Dive Review of Top Dive/Hibiscus, Maitai Polynesia in
French Polynesia/Moorea,Bora Bora

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Top Dive/Hibiscus, Maitai Polynesia, Aug, 2005, by Michael Kamens, Ohio, USA . Report 1879.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Dove with Top Dive in both Moorea and Bora Bora. Took 10 dive inter-island package. 6 dives in Moorea and 4 in Bora Bora. Top Dive Moorea was top notch. Handled all gear and kept safe overnight. Divemasters Thomas and Nicholas great and very friendly. Diving is very easy and close to shore. Coral is fair but fish life and especially large animal encounters pnenomenal. First two days, spotted Humpback whales and snorkled with mother and calf both days. This was magical and the divemasters went out of their way to find the animals for us. The diving is very exciting. Lots of Black tip and lemon sharks with the lemons being quite impressive at 10 feet plus. Top Dive takes a tuna head down on most dives and puts it in the coral. This keeps the sharks interested and the diving with the sharks is quite exciting. Dive would usually end with the tuna being exposed to the sharks and watching them do their thing. Saw clown fish and many other endemic species as well. Turtles, eels etc... Bora Bora a little more herd like atmosphere. Still dive in small groups, but several on same boat and while not crowded, I felt less personal touch. The water however is gorgeous and the diving again highly charged with plenty of sharks and two mantas. I was put with a group of beginners to start but complained and was promptly put into a more appropriate group. Both areas are better for these animal encounters than coral growth. Not alot of color and diversity to be seen, however the reef seemed quite healthy with very little bleaching or dying coral to be seen. Lots of fish life as well. Maitai in Bora Bora quite nice. clean A/C room with ocean view. Great staff, nice beach with decent snorkeling and great lagoon views. Hibiscus on Mooorea a bit more econo oriented and thus a bit rustic. A bit of a bug problem and although owners were very friendly and the grounds nicely kept, I would stay elsewhere on Moorea on a return trip. Food extremely expensive so we walked to local groceries and stocked up on french cheeses and bagets and did our own breakfast and lunches. combo of Tahitian and French cuisine very good with The Mayflower in Moorea and The Bounty in Bora bora being standout performers. Both islands are gorgeous and topside sites are as impressive as the underwater sites. My non-diving wife took a ferry to Tahiti to see Papeete and do some shopping and had a great time all around exploring the islands.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	[Unspecified]
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, surge, currents
Water Temp	79-81°F / 26-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	75-0 Ft/ 23-0 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Small groups led by divemaster. Follow within reason, but not hand holding. 45-50 minutes with 3 minute safety stop.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	>2
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Top Dive/Hibiscus, Maitai Polynesia in French Polynesia/Moorea,Bora Bora

Top Dive/Hibiscus, Maitai Polynesia, Aug, 2005,

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

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

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

Dive Review of Top Dive/Hibiscus, Maitai Polynesia in
French Polynesia/Moorea,Bora Bora