PG Bora Bora shore excursions: Sting ray ballet vs. underwater walk?

[cmstraf]

I'm trying to decide between the sting ray ballet and an underwater walk for a BB shore excursion. People seem to love the sting ray ballet, has anyone tried the underwater walk?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I think it depends how comfortable you are with snorkeling. I've never been on the underwater walk, but a friend did it, and she said it was great. You are, I believe, in the "aquarium", i.e., among captive animals, so no coral. But the coral is in bad shape these days anyways.

 

The advantage of the stingray ballet is that you will be in chest-high water with the stingrays right there (and some harmless sharks), so you can pet them and watch them being fed (or feed them yourselves if you're brave.) You then move off to a deeper area where you can snorkel among coral heads. You're out in the middle of the lagoon, so pretty views.

 

I have a fundamental problem with the "captive" animals, since they apparently don't live long, but then the stingrays are very tame, used to the tour leaders, and many have had their stings removed. So neither tour takes the environmental high-road (in fact little in BB does.)

 

If you do the stingray ballet, be very careful climbing in and out of the boat--not much in the way of safety codes in BB either. A guy on our last tour fell heavily into the boat climbing up, and broke his shoulder badly enough that his cruise ended that day, he was sent him. So sad, so be careful!