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Dive Review of World Wide Dive and Sail- French Polynesia Master in
French Polynesia/Tuamotos

World Wide Dive and Sail- French Polynesia Master: "Good Trip for Sharks and Good Visibility", Aug, 2019,

by Mark Vanderlinden, CA, US (Reviewer Reviewer 6 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 11130 has 1 Helpful vote.

No photos available at this time

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Accommodations 5 stars Food 5 stars
Service and Attitude 5 stars Environmental Sensitivity 5 stars
Dive Operation 4 stars Shore Diving N/A
Snorkeling N/A
Value for $$ 4 stars
Beginners 1 stars
Advanced 5 stars
Comments This is my second trip on this live aboard ( both were dedicated photo trips). I made one several years ago. The boat is well laid with more than adequate facilities. The cabins were all spacious with the most room I have had so far on a live aboard. The overall diving was outstanding with excellent visibility. The first trip was better overall for sharks but that one was right before the grouper spawn so the sharks were more numerous. With that being said, this trip had some more opportunities to shoot pictures of fish I had been unable to get previously (Napoleon Wrasse). The only negative comment I have to make is concerning the boats or more correctly the inflatables used to ferry divers to and from the dive sites. On the previous trip they had three smaller inflatables which would ferry dives out in groups of four or five with 10 minute spacing between boats so groups were spread out and there was always one boat on the dive site in case of emergencies (We had 5 groups on that trip). This arrangement worked well. On this trip there were two large inflatables which replaced the three smaller ones. They put two dive groups on each boat with two guides and the boat driver which amounted to 12 divers, all the dive gear and many large underwater camera housings. Even though this appears to be more efficient, it became more like a cattle boat operation and made handling dive and camera gear a dicey operation at best when the seas became rough. I don’t know who in management made this operational decision but it takes away from the enjoyment of the trip. From my prospective I would not rebook a trip unless they changed the operational protocol in some way to avoid the overcrowded boats ( i.e. more boats smaller groups). I am not saying to not go but rather to inquire ahead if this type situation concerns you. Except for my comments above, all the dive guides and crew were safety conscious and went out of their way to make the diving safe and enjoyable as best they could. You should be be comfortable in the water and be able to handle currents to go on this trip. This isn't the best trip for new beginning divers.

Reporter and Travel

Dive Experience Over 1000 dives
Where else diving California, Florida, Hawaii, Micronesia (Palau, Yap, Truk), Wake and Johnston Is, Malaysia (Sipadan), Okinawa, Maldives, Indonesia (Bali and Wakatobi), Solomon IS
Closest Airport Papeete, Rangiroa, Fakarava Getting There None

Dive Conditions

Weather sunny, windy Seas calm, choppy, surge, currents
Water Temp 77-79°F / 25-26°C Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility 60-120 Ft/ 18-37 M

Dive Policy

Dive own profile no
Enforced diving restrictions Must stay with your dive team and follow guide which was a necessity considering the currents and other open water conditions
Liveaboard? yes Nitrox Available? yes

What I Saw

Sharks Lots Mantas None
Dolphins Schools Whale Sharks None
Turtles 1 or 2 Whales None
Corals 4 stars Tropical Fish 4 stars
Small Critters N/A Large Fish 4 stars
Large Pelagics 4 stars

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Subject Matter 5 stars Boat Facilities 5 stars
Overall rating for UWP's 5 stars Shore Facilities N/A
UW Photo Comments Well set up with large rinse tank. Since we had a large photography group space was still at a premium.
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Note: The information here was reported by the author above, but has NOT been reviewed nor edited by Undercurrent prior to posting on our website. Please report any major problems by writing to us and referencing the report number above.

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