Dive Review of TOPdive/Kia Ora Resort in
French Polynesia/rangiroa

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TOPdive/Kia Ora Resort, Dec, 2011, by Andy Wiessner, CO, US ( Reviewer 3 reports). Report 6519.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations	N/A	Food	N/A
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Stayed at Kia Ora Resort which was just re-opened after a huge (reported $20 million) re-modeling. EVERYTHING at the resort is first class...and food was world class too. We were there just before Christmas, so basically had the place to ourselves. Could not possibly have been nicer from staff to facilities. True luxury all the way. They have bikes to rent and we enjoyed the 20 minute ride into town. Diving was first class too in the two passes. Saw tons of sharks, dolphins that swam right up to us and payed with us, etc. The rubber dinghy ride from the hotel to dive sites is literally less than 5 minutes, but it can be rough on some days going into the open ocean where you start the dive. Other days were calm. My only regret is that the large masses of schooling sharks for which the passes are famed were generally 30-50 feet below us and hard to see, and the 31% nitrox mix we were diving prevented us from going deep enough to mix with them. I asked to do a dive on compressed air...willing to stay down for a shorter period...but was told the local diving rules prevented "sport" divers from going deeper. Am told maybe other dive outfits use compressed air and you can go deeper...but I cannot confirm that. Stephanie is a great divemaster and very friendly. Overall experience was still totally awesome. I'd go back again and again. The hotel was just unbelievably nice. We got a good package rate...otherwise the resort is very expensive.
Websites	TOPdive
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	palau, fiji, bahamas, hawaii, vietnam, cayman
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp	28-28°C / 82-82°F	Wetsuit Thickness	1
Water Visibility	80-120 Ft/ 24-37 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Because of 31% nitrox mix, you could not go below 125 feet. Would have preferred compressed air to be able to go deeper because most of famed sharks were 30-50 feet below us and hard to make out.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
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]

Subscriber's Comments

By Susan Shields in TX, US at May 24, 2013 11:14 EST

Haven't been there for 20 years. Resort was wonderful then and sounds as if it hasn't changed. The dive operator in 1992 routinely encouraged breathing dry the steel 60 tanks after filling them to 3300 psi. A friend had to do an out of air ascent from 90' due to rust in 1st stage of reg. Sounds safer now.

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Dive Review of TOPdive/Kia Ora Resort in French Polynesia/rangiroa

TOPdive/Kia Ora Resort, Dec, 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):

Subscriber's Comments

Dive Review of TOPdive/Kia Ora Resort in
French Polynesia/rangiroa