Bora Bora---Patrick or Christophe

[Tikiintahiti]

Patrick has always been more than other excursions on Bora Bora or other islands. Part of that is the fact it is a 'private' excursion.

 

If I was to pick one lagoon excursion on any of the Society Islands I would choose Bruno's "L'excursion Bleue" http://www.tahaa.net/

 

On problem is it's on Tahaa where you already have a greaqt day planned on the PG motu.

 

Another on of my favorites is Mark's "Huahine Nautique" http://www.huahine-nautique.com/

 

Both Bruno & Mark are great guys and they both operate their boats themselves as the tour guide. Both are cheaper than Patrick

Edited May 24, 2011 by Tikiintahiti

[narnia1]

Hi all:

 

On the 6/29 Roll Call I have just posted my experiences with the 3 excursions. All of them started way later than confirmed times only days before sailing, none of them had either Patrick, Mark or Christophe. All of them ended earlier than planned. All of them were full. While Moreto was OK as the dude, he did have attitude and gave no commentary. We spent a very long time in deep water with none but a few reef sharks which we had already swum with around the rays, and no lobster. The snorkeling was in a great are with very deep area and was not the smae as Christophe. By mid-afternoon it was so rough in the water that 2 of our PG cruisers were pretty injured on the coral and there was no first aid at all on the boat.

 

The bigger disappointment was Christophe as we had the most expectations for his trip. Frederic was our guide, 3 stops, coral garden was lovely, second was deep water with 0 visibility to see manta rays which it was obvious we would not due to 0 visibility. Also, we swam so far from the boat that at least 2 of us could not get back without help and had it not been for my snorkel belt, I would have drowned and my athlete husband barely made it and swallowed lots of water. It was awful. The 3rd stop was at a beautiful area but again far from the boat and I was the last to get on the boat because I didn't want to leave and I was the only one to see a ray. But no drinks were offered, no commentary, no pictures. No walk out to the sea. No explanation as to why Christophe was not there.

 

Marc's you can read about on 6/29 roll call-food was wonderful and guides were nice although 20 people on boat all English speakers from the PG and all French from the hotels. Much explanation was given in French, none hardly in English.

 

I have travelled alot and will always make the best out of any situation and I am used to "going with the flow", however, I think that the issues above really affected the enjoyment of the excursions by all of us on the PG. And I wanted to add my commentary to the foregoing for what it is worth. I would never book without getting a guarantee from the providers that we would be with them personally. Otherwise we loved the PG and loved FP. We were also very grateful that we had 5 additional days at the Moorea Hilton to do some superb snorkeling right in front of the hotel!

[narnia1]

What I meant to say was that the coral garden with Moreto was not the same as the coral garden with Frederic. And we spend way too much time with Moreto in deep water doing nothing.

[Texed]

Thanks for posting. :)

[south seas sue]

None of you have mentioned Damien. We took his snorkle tour of Bora Bora a couple of years ago. He is a handsome Frenchman, with good command of English. He will go where you want, to do what you want - we had a drift snorkel after crossing a motu and then drifting back to the boat, and 2 other snorkel stops that were just great. His boat will seat 6 comfortably. His specialty is photography, and he will take photos for you to purchase if you are interested.

 

I am sorry to hear about Moreto's deteriorating attitude. I guess Patrick has become too busy to monitor these excursions as he should, and from the feedback about Moreto he should not be allowed anywhere near tourists! Here is Damien's website.

www.boraboraphotolagoon.com

 

- especially for ohytThtr/tour of

[Ahab10]

We took Patricks tour last November. There was 8 of us and we had Moreto who was great as was the barbeque. Water was super clear at each stop and we had no negatives. We would definetly do it again.:D

[cmalagngl]

We will be in Bora Bora in August and are trying to finalize our plans for tours. As groups return from you PG cruises please post any information concerning Patrick or Cristophe, thanks.

[Texed]

We took Patricks tour last November. There was 8 of us and we had Moreto who was great as was the barbeque. Water was super clear at each stop and we had no negatives. We would definetly do it again.:D

 

Thanks for the update.

[bethcooks4u]

I just returned - 2:30am our time - from our trip. Just looking over emails. I'll post more later but we did do Patrick's tour. We had Patrick and it was just as we expected. He did a great job. He had a second tour going on with another guide (don't know his name but he was I believe Australian). The second boat was having mechanical difficulties so we stopped to help a couple times and ended up taking on those people for the Motu visit and lunch but it was all good. I'll post more when I've had some rest. Been traveling more than 24 hours...

[bethcooks4u]

DH and I agree that Patirck's tour was the highlight of our trip. He gave us an amazing experience well worth the cost. We did have him as our guide which I'm sure added to it but the guide with the other group appeared to be giving them a good trip too.

 

We first did the sharks and there were many. I was a bit uneasy (not about the sharks but about being in such deep water/snorkeling) at first and Patrick stayed with me a few minutes until he saw I was relaxed. Patrick took each of our underwater cameras and took a picture of us with sharks behind us. Then the rays. They were amazing. We were able to feed them. Worse part was holding the pieces of fish... There was another group (different guides) near by at the rays and we saw a woman holding a ray from leaving her and a man was pulling on it's tail. Their guide either didn't see it or ignored it. Patrick pointed out that is how people get hurt.

 

We had snorkeled for the first time 2 days before and they had taken us in shallower water with tide out. Patrick took us in deeper water and it was much more fun. We saw amazing fish and had no problems with coral being too close. The meal on the Motu was also amazing and there was plenty of food. There were two groups for a total of 14 people at the meal.

 

My only regret is that we didn't do the 4x4 tour too.

Edited June 21, 2011 by bethcooks4u

[Ashryn]

We have just returned from our fantastic trip on the PG. We did a 3/4 day tour with Patrick (himself) and had a great time. He was considerate of his guests' abilities and helped some to get a bit of confidence in the deep water with the sharks (my favourite part!) before leaving them to their viewing. We did the stingrays, some snorkelling and then lunch on his motu which was a lovely spot. The water is so clear and inviting that we decided to do another trip the following day and just booked with a lady selling tours on the dock. There were only 4 of us on the trip and we were taken out by a husband and wife team and even though they didn't commentate the whole way, they took us to some brilliant spots and we had just as good a day (and cheaper). Unfortunately I can't tell you who they were because I couldn't really remember their names but they are both captains so if you asked the booking agent should be able to tell you who they are.

[given2travel]

doing christophe in december...would love to hear any updates, especially if he is absent from the tour...thanks!

[Friscorays]

doing christophe in december...would love to hear any updates, especially if he is absent from the tour...thanks!

 

We are using Christophe mid December and will be happy to post our experience on returning.

 

Out of curiousity what price did they quote you? The tour used to be 9000 XPF per person for cruise shippers but they told me that the price has increased to 9950 XPF recently.

[elainec]

We went with Cristophe in August 12, 2011. It was a highlight of our cruise. Beautiful snorkeling stops, great boat and he was very informative on what we were seeing. Had 3 stops, one was longer looking for a manta ray which we did get to see and we also saw spotted eagle rays from the boat. The snorkeling sights were so clear and full of fish we were spoiled.

[cmalagngl]

We were on the August 12th Christophe tour with Elaine and Jeff and it was fantastic. His boat is a blast as we zoomed around the island. As Elaine stated we stopped at three places but we could have gone in the water two additional times but chose not to. The main thing about Christophe's tour is it is all about the snorkeling. No picnic or stuff like that, just four hours of snorkeling. This was also a highlight of our trip and I'd do it again tomorrow if I was there. Yes, we are suffering from the FP flu. Christophe really helped us all but quickly identified the advanced and beginners and really took care of the beginner. We had a person on our tour who had never snorkeled before and Christophe gave him the time of his life. I think these two tours are slightly different in content and that would be the first thing I would consider if making the choice. I'd go with Christophe is snorkeling was my main consideration. Also, Christophe worked like crazy free diving down 30-40 feet over an extended period of time to make sure we saw a manta ray. He also has trained a moray eel to come out of its hole and eat out of his hand. I've seen eels before but never all the way out of their holes.

[cforge]

Hi

We were also on the Aug 12th excursion with Christophe. We are experiencing the FP flu really bad. We're are already seriously discussing a return trip. :) My husband was the new snorkeler and Christophe treated him with kid gloves. Took his time and explained everything and instructed him the entire way. My husband was thrilled to see all the wildlife. He had never done this before and we had taken many trips to other islands. I had either snorkeled by myself or with my son. I told my husband this was a once in a life time opportunity so he said he would give it try. The others are right. Christophe's excursion was the highlight for us. It was what being in FP is all about. And he loves what he does. He literally called out to that moray eel and out of his hiding place he came for lunch. It was absolutely amazing. I don't think any of us could quite believe it. With Christophe you will not be disappointed. Enjoy !

Carol

[Friscorays]

My wife and I have yet to see a Manta Ray while snorkeling or diving so hopefully Christophe's tour will do the trick. That would really be fantastic.

[given2travel]

9950 is my quote. Sounds like a bargain to me given the reviews.

 

Thanks for all the responses.

[cmalagngl]

Carol and Vinney, Cheri and I are seriously suffering from the FP flu. I don't know if you heard Jamie Lawrence sing on the cruise but there is a chance he may be back on board sometime in 2012. We became good friends with Jamie and Lori his wife on our cruise. If Jamie gets hired we are really going to try to go back next year. If not then I know we will return in a few years. I just need to lose the weight I gained and come up with the cash. Good to see you are still on the boards. Carl & Cheri

[cforge]

Hi Carl & Cheri

Yes we did get to hear Jamie sing one night. I thought he was amazing. Sounded just like James Taylor. "You've got a friend" .... Really, really enjoyed listening to him. Wish we could have heard more. I hear ya as far as the weight gain and the cash. :D We're hoping for 2013.

Carol & Vin

[hapster222]

Highly recommend Christophe's tour in Bora Bora. Just back from the PG. They were very accommodative of our group of 11 from the ship last week when we all got off and were expecting only 9. 12 was overbudget, but the 11 of us squeezed on Terry's boat (Christophe's colleague). You'll have a great time and enjoy some excellent snorkeling!!

 

H

[Friscorays]

Highly recommend Christophe's tour in Bora Bora. Just back from the PG. They were very accommodative of our group of 11 from the ship last week when we all got off and were expecting only 9. 12 was overbudget, but the 11 of us squeezed on Terry's boat (Christophe's colleague).....

 

So I thought the tour was limited to six. Does Christophe run a smaller boat for six and Terry run a larger boat for around eleven?

[PINEY10]

We just recently returned from FP. Based on many reviews on this board, we took Patrick's 3/4 day snorkel tour. It was okay but way overrated. We did not have Patrick but instead had his cousin who was unimpressive to say the least. He didn't talk very much and was a stark contrast to a tour we took in Huahine with Marc. Marc's tour set a very high standard and Patrick's tour with Mareto did not meet the mark by a long shot. If we had a map to where he went we could have done better ourselves.

 

I will say that the snorkeling in the coral garden was probably one of the best (if not the best) snorkeling we have done anywhere including in FP although there were other places we went that were just so spectacular. The moto picnic was not as good as described on the website and the food was okay although the lobster was good. The food overall was better on Marc's tour (but that is not the reason we went on the tour). The sharks were great, too. Bora Bora is a beautiful island and the water is unbelievable as it is throughout FP.

 

We did not have Patrick--if you can be assured you will, I would go (I can't comment on what he is like since we did not have him). As someone else expressed on the website, Moreto is cocky, full of himself and not very expressive or impressive. We learned very little about the island from him.

[24butterfly]

I realize that this is an old thread but here goes.....We did Patric's tour about 1.5 yrs ago...Did the bbq lunch, and in response to one poster, no, nothing was set up. That was the charm of it. It was all done right there....Went to a few snorkel spots--and the words out of my husband's mouth made it all worth it: when we were feeding the rays, he said, "this is worth every penny".

 

So, here's my question: regarding Christophe's trip, and thos who took Patric's--on Patric's we actually were able to feed and swim with the rays. On Christoph's trip do you get to feed the rays as well or just see them swimming? Thanks if you post!

[MightyQuinn]

So, here's my question: regarding Christophe's trip, and thos who took Patric's--on Patric's we actually were able to feed and swim with the rays. On Christoph's trip do you get to feed the rays as well or just see them swimming?

Unless things have changed in the last year, there is no ray feeding with Christophe. His tour included stops at a site where you can swim amongst a school of spotted rays and another deep water site where you can search for manta rays.

 

We took tours with both Patrick and Christophe. I would say Patrick is more about entertainment and fun while Christophe has more of a focus on education and appreciation. But he was also fun! We much preferred Christophe.