Dive Review of TOPdive/Kia Ora in
French Polynesia/Rangiroa

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TOPdive/Kia Ora: "Wonderful diving with dolphins!", Sep, 2018, by Stephanie Knott, CA, US ( Reviewer 3 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 10742 has 1 Helpful vote.
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	We did 18 dives with Top Dive (excellent organization), which was on the premises of our hotel, the Kia Ora. We dove the Tiputa Pass if the current was flowing into the lagoon and otherwise stayed just outside the pass. (The visibility is very poor if the current is outgoing.) We were usually dropped off (back roll) in the deep offshore blue water, where we would often hang at about 60-70 feet and wait for big stuff to show up. The water was a magnificent blue. We didn’t spend too much time near the reef, except when diving in the pass, which was a fast drift unless we dipped down into a depression and held on. On about half of our dives, we had close encounters with dolphins. Sometimes a small group (up to five) would just check us out, but some of them would come within three feet of divers and hang vertically and wait to have their bellies rubbed! Our policy is not to touch reefs or sea creatures, but these dolphins really initiated the contact. We also saw lots of black-tip reef sharks: down at 90 feet, we saw hundreds schooling at depth (130 feet or so) below us. We also saw a silky tip and a hammerhead; others saw a tiger shark. Other sightings included a few mantas and spotted eagle rays. The reef wasn’t particularly interesting, and I don’t remember many small tropicals (which I usually catalog extensively but didn't pay much attention to on this trip), although there were schools of good-sized humpback snappers, fusiliers, barracuda (great and big eye), and bannerfish. Saw four-foot Napoleon wrasses. Top Dive uses nitrox (32%) for all divers, even those without nitrox certification. We never approached the 132 foot critical depth. We had our own gear, but Top Dive provided to others what looked to be excellent equipment—wetsuits, BCDs, dive computers—at no extra charge. Most of the dive guides were extremely experienced and excellent: knew the reef, how to negotiate the currents, and pointed out interesting things. We received comprehensive dive briefings. Rides to the dive sites (only two different drop-off points for all our dives) were about 8 minutes long, and dives lasted 45 to 60 minutes. There were no dedicated place or rinse buckets for cameras on the boat, but the crew took good care of them. TopDive offered a 30% discount on multiple (20) dives (shared between two divers) purchased in advance, with additional dives at 20% off per dive. We stayed in the Kia Ora, the nicest hotel on the atoll. We booked a pool villa, which is large and lovely (comfortable bed, lots of storage space, clean, good shower, plenty of hot water, good lighting, plunge pool) but without an ocean view. It is also closer than other rooms to the roosters next door, which kept one of us up. There are also some roosters wandering around the property, however, and they crow at all hours. Internet is terribly slow (0.26 mbps). The on-site restaurant is very nice and quiet, with friendly service, although the water could have come more quickly. The food was fairly good (particularly the breakfasts), although it generally looked better than it tasted (nice plating). The food is more expensive than most vacation spots, but there is no tax or tip, and everything has to be shipped in (once per week). We made the mistake of paying in advance for three-course dinners (about $80) and discovered that even if ordering the most expensive appetizer, main and dessert, one couldn’t pay more than $77. Our usual dinners would have cost around $60. (All prices USD.) We recommend Café Rio, a small, very casual restaurant a mile or two from the hotel. The owner will pick you up and take you back to the hotel. Portions are large and prices reasonable. See our Trip Advisor September 24, 2018 review for the Kia Ora for more details about the hotel and restaurant.
Websites	TOPdive Kia Ora
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Papua New Guinea, Sulawesi, Fiji, Cook Islands, Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo Reef, Little Caymen, Cozumel, Belize, Saba, Baja, California, Hawaii
Closest Airport	Rangiroa	Getting There	LAX to Tahiti and then a 1-hour flight to Rangiroa
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, rainy	Seas	calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp	79-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	50-80 Ft/ 15-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Dove with small group; usually above 100 ft
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	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	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	No camera facilities on boat or at shop, but since we were staying at the hotel where the dive boat picked us up, that wasn't a problem. Crew was careful with gear.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of TOPdive/Kia Ora in French Polynesia/Rangiroa

TOPdive/Kia Ora: "Wonderful diving with dolphins!", Sep, 2018,

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/Kia Ora in
French Polynesia/Rangiroa