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Dive Review of Moorea Blue Diving/Manava Beach Resort & Spa in
French Polynesia/Tahiti and Moorea

Moorea Blue Diving/Manava Beach Resort & Spa: "A Photographer's paradise!", Mar, 2021,

by Giorgio Bonmassar, MA, US (Reviewer Reviewer 5 reports with 5 Helpful votes). Report 11510 has 2 Helpful votes.

No photos available at this time

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

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 4 stars
Dive Operation 5 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 5 stars
Beginners 4 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments In a nutshell, here is what you will see: [giorgiobonmassar.myportfolio.com link]
First of all, let me say that I work at a Hospital, so I am trained with dealing with infectious diseases and used to wear PPE once a week, so I felt I was going to be at lower risk of infection others (and myself). Anyway, I was tested before departure (checked by UNITED) and four days after arrival in Papeete using a kit that the French Polynesian handed out to everyone. I also purchased my usual DAN insurance and GeoBlue medical insurance for $40, which was mandatory, but nobody checked in the end. I dove with:
FLUID Tahiti / Dive Center
Tel: +689 40 85 41 46
Gsm: +689 87 79 02 05
Email: info@fluidtahiti.com
[fluidtahiti.com link]
Raquel was terrific at driving me from my apartment in Papeete (City Home Tahiti booked in Expedia, very clean, very private, perfect for covid, and very cheap compared to any Hotel on the island) to Marina Taina. As you can see from the images, the Catalina Seaplane and cargo schooner wreck and 90% of the photos were taken in Papeete with Fluid. There are way more dive sites in Papeete than in Moorea and many more things to see. So I stayed only one day in Moorea (shark image), but it was worth it (albeit very expensive). The Resort is an absolute paradise for a photographer. The visibility was average to poor in all dives except for a few dives, like papa whiskey, where the visibility was incredible. Fluid offers a Night dive every Thursday, and I highly recommend trying that. We dove in the Catalina Seaplane and cargo schooner wreck, and the wreck penetration at night was magic. The seaplane is very large, being a cargo plane, so penetration is done regularly, but if escaping from the cabin, it is very tight, but the instructor helps you out. Amazing are also the springs that make the visibility blurry, bet very beautiful. The white valley is where you see most of the sharks (we saw many), but there is a considerable current, so it is best not to dive it on the first day (like I did) until you get comfortable again with diving. The closest encounter with a shark (see photos) was in Moorea, and the instructor, Stephane, knows each shark by name. I had no trouble in any of the dives, I am an advanced diver with 20+ years of experience and 250+ dives, but I wish I could dive more. This dive trip will always be in my memory: just AMAZING!
Websites Moorea Blue Diving   Manava Beach Resort & Spa

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience 251-500 dives
Where else diving Whitsunday Islands, Palau, Venice, Cozumel, Palmarola, Cancun, Honolulu, British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, La Paz, Florida Keys, Isla Coronado, San Diego, Cape Cod, Cape Ann (MA), Newport (RI), Torre Lapillo (Puglia, Italy)
Closest Airport Fa'a'ā International Airport Getting There I was Covid tested 48 hours before flight and had to bring certificate to be admitted to the United flight UA115 from San Francisco to Papeete.

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny Seas choppy
Water Temp 81-82°F / 27-28°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 10-130 Ft/ 3-40 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions The usual restrictions of boat diving with a group.
Liveaboard? no Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas 1 or 2
Dolphins 1 or 2 Whale Sharks None
Turtles > 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 5 stars
Small Critters 5 stars Large Fish 5 stars
Large Pelagics N/A

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

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments I am not a big fan of diving with large equipment since my Chinese GoPro seems to have most of the needed features. The UWP tends to be very blurry because of the vicinity to Papeete when I dove with FLUID Tahiti / Dive Center. However, in Moorea, the water visibility was quite low because of the seasonal currents - so leave your monster camera case at home and enjoy your dive like me with a small GoPro and light purchased at Amazon, all very small.
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Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

Subscriber's Comments

By Kevin Smith in PA, US at Mar 08, 2021 12:45 EST  
Giorgio, thanks for the report and wonderful pictures. Looks like a great time and one of my bucket list trips. Cheers, Kevin
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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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