Dive Review of Dive Kiribati/Captain Cook Hotel in
Kiribati (Christmas Island)

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Dive Kiribati/Captain Cook Hotel, Feb, 2003, by Dorothy McDonald, Ohio, USA ( Sr. Contributor 22 reports with 12 Helpful votes). Report 390.
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	The diving on Kiribati is so good that this was our second trip and we encourage anyone who enjoys diving and who doesn't mind roughing it a bit to head for this unique island. There is one plane a week to/from Honolulu - so you are there for the week. This is a Third World Country where most people don't have running water and electricity and most visitors are fishermen. The Captain Cook Hotel,the most modern place on the island, is very basic but comfortable. The main part of the "hotel" was formerly British Officers barracks (some of the rooms are air-conditioned). Cottages have also been built along the beach - beautiful view - no air-conditioning. Pitchers of drinkable water and ice are put in your room's mini-fridge daily - the tap water is not drinkable. Meals at the Captain Cook are served family style and there is always a variety to choose from and in any evening could include tacos, baked chicken, and tuna. Food is good but not gourmet. Since fishermen and divers leave after breakfast and don't return until late afternoon, sandwich fixings and fresh fruit are set out at breakfast and everyone makes their own sack lunch. Kim Andersen, an American, runs the only dive operation. Diving is done from one of two motorized outrigger/catamaran type boats. Kim meets you at the airport and you can expect to go diving the day you arrive. Both times we've been there we were the only divers, so basically could do whatever we liked. Shore dives can also be done - entry can be pretty rough. There is a large variety of tropical fish, everything from flame angels to dragon eels to lion fish to gold-flake Angel fish (Kim told us they are only found in this area)and many more. Trevally are seen on every dive. A huge scool of barracuda seemed to hang out at one location. Other places we'd see Napoleon Wrasse. Sharks and turtles are seen on most dives. A small school of dolphin swam in front of us on one dive. Lots of mantas. A juvenile manta became very curious in us and spent over half an hour with us - coming within a foot to make eye contact and continually circling us. We'd often see mantas feeding on the surface, we'd get into the water with snorkel gear on, Kim would move the boat away and we'd float with the mantas feeding all around us. There was a school of hundreds of spinner dolphin - we'd don masks and snorkels, hang onto the outrigger's pontoon while Kim drove the boat. The dolphins (some mother's with babies) would be frolicking all around us. Most of the time the water was calm without any strong currents. Kim and his staff did everything possible to make our experience a great one. The time to go is now - before development and high-rises come to the island! Trips can be arranged through Frontiers International 1-800-245-1950 or contact Kim Andersen at divekiribati@juno.com
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	[Unspecified]
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas
Water Temp	80-84°F / 27-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	0
Water Visibility	50-100 Ft/ 15-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	Squadrons
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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All Kiribati (Christmas Island) Dive Reviews and Reports
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Dive Review of Dive Kiribati/Captain Cook Hotel in Kiribati (Christmas Island)

Dive Kiribati/Captain Cook Hotel, Feb, 2003,

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 Dive Kiribati/Captain Cook Hotel in
Kiribati (Christmas Island)