? for Emdee ... Blue Lagoon

[rgastin]

Hi Emdee,

 

Tiki suggested I ask you this question.

 

We will be on a cruise and will stop at both Rangiroa and Fakarava. We are interested in doing a Blue Lagoon tour but have read multiple posts that the boat ride from Rangiroa is 1 1/2 hrs long of very choppy waters that cause very sore butts for days afterwards.

 

My question is: is the one in Rangiroa so much better that it is worth going to that one over the Fakarava one?

 

How do they stack up against each other and if you could chose one which would you do? And is the one in Fakarava a shorter, easier ride?

 

Thanks in advance for your expertise!

[Emdee]

Hi Emdee,

 

Tiki suggested I ask you this question.

 

We will be on a cruise and will stop at both Rangiroa and Fakarava. We are interested in doing a Blue Lagoon tour but have read multiple posts that the boat ride from Rangiroa is 1 1/2 hrs long of very choppy waters that cause very sore butts for days afterwards.

 

My question is: is the one in Rangiroa so much better that it is worth going to that one over the Fakarava one?

 

How do they stack up against each other and if you could chose one which would you do? And is the one in Fakarava a shorter, easier ride?

 

Thanks in advance for your expertise!

 

If you are on the PG you wont be able to do the Rangiroa blue lagoon as you wont have enough of time the Rangiroa stop is usually only half a day.

I havent been to the Blue Lagoon in Rangiroa either but everything I read says its a long uncomfortable ride. We will be going to the Reef islands in Rangiroa which I understand is quite a bit shorter.

 

Fakarava Blue Lagoon - I love this place. Its on a level with the Aitutaki one foot island. I love the combination of beauty and isolation.

[Tikiintahiti]

If you are on the PG you wont be able to do the Rangiroa blue lagoon as you wont have enough of time the Rangiroa stop is usually only half a day.

I havent been to the Blue Lagoon in Rangiroa either but everything I read says its a long uncomfortable ride. We will be going to the Reef islands in Rangiroa which I understand is quite a bit shorter.

 

Fakarava Blue Lagoon - I love this place. Its on a level with the Aitutaki one foot island. I love the combination of beauty and isolation.

 

Appears she is on the Oceania Marina .......

 

For some reason I thought you had been the Rangi Blue Lagoon ....... sorry

 

So I've been to Rangi Blue Lagoon and you have been to Fakarava Blue Lagoon :cool:

[rgastin]

Thanks Emdee. Yes, I am on the Oceania Marina and it was suggested I come on this forum to talk to you.

 

Glad to know if we pick the Fakarava one I won't be disappointed.

 

Many thanks

[clairesmom]

I have been to the Fakarava Blue Lagoon and it was AMAZING. Though, as a warning, the waves were quite high and it was a LONG and miserable ride back (almost 2 hours). We were all soaked, cold, and glad to get off the boat. So, just beware that you cannot control the weather! :) I would go back in a heartbeat though, even with the miserable ride.

[rgastin]

I have been to the Fakarava Blue Lagoon and it was AMAZING. Though, as a warning, the waves were quite high and it was a LONG and miserable ride back (almost 2 hours). We were all soaked, cold, and glad to get off the boat. So, just beware that you cannot control the weather! :) I would go back in a heartbeat though, even with the miserable ride.

 

Wow, it's even longer to the Fakarava one? Was that because of the weather do you think?

 

I was really hoping it was a much shorter trip there than the Rangiroa one which is an hour and a half each way.

[Emdee]

The usual trip is about 1 hour. But Ato will sometimes stop on the way there for snorkelling in a coral garden. On the way back he can take you outside the atoll to see some pretty large fish. Even from my vantage point over the side of the boat they were impressive.

Of course on windy days with bad weather a small boat will take longer and you have to allot the time. I usually plan the return with at least 1 - 1.5 hours to spare just in case of this.

 

March April May can be windy months so hope you are not going in those months. Mind you there was a real hurricane one time we were in Bora Bora and all boats were asked to come into the lagoon for shelter. It was in July so anything can happen with nature.

[clairesmom]

Wow, it's even longer to the Fakarava one? Was that because of the weather do you think?

 

I was really hoping it was a much shorter trip there than the Rangiroa one which is an hour and a half each way.

 

For us, we just had bad luck with winds. It was mid July but just a bad week. The Bora Bora motu was closed both days, and they shut down virtually the entire ship one night due to high winds and most of the crew being sea sick.

 

For Fakarava, it was too windy to fish on the way there. It wasn't awful going, and we were able to snorkel, but the boat was rocking and pulling the anchor all over the reef. :eek: But on the way back the swells were so large that it took forever. Ato even said that he hadn't seen it like that for long time. The weather and the Blue Lagoon was perfect though!!

[Emdee]

I have been twice to Fakarava - July and January. Both days were perfect.

Here's hoping that our trip in September is also perfect as we have 55 people going together!

[rgastin]

The usual trip is about 1 hour. But Ato will sometimes stop on the way there for snorkelling in a coral garden. On the way back he can take you outside the atoll to see some pretty large fish. Even from my vantage point over the side of the boat they were impressive.

Of course on windy days with bad weather a small boat will take longer and you have to allot the time. I usually plan the return with at least 1 - 1.5 hours to spare just in case of this.

 

March April May can be windy months so hope you are not going in those months. Mind you there was a real hurricane one time we were in Bora Bora and all boats were asked to come into the lagoon for shelter. It was in July so anything can happen with nature.

Oops, we're going in April. Hopefully we'll be lucky and it won't be such a tough ride!