What to do....

[cstrick]

We just returned from an Alaskan cruise on the Mariner and loved it. Now we are planning a cruise next April on the Paul Gauguin. We love the thoughts of the beautiful scenery. My question is this. I do not swim and wonder if there are things to do ie. shore excursions, shallow water etc.

[Iamboatman]

Yes, there are many non-swimming tours. You can explore the various island's interiors, pearl farms, hang at the various beaches, enjoy the motu days...and their are aquatic tours (boats, submarines, etc.) for non-swimmers. There are even snorkeling and diving excursions for non-swimmers!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I'm presuming from what you said that you don't mind the water, you just don't swim. The water at Motu Mahana is quite shallow-- you can walk around up to your waist or shoulders. You can snorkel or just put on a mask to see some of the smaller fish while still walking.

 

The scenery is indeed beautiful. There are 4x4 jeep tours on many islands, I would recommend them as a way of seeing the islands and the scenery. On Moorea there's also the Doctor Poole dolphin trip. Even if you don't see dolphins, you will be taken around part of the island lagoon--the scenery is spectacular.

[vaitape]

I'm sincere with this question..........why not learn to swim? At least to where you gain some confidence while in the water?

 

Regardless, as long as you are not afraid of the water, you can snorkel in the shallows with a vest and kayak with a vest (required by the PG aquatic staff anyway).... Both the motus in Bora and Tahaa have lots of shallow water.

 

We like the beach by the Kia Ora in Rangi for lazy shallow snorkeling.......If you are spending anytime in Bora pre- or post and stay at the Hotel Bora, there is good shallow snorkeling there as well as around the Sheraton in Moorea. I can swim well but don't like those fishies swimming under me in the deeper water so shallow snorkeling suits me fine and I have had wonderful experiences in water that I can stand up in.

 

Like Wandra and Iamboatman wrote, the scenery is beautiful..well, awesome actually, and the excursions offered by PG are excellent.

[cstrick]

Thank you for your advice. You are right. I can't swim ( sink like a rock ) but I do like the water.

[Dolebludger]

There is a lot of shallow water available on this cruise. In fact, is is mostly shallow so one can easily stand up in on snorkle excursions. Then, they provide blow-up life vests for non-swimmers so they can snorkel anyway. But the water there is so salty and warm that is is more bouyant than other waters. For example, my wife sinks like a rock in most waters like the Caribbean. But in Polynesia, she does not even need the vest.

[Jim B]

Richard is correct.

I did some reading and it talked about the waters around French Polynisia.

The water temperature is almost 90 degrees and it is saltier than other parts of the ocean. You really can float much easier and if with a jacket won't have any problems.

The water is very shallow at the Motu. A group of us walked over to a different island and had water only up to our waist.

[Dolebludger]

Yep, because of my wife's non-swimming status, we like Polynesia very much for water sports like snorkeling. I'm a fair swimer, but the water is so bouyant that I am unable to dive down while snorkeling. I understand that the scuba folks have to use extra weights. So bottom line, Polynesia is the perfect place for a non-swimmer to go to enjoy snorkeling and other water activities -- because one has to work very hard to sink!