Rangiroa ???

[Blue Wolf]

June will mark our 5th. trip on the PG, however, we have not gone to Rangiroa before. The excursions list only 2 that have snorkeling and both are in deep water. I was hoping for the typical boat-beach-picnic type. No Blue Lagoon snorkeling either? I assume the best photo advantage is from the ship, which is probably the highest thing around. Any ideas?

Thanks

[cwc]

Rangiroa is an atoll (coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.) So just think of it as a very thin strip of land circling a deep lagoon. Not very develop and the main purpose for the island is pearl farm.

I can tell you that the sailing INTO Rangiroa is the best picture experience. Get on deck early and get to the front of the ship (either side doesn’t matter). The ship will often escort by dolphin when entering the narrow inlet of atoll.

[windsurfer77058]

Snorkeling Rangiroa's Aquarium was very very good. There were parts that weren't that deep depending on what you wanted. The second day we were there only until noon and that was a Sunday. The Tahitian Catholic Church service was awesome. We couldn't understand a word but their singing had amazing harmonies and the people were wonderful. About 25 from the ship went and we were all amazed when we left. There is also a beach that some snorkeled from and someone said it was ok snorkeling and within walking distance of the dock. We didn't do that so I'm not speaking from experience, it's a beach that you can get to easily. No shopping at all on Sunday.

[cruiseej]

Ah, Rangiroa...

 

 

Blue Wolf, we were there in 2006. The "Snorkeling Rangiroa's Aquarium" excursion is definitely not a deep water outing. It's not an actual aquarium, just an area inside the lagoon -- very close to where the ship cruises into the lagoon and anchors, where there's a great deal of sea life to see. You take the tender to land, then take a small boat back into the lagoon to the snorkeling spot.

 

 

It's shallow and there are not strong currents. I recommend it if you're a casual or moderate snorkeler; I think there were more fish here than anywhere else we snorkeled. (My camera that worked underwater died earlier in the trip, so I sadly have no pics to show for it.) There's a glass bottom boat excursion that goes to the same area, which I'd recommend only for people who aren't comfortable getting into the water.

 

But no beach picnic here; in fact, not much here on land at all. You can take a short stroll from the lagoon side to the rougher ocean side, but don't expect a town and shopping like you'll find on most other islands. There's an interesting cemetery you can walk through (the dirt road runs between two sides of the cemetery), and the church mentioned in a previous post.

 

 

I'm an avid photographer, too, but the height of the ship doesn't give you much advantage because the atoll is so large. All you see is a narrow strip of green heading off into the horizon -- and lots of water. It's so large, you don't really get much sense of curvature of the land around a lagoon. (You certainly don't get the ideal view you see in brochures and magazines of atolls shot from the air, where you see the whole thing.) As cwc says, your best shot of the atoll will likely be the approach and passage into the inlet, and the best place for that us up on the bow...

 

 

You may also do well here on your departure; we had a nice sunset taking place as we headed back out of the lagoon into the ocean.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

-- Eric

[shorton]

Wonderful pictures, Eric! I can't wait for Sept. to get here!!!

[Texed]

Nice pictures Eric.

[Iamboatman]

Great photos, Eric!

 

My kids and the Cousteau counselors had a great time jumping off the pier with some of the local kids.

 

We also had a very nice time bicycling up the coast, stopping at some interesting inlets where moray eels, tons of fish and birds getting a quick meal were hanging out...in ankle to knee deep water.

 

Also, to the left of the pier there is a narrow beach (no facilities, though) were you can make you own picnic. There is some decent snorkeling if you swim far to the right and out a bit. It is not world class, but I did see some fish, like a Triton Trigger, that I didn't see in any other shallower areas.

[Cowgirlup]

Wow, those pictures take me right back - we were there last July. Rangirora was actually my favorite stop. It was so different and had the feeling of real remoteness. We spent an afternoon and morning at the little beach - when you get off at the dock, you walk through the "village", past very quaint homes, to a small beach. It was worth it to me just for the walk. The snorkeling I thought was fine - saw rays and some fish. My husband did the aquarium and also a trip with a non-Regent excursion where they snorkeled through the pass. Quite a rush, apparently!

[RachelG]

Haven't been there yet, but WOW, those pictures are amazing.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Cowgirl, that sounds good, your walk to the beach. Is it hard to figure out how to get there, or is it obvious.

 

Those pictures took me back to our pre-cruise on Manihi, a very similar island. We saw Rangiroa on that trip from the air, in fact landed there on the way to Manihi. Lovely, all of it.

[Iamboatman]

It is very easy to get to the beach. You can't miss it.

[Blue Wolf]

Thanks for the tips ... and great photos. I was concerned, because when I was 48 yo, my heart blew up. One time on Huahine, we drift snorkled where they dump you in the water and re-position the boat at the end. Problem was, that the boat was not near where we all ended up and we had to swim across a very strong current, then climb on board ... no ladder. Everyone was exhausted. I had to remember that this is not Disneyland, nor, is OHSA watching.

 

Thanks, again

[Jsipes]

Your're going to diving Heaven.....:)

[cruiseej]

Blue Wolf, you can rest assured that the "aquarium" snorkeling excursion is nothing like what you experienced. It's not a drift outing. The boat anchors in shallow water, and stays put. You can swim around as much -- or little -- as you want. My wife's not a big snorkeler, and she didn't venture far from the boat, but she enjoyed it. There was no noticeable current in this area of the lagoon. (The only mishap was that the engine on one of the two small boats booked for the Regent tour wouldn't start at the dock. After some time on phones, they ended up throwing a rope from one boat to the other, and with our guide sitting on the front of our boat holding the rope, the other one towed us out and back -- that'll tell you how gentle it was on the water there!)

 

-- Eric