Dive Review of TOPdive/Intercontinental Papeete in
French Polynesia/Papeete

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TOPdive/Intercontinental Papeete: "Did I die and go diving in Heaven?", Nov, 2021, by Daniel Fazekas, SC, US ( Sr. Reviewer 11 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 11753.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	My wife and I visited Papeete at the end of biking vacation. We did not pack for diving. We stayed two days at the Intercontinental Papeete. Restaurant was okay, but for the money, it should have been excellent. But there are not many options for lodging. The best part is that TopDive is located on the property, so I took advantage of the opportunity get wet for the first time in two years. I did not bring my dive certs, but they have a database for PADI and SSI certs and they confirmed my qualifications. For a two tank Nitrox dive, with all equipment, it was $190 US. The boat was filled with 16 divers, divided into three groups. The three small groups were dropped off far apart from each other, to avoid crowding the reef. As the most advanced, we were four divers with one Dive Master on the first dive, and two on the second. First dive was Valle Blanc / White Valley, where there were lots of lemon sharks, black tip sharks and reef sharks, cruising around, ignoring divers, and there was enough current that they could just hang around moving very slowly past us. Moorish idols the size of dinner plates, fluted clams embedded in the coral. Second dive was Le Source /The Spring, where cool fresh water was venting from sea mounts and creating an oily looking plume. There were turtles from 2 feet to 5 feet long, cruising, diving, rising, feeding, or sleeping on ledges in the sea mount. Large green moray eel. Of course, no camera, but this was one of my best dive experiences ever. I will return to dive in French Polynesia, it was very colorful, with healthy coral and reef fish of all kinds and colors. No soft corals or sponges. Dive masters were fluent in French and English. Bring your dive computer / watch. Otherwise the rental gear was great. Max depth for each dive was about 60', 3 minute safety stop.
Websites	TOPdive
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Exuma Cays Bahamas, Belize, Bonaire, Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Florida Keys, Roatan, Kona, St. Croix, British Virgin Islands
Closest Airport	Papeete	Getting There	Air Tahiti Nui nonstop from LAX
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	80-82°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	100-150 Ft/ 30-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	Dive time based on air consumption of 50%
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Current was not too strong for photographers to settle into a coral head for a minute or two and use macro or wide angle. Minimal surf or surge at the surface would make it easy to get gear on or off the boat.

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Dive Review of TOPdive/Intercontinental Papeete in French Polynesia/Papeete

TOPdive/Intercontinental Papeete: "Did I die and go diving in Heaven?", Nov, 2021,

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 TOPdive/Intercontinental Papeete in
French Polynesia/Papeete