capozollar - Bluewater Dive Travel

capozollar

capozollar

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Reviews (4)

Alor

4
5
5
4

The islands between Flores and Alor have some of the best diving in the world and are one of the most underrated destinations in my opinion. These islands are best to visited on a liveaboard. Here, you will find beautiful reefs which are perfect for a wide angle photography and also world class macro sites. Even better, there are hardly any other boats so you will likely be the only liveaboard around. Not only are the reefs very healthy but dive conditions are usually excellent and the currents at most sites are not that strong so can be visited by all levels of divers. There are lots of beautiful walls which have both terrific wide angle and macro subjects. One of the most fun things to do is swim with the kids at Pura who wear hand made goggles and demonstrate how they spearfish. I did this trip on the Seven Seas liveaboard which had extremely knowledgeable guides, Captain and cruise director. To this day, my trip to Flores - Alor was one of the best overall dive trips I ever had and I wasn’t expecting much before I went so that is why I think it is a top underrated destination.

Visited on 05/2017 - Submitted on 07/31/2019
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The 6 Passengers French Polynesia

4
5
5
5

The Six Passengers is the best overall dive operator in Rangiroa in my opinion. It delivers top results on every level including personal service, safety, equipment, guides, location, and boats. I have been diving with the Six Passengers on multiple occasions over the past seven years, so I am confident that they are consistent with these details.

The Six Passengers is located beachfront just a few minutes from most resorts on Rangiroa and they will pick you up and drop you back off at your resort for no charge. Their shop is very large with 3 separate rooms including a video room and place to store your belongings. They also have a large deck with several comfy chairs and lounge chairs which you can relax on between dives while enjoying the view of Rangiroa's spectacular multi-hued turquoise lagoon. They offer top-of-the-line scuba gear and have a limited number of Nitrox tanks they can fill. They also have two large bathrooms with showers in addition to the showers located outside on the deck. There are large rinse containers for your gear in addition to a hose. Finally, they have 2 small zodiac boats for 6 passengers each and 1 large boat for 12 passengers.

The Six Passengers does a great job of placing divers of similar ability into separate groups and limits their groups to 5-6 divers per guide. They offer dives at 4 times per day (8:00am, 10:30am, 2:00pm, and 4:30pm, approximately). The dives are timed around the tides and the currents. You can do up to 3 dives per day due to the depth and difficulty of some of the dives. The final dive of the day around 4:30pm is the "sunset dive" which gives the opportunity to see some fish reproduction. All of their guides are experienced, professional, and give complete briefings before every dive.

Dives are centered around two passes: Tiputa and Avatoru. Dives are done with either an incoming or outgoing current and depending on the current, may be into the passes or around the outside of the passes. Big animals and large marine life are seen here so wide angle photography is going to be your focus. Typical marine life includes sharks of various species, bottlenose dolphins, schools of barracuda, large tuna, eagle rays, and manta rays. A highlight of diving Avatoru Pass is the silvertip sharks and for Tiputa Pass is the bottlenose dolphins.

The only category the Six Passengers does not get 5 stars is "overall value" and that is because all diving in French Polynesia is quite expensive. You won't find cheaper diving elsewhere. Expect to pay around 6800 cfp per dive and you can get a package deal with a total of 10 dives which makes the price per dive a bit cheaper.

Visited on 07/2014 - Submitted on 08/31/2014
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French Polynesia

4
5
5
5

French Polynesia (FP) is my favorite destination for diving as it consistently delivers big animals, great visibility, and beautiful top side scenery. I also like that it isn't yet "touristy" and has much fewer people than most places.

If you are into sharks, then FP is the place to go. It is one of the few places left in the world where you can see lots of sharks on pretty much every dive. Dives can be either baited or non-baited, and you will see sharks either way. There is also a diversity of marine life and other common animals include dolphins, eagle rays, turtles, manta rays, barracuda, tuna, eels, and schools of jacks.

Coral is pretty healthy throughout the Tuamotu chain (Fakarava and Rangiroa) but not so much around the Society islands (Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora).

For photography, wide angle and portrait will give the best opportunities and macro is limited.

Dive operators are plentiful and professional. Diving is land based and most dive sites are just minutes from the dive shop.

Food includes lots of fresh fish and fruit and has a French flair.

Beaches and top side scenery are breath-taking with the infinite multi-hued turquoise lagoons and white sandy beaches.

In my opinion, the only downside is that FP can be a bit pricey, especially on airfare.

Visited on 07/2014 - Submitted on 07/25/2014
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Hotel Kia Ora Resort and Spa

3
5
5
5

We visited the newly renovated Kia Ora Resort this past March, 2013 for a scuba diving vacation. My husband and I also stayed at the Kia Ora in January, 2012 when it first re-opened and about seven years ago before it was renovated, so we have really seen see the major changes in this property over time. Overall, the resort is remarkably improved with better accommodations, better food, and much better service.

We had originally planned to stay for four nights, but were having such an incredible stay that we extended our stay for a total of seven nights. We spent the first night in one of the beach bungalows which are directly beachfront and have amazing views of Rangiroa's multi-hued turquoise lagoon. All the beach bungalows have a sitting area and a bedroom with a large sized bathroom. Interestingly, the beach bungalow structures themselves are not rebuilt as are the garden bungalows. The furniture inside is new and the outdoor deck/chairs are new. Additionally, there are new jacuzzi tubs on all the decks which allow you to enjoy the sunset from the relaxation of your own jacuzzi, which can be heated or remain at air temperature if you wish. Overall, the beach bungalows are improved, but it would have been better if the resort had replaced these old bungalows with entirely new structures which were more modern, luxurious, and more private. It should be noted that all of the beach bungalows are very close together so there isn't much privacy on your deck.

Since our newly installed jacuzzi wasn't working, the hotel offered to upgrade us to one of their new garden pool villas. Even though I really enjoyed the beachfront view of our beach bungalow, we decided to move rooms since the garden pool bungalows were much larger, more private, had central air conditioning - which was much more effective than the small unit in the beach bungalow - and because the villas were much more luxurious. We really enjoyed using the private plunge pool and lounging on our deck which was surrounded by a wall to ensure privacy. The bathroom has a large shower and there is also a full tub outside.

The main bar area is also remodeled and has glass sections in the floor which offer views of the fish below, which is a very nice touch. Off to the side of the bar is a new infinity pool which is completely breathtaking and usually unoccupied. Behind the pool is the main restaurant. This is where we had breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day. All of the food we had was very good -- especially the fresh fish -- and the service was impeccable. The servers went out of their way to make your meal a pleasant experience and even prepared some dishes that weren't on the menu to satisfy our wishes.

We dove everyday with "The Six Passengers" which was a truly amazing experience. Since this was our fourth trip to Rangiroa, we wanted to spend each day diving as we feel the diving here is better than almost anywhere in the world. We saw schools of grey reef sharks, tons of bottlenose dolphins, schools of eagle rays, silvertip sharks, and even the Great Hammerhead shark! The Six Passengers is a fantastic operation and they will come to pick you up at the Kia Ora to bring you to their dive shop which is right down the street. The Kia Ora offers diving with "Top Dive" which is onsite and is also a great dive shop. Both the Tiputa Pass and the Avatoru Pass are must dives as well as the "Sunset Dive" at Tiputa.

We will definitely be back here again. The only minus is how expensive this place is. Hopefully, the Kia Ora can remain somewhat reasonable with their specials such as the "stay 5, pay 3" special. Packages through dive travel agencies are also lower than booking directly with the resort, especially during off peak times.

Visited on 03/2013 - Submitted on 04/24/2014
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