is located is the belvedere with its lookout. Marks Trail tour is held at the temple site between the two, so you would at least " see" the area on Marks tour. If you hired a cab for a few hours you could do both on your own if the visit with Mark Eddows tour wasn't sufficient.

[Tikiintahiti]

Rannui takes you to 2 areas that are not done by the other lagoon tour operators ;)

[MauiCats]

I think we are going to go with Raanui Tours one day but I am still trying to decide between the Sting Ray Ballet excursion and the Moahi Nui one for the second day. Does anyone know if these two excursions go to the same areas or do they go to different places?

[Escriteur]

I think we are going to go with Raanui Tours one day but I am still trying to decide between the Sting Ray Ballet excursion and the Moahi Nui one for the second day. Does anyone know if these two excursions go to the same areas or do they go to different places?

 

I can't comment on the Moahi Nui tour as I haven't been on that one, but we did the Stingray Ballet & Snorkel Safari tour during our July/Aug 2012 cruise. We stopped in one spot where the water was about chest deep on me (I'm 5'1"), and that's where we swam with the rays and small reef sharks (they were very gentle; no threat to snorkelers). After a while, we boarded the boat again and headed to a different location to snorkel in a coral garden closer to the BB reef. The water was a little deeper there (maybe 5 feet deep?); my husband opted to stay on the boat, I snorkeled a short distance away from the boat, and some people snorkeled out further, closer to the reef (where presumably there was more sea life). The currents weren't strong (at least close to the boat). I saw lots of coral and a few fish, and then a LOT of butterfly fish when I was returning to the boat - they must have put food out for them. I think this tour would be a good option for anyone who like a snorkel excursion but isn't necessarily a strong swimmer.

 

I also did some snorkeling when I visited the PG's private beach on Bora Bora, and would recommend it. Since you're wading out from the beach, your wife can go just as far as she feels comfortable with. I saw a variety of fish (butterflyfish, parrotfish, triggerfish), a ray, and some coral. Most of the tours offered through the PG are 1/2-day tours; so we did the morning Bora Bora by Le Truck tour and then I headed to the PG beach after lunch.

 

If you'd like to see some pics to get an idea of what the snorkel excursion is like, here's the link to my Bora Bora album on flickr:

(The first group of underwater photos/videos were from the PG's private beach; the second group were from the Stingray Ballet & Snorkel Safari tour. There are also pics from the Bora Bora by Le Truck tour that you're considering.)

 

As first-timers on the PG, we ended up booking all of our excursions through the cruise line. If you'd like to see pics from any other excursions, you can view the full collection here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37306398@N08/collections/72157632100942746/

 

Whatever tours you decide on, you're going to have an amazing time!