Cost for snorkelling at Lifou

[suey]

Two daughters, two grandsons and friends just returned from a 7-nighter on Pacific Dawn. Said there is an $18 cost to snorkel at Lifou and only 100 passengers allowed in the morning and same for afternoon session. How long has this been happening? Is the same thing happening on other cruise lines? Or other islands?:mad:

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Two daughters, two grandsons and friends just returned from a 7-nighter on Pacific Dawn. Said there is an $18 cost to snorkel at Lifou and only 100 passengers allowed in the morning and same for afternoon session. How long has this been happening?

 

Since April 2013.

 

I thought I made a post here about, it, but I guess not.

 

Is the same thing happening on other cruise lines?

 

Yep, this applies to all cruise lines that stop there.

 

Or other islands?:mad:

 

Lifou is the only island, that this is happing at, at the moment.

[Sandielle]

It's to do with preserving the eco-system and I believe it is only at Jinek Bay. Can someone confirm this please?

[Kiwi_cruiser]

It's to do with preserving the eco-system and I believe it is only at Jinek Bay. Can someone confirm this please?

 

Yes, you are correct Sandielle. :)

 

I am trying to find the press release P&O put out about this, but I am not having much look at the moment.

[suey]

Since April 2013.

 

I thought I made a post here about, it, but I guess not.

 

.

 

Thanks for that you probably did post but I missed it:)

[silverwillow]

We are going on the Sun Princess Jan 14 (provided she has enough power to get there :rolleyes:) Can you pre-book the tickets or will it be offered as a shore tour once on board? Perhaps you have to pay when you get there? I would love a heads up as I have been raving about this to hubby and if he misses out he might sulk. :p

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Can you pre-book the tickets or will it be offered as a shore tour once on board?

 

With P&O, I think you can pre-book the tickets, but I am not too sure with Princess, but I would think so.

[Fletch1]

Carnival definitely do it as we were on the Spirit in May and they charged AUD$15 per person and limited it to 100 in the morning and 100 in the afternoon. The ship said that tickets could only be bought on board, and they quickly sold out but we were speaking to some people who said they just turned up to Jinak Bay and paid cash to the locals and were allowed to swim. They have built some new safer steps and some viewing platforms there as well.

 

This fee is only for Jinak Bay...the front beach is not charged to swim at. And, I truly think that the front beach is now better. If you swim to the point where the church sits above, the snorkeling is excellent. Lots of coral, fish and turtles. The coral at Jinak Bay is dying off very quickly.

 

On a side note, we went to Lifou in July on the Jewel and all the beaches were closed due to the sighting that morning of a white pointer shark!!! Hard to believe but the locals actually had printed signs on display when we got off the tenders. No swimming that day!!!!

 

[Oz_Steve]

I swam at Jinek Bay in 2003 when we stayed on Lifou for 5 days and the coral was amazing. It was the best snorkelling I had ever done. I went there again last December and there was about 10% of the coral and fish around it was the saddest thing I had ever seen. There are some saying that it is the sunscreen causing the problem. Others say there was a cyclone but It is dead, not just broken.

[linsid]

I was there in January this year on RCI and as previously just walked off the tender and walked to where I wanted to snorkel and did it, no tickets, charges or restricted numbers. Is this a recent development?

[Kiwi_cruiser]

I was there in January this year on RCI and as previously just walked off the tender and walked to where I wanted to snorkel and did it, no tickets, charges or restricted numbers. Is this a recent development?

 

Yes, Since April 2013, but this only for Jinek Bay, you can snorkel anywhere else for free.

[linsid]

Thanks for the heads-up!

[cruisin-m]

Luckily I've done it multiple times when it was free and truth be told I don't really think that the coral there is that good that it is worth paying for... I mean it's okay but there is a lot better everywhere else in the South Pacific (aside from Isle of Pines that is completely ruined with idiotic tourists that think it's their right to stand on and ruin coral) that doesn't charge you either. Mystery Island and Wala have a lot better snorkelling! The best coral is where the morons that ruin it don't go to, so the harder to reach or less known places :)