Dive Review of Bora Dive Center/Sofitel Motu in
French Polynesia/Bora Bora

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Bora Dive Center/Sofitel Motu, Oct, 2005, by Ken Davis, NJ, USA ( Reviewer 6 reports). Report 2148.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Bora Bora is a truly beautiful island - lust, with photogenic mountain looking like Bali Hai. Nice people, but remember for most English is a 3rd language, so when you ask a question, the answer you get may have little to do with what you asked. Sofitel Motu was gorgeous - small, very private and romantic, on its own little island with frequent boat service to Novotel on mainland. Decent snorkeling at resort. Food only OK and expensive, but good restaurants on Bora Bora. Food was actually better at the Novotel. As for the diving - First, the bad news. Bora Bora's famous mantas were only seen in the distance on one dive. Apparently hotel construction has driven them from some popular sites. However, I never saw so many sharks - black tips on every dive but one, lemons several times. Also saw: school of eagle rays, morays, turtles (friendly), anemone clown fish, lion fish, amazing variety of reef fish. Dive operation had its plusses and minuses. On the negative side, you have to wade out to the boat, which is small and has no head. Boat can accomodate up to 10 divers, but the one day we had 10 it was crowded. Back roll entry, easy ladder climb to get back on boat. They help you back on boat, set up your gear on second tank. I was able to keep my gear at the shop and had my BC and regulator set up boat for first dive of the day. Coconut pieces and drinks between dives. Usually about 6. The general approach to not touching stuff is much more casual than at most Caribbean operations - at one point a divemaster picked up a large sea cucumber for us to handle. Another broke off pieces of sponge on dead coral to feed turtles. On the second dive of my 8-dive week the divemaster had me too far from the boat and too low on air, and the boat had to come get me. After I complained, I got very personal service the rest of the week. On the good side, divemasters Patrick and Luiqe were excellent at finding and pointing out critters and were very attentive. Luiqe saw that two of us used a little more air than the rest and shared air with us during the dives, not because we were that low, but to prolong our bottom time. He also had a plastic baby manta hidden in his wet suit - pretty good gag. Overall the coral is not quite as good as the best in the Caribbean, but the incredible number and variety of fish is certainly among the best I've seen. Well worth the 12 hour flight from NY.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Cozumel, Belize, Bahamas, Bermuda, Turks&Caicos, Florida, Caymans, Hawaii, Jamaica
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	78-80°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Dive in group with divemaster; Turn around at half tank, but could pretty much suck the tank dry before back on boat.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	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	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Bora Dive Center/Sofitel Motu in French Polynesia/Bora Bora

Bora Dive Center/Sofitel Motu, Oct, 2005,

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 Bora Dive Center/Sofitel Motu in
French Polynesia/Bora Bora