Dive Review of Te Ave Nui/Maitai Dream in
French Polynesia/Fakarava

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Te Ave Nui/Maitai Dream, Jul, 2003, by DAVID SHEM-TOV, NA, UK ( Sr. Contributor 21 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 599.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Operation offers essentially two superb dives: high energy pass dive with inbound tide into lagoon, and a wall dive outside the lagoon when the current is outgoing into the ocean. Fairly rough 30 minute rides on hard-bottomed zodiacs to dive sites. (They have one covered and one uncovered boat - and they get to decide which to use.) Caters mainly to French divers, though guides make an effort in English. Generous 12 litre steel or optional 15 litre steel tanks ensure long dives and no need for weight belts. Divemaster Cherie will blend your nitrox on request with advance notice (he uses a rebreather.) I chose to stick to air. Strongest drift dive I experienced (more than Palau or Conzumel.) I enjoyed the wall dive even better than the pass dive. We launched into the blue. Very dramatic approach to an almost vertical wall. Compared to Rangiroa, less big fish/pelegic life but hard coral in pristine condition. Unfortunately, poor diving techniques tolerated by divemasters will mean that coral will soon deteriorate. I was shocked to see one diver who decided to propel herself throughout the dive simply by grabbing the coral using gloved hands. (This was not the drift dive - where such practice encouraged here, is questionable anyway.) Although divemaster empathized with my concern, he did not feel there was any point in bringing the matter up with the diver concerned. (I did.)
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	51-100 dives
Where else diving	Palau, Cozumel, Red Sea, Indian Ocean
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	choppy, currents
Water Temp	26-27°C / 79-81°F	Wetsuit Thickness	5
Water Visibility	20-30 M / 66-98 Ft
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	No deco
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
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
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]

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Dive Review of Te Ave Nui/Maitai Dream in French Polynesia/Fakarava

Te Ave Nui/Maitai Dream, Jul, 2003,

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 Te Ave Nui/Maitai Dream in
French Polynesia/Fakarava