Dive Review of TOPdive/Pension Havaiki/ Relais de Josephin in
French Polynesia/Rangiroa, Fakarava

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TOPdive/Pension Havaiki/ Relais de Josephin, Apr, 2011, by Elizabeth Crapo, ID, US ( Sr. Reviewer 9 reports). Report 6410.
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	The diving in the atolls is exponentially better than the main islands. (I dove Bora Bora in 2009 and was underwhelmed.) If you are diving both the atolls and the main islands, go to the main islands first, otherwise they will be a letdown in comparison. Fakarava was by far better than Rangiroa in almost every way. Bigger, healthier coral, many more sharks (dozens at once), lots more fish, better dive shop. While I saw some sharks in Rangi, there weren't the schools of them that I saw in Fakarava. To be fair, I wasn't able to do the "shark dive" on Rangiroa because the currents were ripping out to sea the whole three days I was there. If you have your heart set on doing this dive, you will want to stay longer than that in order to increase your chances of favorable currents - they only do the pass on an incoming current so people don't get swept out to sea. The one thing Rangi had that Fakarava didn't was the dolphins. I'd never seen one undewater before. I dove with TOP Dive on both islands. I had some leftover coupons from my 10-dive package I'd purchased in Bora Bora that I'd hoped to use. Although it turned out the coupons expire after 1 year, the Fakarava shop still gave me a small discount, which was nice. Good people at the dive shop. The only negative about the operation was the lack of reef hooks during one of the dives where you spend 5-10 minutes holding onto the reef to watch the sharks go by. I wasn't as impressed with the Rangi shop, though. They have expensive pouch-style weight belts in a model that apparently falls off on a fairly regular basis, as mine did on my first backroll - even though I was holding it as well as I could, while holding my camera at the same time (given the difficulty of having one's camera handed down when there is a strong current, like that day, we had to roll with them). I think the end caught on something, as we were packed on the boat like sardines and I had to wear a belt that was too long since they ran out of my size. They claim I must not have fastened it correctly. "We often see this happen with this weight belt," the divemaster said afterward, as he demonstrated how people often put the strap in the buckle crookedly, causing it to not fasten tightly. (Hmmm... If it's that common, is it maybe time to get another brand of weight belt? Just saying. I've never managed to put the strap on my belt, or any other belt, like that. And, I've done many backrolls without incident.) Since it was allegedly all my fault, they made me pay for it. Wait, it gets worse...A fellow customer's nice Henderson wetsuit went missing from the drying rack at the shop (I wonder if they compensated him for it, or if they decided it's not their responsibility to keep an eye on the gear in their shop). And even worse still...one morning the boat ran out of gas! Fortunately we were in the lagoon on the way to Avatoru Pass. If we'd been diving Tiputa, we would have been outside the lagoon by the time it happened. The staff was very nice, with the exception the manager who made the decision about the belt. As much money as I'd spent at TOPDive establishments over the past couple of dive trips, I would have appreciated the benefit of the doubt, since it's impossible to know what went exactly went wrong. Especially after the out-of-gas incident. They may have been able to make me pay for the belt, but they can't make me dive with them again. If you do, I would recommend bringing your own belt, as I will be doing on all future dive trips. Accommodations: On Fakarava, I stayed at Pension Havaiki, which I liked. The owner has a pearl farm, and had a pearl in the oyster deal where you can pay 25 euro (or so) and you pick your shell and get to keep whatever is inside. He opens it for you had does the demonstration of how the oysters are seeded to grow the pearls. The meals were good, and the bungalows (with fan) were comfortable. On Rangiroa, I stayed at Les Relais de Josephine. The bungalows were nice and the food was good. It's right on Tiputa Pass, so you can look out from the patio at the current, and know if it's possible - or not, in my case - to do the shark dive that morning/afternoon. It's a nice view, at least. Topside: I went to the Green Lagoon (which was nice) on Fakarava, and the Blue Lagoon (which was incredible) on Rangiroa for my "dry" days. Both are worthwhile.
Websites	TOPdive
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Palau, Chuuk, Yap, Guam, Bali, Hawaii, Bermuda, Key West
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	choppy, currents
Water Temp	78-82°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	100-150 Ft/ 30-46 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Simultaneous backroll entry, stay with the group due to strong currents
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
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters	N/A	Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Great animals, but strong currents make all aspects, from entering the water with the camera to maintaining position long enough to get a photo, challenging.

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Dive Review of TOPdive/Pension Havaiki/ Relais de Josephin in French Polynesia/Rangiroa, Fakarava

TOPdive/Pension Havaiki/ Relais de Josephin, Apr, 2011,

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/Pension Havaiki/ Relais de Josephin in
French Polynesia/Rangiroa, Fakarava