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Dive Review of Nemo World/Novotel Bora Bora Beach Resort in
French Polynesia/Bora Bora

Nemo World/Novotel Bora Bora Beach Resort, Aug, 2006,

by Vicky Polashock, GA, US (Reviewer Reviewer 6 reports). Report 3003.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 3 stars Food 3 stars
Service and Attitude 4 stars Environmental Sensitivity N/A
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving 1 stars
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ N/A
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 2 stars
Comments Nemo World is right on the Novotel property, so it was very convenient for us. On some dives, we were very cramped, with dressed cylinders laying on the floor of the boat for lack of room on the sides. They had several boats - a catamaran with giant-stride entry and small aluminum-hulled boats with back-roll entry. The staff were good and provided adequate briefings. No fresh water or dry storage space on the boat, but hot sweet tea and fresh coconut were provided between dives. Viz was better outside the lagoon, and we often went to the same dive site. The operation is set up more for resort diver types as opposed to hard-core destination divers, so profiles were conservative. The coral was a bit abused, but the reef life was good. We saw tons of sharks (black tips), turtles, butterflyfish, anemonefish, stingrays, and triggerfish. Diving was expensive compared to Atlantic Ocean diving - $150 for a two-tank trip. As tipping is uncommon in French Polynesia, no one tipped the dive staff - a first in my experience!

The Novotel was nice, basic, and clean. All rooms are on the opposite side of the road from the beach, so we had a view of a garden. The room had A/C, a safe, small fridge, shower, ceiling fan, phone, coffeemaker, and TV. The staff were helpful and made restaurant and excursion reservations for us. Overall it was a great value for the price. The location is good as well, at Matira Point with excellent beaches. We were next door to a good market where we stocked up on breakfast, lunch, and snack foods. We were also walking distance to several nice restaurants. We did get a ride to Bloody Mary's, which I thought was over-hyped. Placards on the table encourage tipping, we were charged for the ride which our hotel staff said would be free, and they were late to pick us up and to bring us back to the hotel. Next time I will get a reservation at Villa Mahana - it's much more expensive, and much harder to get in to, but everyone we talked to said the food was the best they ever had.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 101-250 dives
Where else diving Caribbean, Red Sea, Gulf of Mexico
Closest Airport Getting There

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas choppy, surge
Water Temp 80-82°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness 3
Water Visibility 75-150 Ft/ 23-46 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Due to surface chop we were drift diving, which meant we had to stay with the group.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? N/A

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins None Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales 1 or 2
Corals 3 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters 3 stars Large Fish 3 stars
Large Pelagics 3 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 4 stars Boat Facilities 2 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 3 stars Shore Facilities 2 stars
UW Photo Comments No rinse tank on the boat. Cameras were piled on a ledge in the middle of the boat.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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