Leejnd4

Hi, I'm curious - did you manage to get this worked out? I sure hope so!

Shrkdive1 is spot on. I have my DAN insurance on auto-renewal, and have for years. If you're a scuba diver, you really should have it. I know several people who've benefited from their services when an emergency occurred. It's worth it! THANK YOU! This is very helpful. My cruise is a loooong way off (too long) 😉 but we're already looking at what we want to do each day. Knowing what days I'll be diving is very helpful.

I don't believe they offer dives in Huahine, only Moorea and Bora Bora. My recollection is that the dives in Bora Bora were more amazing than the Moorea ones...but it's been a few years since I was there.

Oh, one more comment I forgot to answer in my post above: it appears they do offer Nitrox onboard. In the SCUBA certification section I saw this: Enriched-Air Nitrox Enriched Air Nitrox allows you to take longer dives before reaching the non-decompression limit and diminishes the risks of decompression sickness for multiple dive trips. You now have the opportunity to get your Nitrox certification on board The Gauguin. Enroll in the course and get certified for $120, including booklet. I assume this means they have Nitrox onboard for those of us who are already certified for it. I also found the price list, which indicates they do offer two-tank dives: What are the prices for the dives? $50 Refresher course (compulsory for those who have not been diving for over a year) $99 PADI Discover SCUBA Dive course pool session $129 PADI Discover SCUBA Dive course per any additional dive $109 Single-tank day dive $120 Single-tank night dive $129 Intro dive (see question below about beginning divers who would like to try SCUBA diving) $215 Two-tank day dive

Hey, sorry for the long delay in coming back to this thread! We've been super busy traveling around central Mexico, and now working on our boat getting it ready to put it back in the water and move back aboard. Anyway, fun video! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing all the sharks. We dive a lot here in Mexico, but we haven't seen a single shark. 😉 Also, thanks for the feedback on your favorite dive sites. Good questions! I just went to their website and I can't seem to find any info on the actual dive excursions. I'm sure I was able to see them not too long ago, but I can't find them now! Not sure if something has changed on their website. The only shore excursions I'm seeing are everything BUT diving. If I click to filter by "watersports" it's only showing snorkeling. Even if I go to their SCUBA section and then click the link that says "To view all available dives by destination click here", when I click the link it's only taking me to their full list of shore excursions, NOT including anything about dives! Strange. Anybody got any insight as to how to find the list of available dives on the PG site?

Personally I always bring my own mask/snorkel whenever I go anywhere that involves diving or snorkeling. It's always best to have a high-quality mask that you know fits you well, as leaks can be so annoying. Plus, the idea of putting something in my mouth that has been in so many other mouths kinda grosses me out, despite how clean they keep their equipment. That said, while It's been a few years since I've been on the PG, I do recall that their gear is high quality.

This is GREAT info! Thanks! I won't worry about the logbook then. I've been on the PG twice, and dove with them both times, but I just couldn't remember if they wanted to see a logbook (I probably had one with me back then). They might still have me in their records. Any comments on particular dive sites that you feel are must-do's or not worth it? How's the health of the coral these days? Thank you so much for this info! Would love to also hear more about how your cruise went above the water too. 😀

Got it. I'll get a log book going, so I at least have something to show. I might even be able to dig out an old log book from many years ago that has some dives in it. Last time I did the PG was...oh gosh, I think it was around 2015. I do recall seeing the coral devastation from the crown-of-thorns invasion. Happy to hear it's been improving. DEFINITELY bringing my gear! I don't think we'll be flying Air Tahiti Nui - it seems Air France has started non-stops from LAX and the prices and times seem better for us. But I shouldn't need a extra bag - I won't be bringing my fins or wetsuit, and I should be able to get my BC, mask and snorkel into my suitcase. I'll bring my reg in my carry-on. I had a bad experience once when I checked my dive gear - TSA went through my bag and apparently messed around with my reg! I had it carefully packed in its case, but when my bag arrived, the case had been opened, and the reg carelessly shoved back in it with hoses all bent, the little air flow knob on my 2nd stage had been fiddled with, they'd obviously been playing with the buttons on my computer as settings were changed. I'm never checking gear again! If some overzealous TSA agent wants to mess with my life support equipment, I'm damn sure going to be watching what they do. I see that Top Dive runs dives in Rangiroa. I did Tiputa Pass MANY years ago, on my first PG cruise, which was around 2007 I think, and I recall it was amazing! We started outside the reef, then turned the corner into the pass and WHEE!!!! Flying like Superman! Hoping I get to do that again. And yeah, I recall lotsa hammerheads.

I wouldn't exchange at the airport. Find an ATM at a bank in Papeete and withdraw money from your account. You'll get a better exchange rate. (Be sure its actually AT A BANK - not just on a corner or in a store or whatever. ATMs not at a bank are more likely to be compromised with a skimmer.) Figure out how much money US you think you'll spend (as per the answer above), then figure out how much that will be in XPF. XE.com has current exchange rates.

Well I can only give you my personal perspective on gear, but.....after defective rental gear nearly killed me in the Galapagos some years back, I resolved to NEVER EVER EVER rent gear again. Period. So I will be bringing my own BC, reg, mask and snorkel. I understand their gear is very well maintained, but I just feel like once you're used to diving with a particularly gear configuration, having to dive with something unfamiliar can lead to task overload. Especially if you are doing photography, which I will be doing. You will LOVE the diving in FP! Warm clear water, beautifully colorful critters, and SHARKS! It's been a number of years since my last PG cruise, but I recall the shipboard dive op to be very professionally run. The DMs knew the sites so well, they even knew exactly what holes the eels hide in.The dives are more pricey than going with a local op such as Top Dive, but the convenience factor of being able to board the inflatable right off the ship and zoom to the dive site made it worth it to us. I know that there are some dive sites that are less enjoyable, with a lot of dead coral and a dearth of critters, but it's been so long and I don't remember which ones they are. I'm hoping another PG diver in this forum can tell us. 😁

I for one am happy they are just sending e-docs. I live on a sailboat (currently in Mexico), and our US address is a "traveling mailbox" that scans any snail mail received and emails it to us. Getting hard copies of mail forwarded to us is a real pain. So this works for me. Sure I remember the wonderful excitement of receiving all the docs in the mail! But these days we do pretty much everything online anyway. That's progress, I guess! 😉

I just finalized my booking for a PG cruise next year, and I'm SUPER excited about getting back to FP! I haven't been on the PG in several years. Wondering if anyone has worked with their dive team lately. Mainly, I wanted to know if they require a logbook in addition to your cert card. I've got well over 600 dives and I dive so often that I stopped logging dives years ago. Most of my dives are either off the beach or our own boat, so I don't really have a reason to log. Hoping they don't require a log book, but if they do, I can start logging my dives going forward so I at least have something to show. But I'd rather not bother if I don't have to. 😉 Also, I would love any feedback on the best dive sites, and the ones to avoid. We're on the 10-day Society Islands & Tuomotus itinerary. Thanks for any help!

I agree it would be a good idea for them to put something in their ship descriptions making it clear that there are no elevators and the ship is not well suited for those with mobility issues. I even looked in the Health and Safety section, which would seem a good place to include that info - nothing there. No FAQ that I could find either, which would also be a good place for it.

Actually it wasn't the storage issue - that wasn't really a concern for me. (Although I do think that Windstar should consider offering scuba gear storage in French Polynesia, since so many people go there specifically for that.) The issue is that I'm doing this cruise with a dear friend of mine who is somewhat mobility challenged. And the Wind Spirit is just not all that accommodating for those with mobility challenges. We were able to get an ADA cabin on the PG, and she will be much more comfortable not having to climb stairs every time she leaves the cabin. PG has elevators. That really is the only reason we switched. I'm confident we would have enjoyed cruising FP on the Wind Spirit just as well as the PG. We are aware that every port other than Papeete will involve tenders, and with my help she can manage those, but the constant stair-climbing would have been problematic for her.

Thanks! My original concern with cabin 415 was that, according to the deck plans I could find online, the bed in that cabin doesn't split into twins (not all cabins do). And since I'm doing this cruise with a friend and not my husband, we need twins. But when I called PG this morning they confirmed that it DOES split into twins. So...we're all booked! WOOHOO! So excited to get back to French Polynesia, and on the luxurious PG. This will be my third PG cruise. 😀

Yeah, that was my only near-death experience in nearly 600 dives. I won't be doing that again! Funny you should mention the PG - we just today made the decision to book the PG instead of Windstar. While I was looking forward to getting back onto a Windstar ship, we'll do that some other time. This will be my third PG cruise, and I'm excited to experiencing French Polynesia again. And it's nice that the marina crew will take care of my gear.

I got my answer - turns out our best option was to book the one ADA cabin, which is 415. Fortunately it was available for our itinerary, so we booked it. 😀

Yes, I intend to do that tomorrow, but I'm doing research tonight and it's too late. Was hoping somebody might post the answer tonight. 🙂

We're looking into doing another PG cruise (this will be my third!). I'll be traveling with a friend who has some minor mobility issues. We don't need the wheelchair-accessible room, but we'd prefer a walk-in shower over the shower/tub combo as she has a hard time stepping over the side of a tub. I read that there are only a few cabins with walk-in showers...anyone know which ones they are? Thanks much!

Sorry to hear that the food was a disappointment! We're about ready to put a deposit on an 11-day Tahiti cruise on Wind Spirit for Nov. 2023. I'll assume that the food issues will be worked out by then. I hope anyway! Would love to hear more about your cruise. I've cruised French Polynesia twice before, both times on the Paul Gauguin, and I'm looking forward to experiencing it on a Windstar cruise.

Great! Thanks everyone! We're 90% sure we're going to book this cruise. The more I read, the more I'm sold. 😁 My husband and I did a Windstar cruise in Costa Rica many years ago and I remember I LOVED it. I have had that Vangelis song on my play list ever since.

Also interested in hearing your experience! We're looking to book the Tahiti Windstar cruise in November 2023. I'm also an experienced diver, and I WILL be bringing my gear, although probably not my wetsuit. I'm expecting I'll have to hang my BC in the shower to dry, then shove it under my bed. I have a rule to NEVER rent gear (other than wetsuit and fins) after defective rental gear nearly killed me in the Galapagos some years back. So I will make it work! We will only have one set, as my friend that I'm doing this cruise with doesn't dive.

Hello, I spent some time searching this forum to find this answer but no luck. We are considering a cruise on the Wind Spirit for next year, but I'll be traveling with a good friend and we will need separate beds. From looking at the cabin lay-out on the Wind Spirit, it does not look like those beds can be separated as they are tightly enclosed between walls. Any insight on the option of twin beds on Wind Spirit? Thanks!

LOL! Not everyone has unlimited funds. 😉 The price for the PH is outside my budget for this trip.

I generally prefer smaller ships as well. My biggest concern is the cabin size, and the teensy bathroom. Also, I recall really enjoying the entertainment on Riviera...I'm assuming Regatta has less. This itinerary has quite a few sea days.