Tiputa Pass Drift Snorkel - Feedback Please.

[Mause]

Has anybody taken this excursion? I'll be in Rangiroa this fall and am thinking of taking this excursion. Have my own equipment and am taking swimming / snorkeling lessons. I should be an average swimmer when I get there. I have heard several negative reports about this excursion, which may be unfounded, such as;

 

Don't do this unless you are a strong swimmer.

Too deep to see a lot of fish. (Main reason I snorkel)

Strong currents can smack you into coral, etc.

 

I like to relax when I snorkel. Any input will be appreciated.

[BigGuy25]

I haven't done this trip, but I have done drift snorkels. Most recently in Ta'haa. The term "drift" snorkel means that there is a relatively strong current that causes you to "drift" through the coral. But, you need to be a good enough swimmer to maneuver yourself around the coral without getting pushed into the coral by the currents. Coral "burns" aren't a great deal of fun. So, I'd pay attention if a lot of posters are saying that this trip is for experienced swimmers

[2manyplaces]

I would pay attention to the previous posts on this topic. We are going to be in Rangiroa in September, and a drift snorkel there isn't even offered through Regent, although I believe it used to be, which leads me to believe the cruise line is concerned about safety and liability.

[Spikesgirl]

Has anybody taken this excursion? I'll be in Rangiroa this fall and am thinking of taking this excursion. Have my own equipment and am taking swimming / snorkeling lessons. I should be an average swimmer when I get there. I have heard several negative reports about this excursion, which may be unfounded, such as;

 

Don't do this unless you are a strong swimmer.

Too deep to see a lot of fish. (Main reason I snorkel)

Strong currents can smack you into coral, etc.

 

I like to relax when I snorkel. Any input will be appreciated.

 

Just up the road from you, so I thought I'd chime in.

 

First off, when will you be in Tahiti? Are you on Princess? If your cruise falls between Oct 10-20, I hope you'll come over and join in our roll call.

 

If you are not a strong swimmer, don't do this! I have dove for years and swum even longer. I'm a fairly strong swimming, but when we took a similar drift snorkel on Tahaa, I opted out. My DH went, but he also took precautions of having hard-soled dive booties (along with his fins) and gloves. One woman got coral bashed seriously and it ruined the rest of the cruise for her. Coral can rip you to shreds, so my advice would be to find another 'regular' snorkel trip and enjoy yourself (would still recommend the gloves and booties though - those black spiny urchins are everywhere!

[Mause]

Hi All,

Thank you for your replies, very much appreciated! My DW and I will probably opt for a Coral Garden or Natural Aquarium type excursion. I’ve read on CC that coral injuries can cause some nasty infections, not to mention Fire Coral.

Spikesgirl,

We’ll be boarding as you will be leaving. :( Oct 20th is our cruise. My DW “Omahana” has joined roll call for this time frame. We booked our cruise about a year in advance and it is finally getting close enough for the excitement to build up!! YAHOOO!! :D

Mause

[Toto2Kansas]

Hi All,

 

I’ve read on CC that coral injuries can cause some nasty infections, not to mention Fire Coral.

 

After our last Coral Gardens snorkeling in Tahiti, we both had some very nasty little coral cuts on our legs (some of the coral is very close to the surface and we were not warned. Depth is decieving sometimes when snorkeling.). I think everyone had a few cuts and scapes on their feet and legs and lots of bandaides and such were needed after we all returned to the ship.

 

What amazed me was a tiny cut on my finger that wasn't caused from coral is what got to me. Something in the sand or water got into this tiny little cut. Within a few days arriving home, my finger, and then my hand swelled up almost twice it's size. Yep, an infection. And I don't ever remember getting anything like that in my entire life before.

 

Now, I always travel with anti-biotics, just in case. I never want to let it get that infected again.

 

Our next trip to Tahiti, I will pay closer attention the depth, and also travel with lots of extra bandaides and anit-biotic cream. ;)

[kates70]

Hi Mause ... we are on the same cruise!

 

I have booked with Rangiroa Activités for the tiputa pass. Yes, I have read some reviews that say it can be a bit much, but I have also read so many more that are very, very positive. As well, on our cruise in December (Crown Princess), I met a couple who said that the tiputa pass was the highlight of their honeymoon! If you want more information about the tour we have booked, just let me know.

[worldtraveller]

Is this tour the same as the one that Princess offers to the "acquarium"?

[Mause]

Hi All,

Toto2Kansas;

Bummer about the infection you got from snorkeling. Although some people discourage it, we will be wearing gloves (being sure not to purposely touch any coral) and bring along some antibiotics.

Worldtraveler;

“Shooting The Tiputa Pass” is not the same as an Aquarium excursion. The Tiputa Pass has strong currents that push you into the Lagoon or vise versa.

Kates70;

Glad you are on board! This is our first time to Tahiti, so everything is new to us. We have booked 2 tours so far because of the recommendations from the CC posters. One is Marc’s on Huahine and the other is L’excusion Blue on Raiatea/Ta’haa. We are soooo looking forward to our snorkeling adventures. Yes, please send us the info on the Tiputa Pass when you get a chance. Thanks.

Mause

[BigGuy25]

Also, no one should take what we're all saying wrong. For example, the Ta'haa drift snorkel was the the best snorkeling experience that I've had on any cruise. We're simply saying that it's probably not a good idea for an inexperienced swimmer.

[Spikesgirl]

Exactly, Big Guy! My DH did the 'shooting the gap' part of the drift snorkel and loved it, but he's a strong swimmer and we knew ahead of time to protect ourselves. In fact, our operator (Bruno, before he started his own business), was very, very clear about the dangers and stressed again and again, "swim where I swim, go where I go", those that did, managed just fine.

 

Toto, it doesn't take much to get something infected in the tropics. Chris is from Hawai'i and he's a bear about our 'tropic' first aid kit. I got 'attacked' by mosquitos once on the Big Island and ended up in the hospital, so now I'm pretty cautious on land as well.

 

Mause, you're on the same roll call/cruise as a couple of my friends are. You're going to have a great time, not matter what you do. We're spending a week on Rangiroa before the cruise, but I don't know how to get any info to you, since we won't have the computer with us when we're there. We'll try not to trash the place though!

[Toto2Kansas]

Just so I didn't scare anyone. That was our 5th trip to Tahiti, and the very first time I had ever gotten an infected cut. Just a fluke I suppose. But when you spend a lot of time in the water or at the beach, it's always best to go prepared with a good little first aide kit.

[kates70]

Here's the email that was sent to me by Rangiroa Activités (I received a response were quickly)

Email address is: vrdl@mail.pf

 

------------------------------------------------------

Please find below some information concerning our snorkeling tour :

 

We organize drift snorkeling tours every day according to the tides (we need incoming current to drift the pass).

 

The duration of the trip is 2 hours.

 

We do, usually, three drifts: right side of the pass, left side of the pass and middle of the pass.

 

An experienced guide accompanies you in small groups in those three drifts.

 

We supply all the equipment necessary including wetsuits and life-jackets.

 

You don't need to be a strong swimmer but you need to be comfortable in the water especially with your mask and snorkel.

 

After the drift parts, we finish the tour inside the lagoon (motu nuhi nuhi) for free snorkeling in a proctected area (a truly natural aquarium).

 

Price : 4 750 CFP per pax.

 

Départure : Ohotu pear. (where the tanders of the cruise ships arrive)

 

The excurtions are organized according to the tides. We need tide in to drift the pass. So, it is impossible for me to tell you now if the trip will be the afternoon or the morning of the 24th of October..

The best is that i send to you a e-mail few days before. Is it possible for you to chek your e-mail on board ?

 

Don't hesitate if you need more information.

 

Regards

René FELS

Rangiroa Activités

[kates70]

Sorry, I forgot to post website address:

 

http://www.rangiroa-snorkeling.com/

[Spikesgirl]

Thanks, Kate! We went ahead and e mailed them for info for the 14th of October when we're there. Since we already there a week prior to the cruise, we were hoping to find something a little different to do. That fits the bill!

[kates70]

If you have the opportunity, I would appreciate hearing about your experience ... we will be there on October 24th .. I can use onboard email to check for a review ... I am really looking forward to it, but would still love to hear your comments.

[Spikesgirl]

Don't usually check into CC when I'm on the ship, but will try to post on our sea day back. DH brings along his laptop, so we have access, just not the speed!! if you want, we can exchange e mail addresses - that might be faster and more direct! Mine is charliekirby@comcast.net.

 

Is there anything in particular you want me to keep an eye out for, like water temperature, strength of current, depth or the like?

[kates70]

That would be great!! it's kathleen.lowes@rogers.com.

 

i have read some great reviews and some not so great ... I am really torn about this excursion and really want to have the best snorkeling excursions on all islands ...

 

i read a review today on the tahiti forum board and they saw a group manta and eagle rays on this excursion!!

[Spikesgirl]

Kathy - heard back from Rene and we are going to go ahead and book this while staying on Rangiroa (he said his first client is Kia Ora (where we're staying), so how cool is that? He's currently checking on a wetsuit for my very tall husband.

 

I have put your address into our documentation, so I will e mail you as soon after the snorkel as possible (probably Oct 15). Hopefully that will still give you enough time to decide whether or not to take it.

 

Cheers (and thanks again!)

[simonv]

Drift snorkel is a great fun, but I'm an experienced snorkeler. The best one I've done was like riding in a train and scenery moved at an incredible speed. But my partner and the dive master were the only people in water, with a support dingy following us just in case. The dive master didn't take us to this drift snorkel till he was sure of our skills.

 

I don't know this pass, and I don't know how fast the current is there, but I'd be nervous about snorkeling with people I don't know the skill levels. You need a lot of room to manuever, and if somebody gets in your way, you can easily slummed into coral.

[Mause]

Thank you all for the info & comments. I’ll see how comfortable I feel with my snorkeling ability by this fall to see if I will take the Tiputa Drift Tour.

Mause

[Spikesgirl]

Mause, if you want, you can also e mail me and I will let you know how it was. We'll be there on the 14th, so that would give you a week to decide prior to the cruise. You can e mail Rene at that point - he's very prompt about answering.

[kates70]

thanks spikesgirl! i should have a back-up snorkel location just in case. i am nervous about the fitting into the wet suit ... :)

[Spikesgirl]

Just let Rene know your size and he will let you know whether he has a wetsuit to fit you or not.

[kates70]

i'm not huge ... just curvey :) i'm a size 16 ... hopefully 14 by the trip!!