We get dropped off at the MaiTai Polynesia Bora Bora, yep, that’s right the drink, just kidding, the name of the resort. They had a welcome drink ready. A type of fruity juice that was absolutely refreshing in the heat of the day. And so we awaited our room placement in this outside lobby holding our cute tropical juices. Now this is really starting to feel like a movie. The lobby staff confirmed our pickup time for the dive shop the following day and we spent the rest of our current day exploring near the resort.  In doing so, we found a quick spot to snorkel, got some lunch and scoped out our spot for the next 4 days. A paradise indeed. 

Dive Day: 

Today is the day. Dive day! 6am wake up, breakfast provided by the hotel and off we go! Side note, the breakfast is great, they got hot and cold foods, there is plenty of pastries and don’t forget they got coffee! We need that to survive the day. Addiction much? We get picked up by the dive truck and yes you guessed it, we sat in the benched truck bed as we drove to the dive shop. Upon arrival we got checked in with the staff. They check certification cards and have you sign waivers. We got set up with the most awesome divemaster, Dan. Are we being tested? Did we call the DAN to watch us on our dive and keep us safe? In case you are reading this and not a diver, DAN (Divers Alert Network) is the insurance used in the case of dive accidents or emergencies. So, we obviously felt better we were with divemaster DAN. He was one of the highlights for our time in Bora Bora! 

Note that French is the main local language used, however as this is a high tourist activity location, English is spoken. Divemaster Dan, spoke both in English for our group and French for another diver who was with us, talk about skill! Our gear was loaded in a outboard motorboat ~30ft, we walked into the water about waist deep with any of our necessary belongings (towel, phones, cameras, etc.) and got onto the boat. And then we were off! Cruising through the turquoise blue/green waters with Divemaster Dan. Heading off to our first dive, we started with an outside reef dive where we got hooked up to a mooring near another dive boat. We hopped into the warm waters filled with several black tip sharks. Okay not swarming with them, but we dove over these beautiful corals while every so often, 2-3 black tip reef sharks would swim by with ease. They stayed a distance away, so if you are a non-shark enthusiast (don’t worry, we will get you there), they aren’t coming too close. We concluded this first dive with the realization we don’t need our thick rash guards. A synthetic long sleeve will do the trick. We boarded the boat and were presented with hot tea and biscuits (not the biscuits and gravy type deal, the cookie ones). Who knew this would be an amazing surface interval snack! We moved on to our next dive site, which was over a large sand patch, much closer to shore. This took about 10-15 minutes to get to. Along the way, we stumbled upon a stingray, clear as day. On its’ journey to who knows where. Divemaster Dan, being the awesome guide for our day, slowed down so we could admire the sight. 

Dive 2: We dove in and we were told to move slowly. If we are lucky, the Eagle Rays will show up to this resident spot, and if they do, pause and let them steal the show. And guess what? We were oh so lucky. Several Eagle Rays showed up and we did our best to sit still and just enjoy. They were beautiful. They swam overhead back and forth, gliding seamlessly through the water. In the dive briefing we were instructed to remain on the bottom of the sand and if we need to start shuffling our way in their direction, we stay low and slow. It worked, we got a magical experience! Andrew and Bryant (our dive buddy) took photos in awe. 

As the Eagle Rays left, Dan guided us back to the mooring. Bryant was in such a daze over what he just saw that he asked Andrew what his air was. Andrew hand signaled 700 psi. In an utter panic, Bryant urgently swam to Dan and notified him. Dan coming to Andrew’s rescue, he donated his air immediately. Andrew in a state of confusion as he sees the boat at the surface ~50 ft away. Dan checks Andrew’s air, gives him the okay and motions for him to take pictures of the mantas coming our way (still having Andrew breathing from his personal tank). The most confusing and funny scene of the day: Divemaster Dan towing Andrew through the water as Andrew gleefully takes photos, without the thought of having to kick his way back. Dan has Andrew switch back to his air, we do our safety stop and surface. Day 1 of diving complete and it was everything we could’ve asked for plus more! 

Day 2 our hopes were high, it didn’t disappoint, but day 1 was our highlight at the end. We went through the same routine, 6am breakfast, hotel pickup, gear was loaded by Bora Diving Center by Eleuthera and we were off. Our first dive was a little murky in comparison to the day before, however we did see a sea turtle. Next dive we went to Canyon Tiputa (tidal reef) reef crest. We followed along the divide in the crest. Two noteworthy things that we saw were a stingray and a shoveling shrimp. The stingray came in through the reef crest, saw Andrew and immediately said “nope, no pictures for me” and turned the other way. The shoveling shrimp, however, was the cutest thing you could ever see. As we were diving along, I saw this small movement on the sand, as I paused for a moment, I saw it again. I got closer to see what was happening and there was a hole in the sand where a shrimp was popping his head out and throwing sand out of his home. He repeatedly did this, eyes peak out the hole, look to see If anyone is there, claws full of sand, shovel it out of his home. He must have had a flood of some sort as he was fully invested in his home construction. We continued to explore the area and joyfully completed our dives in Bora Bora. No disappointment here, absolutely amazing and worth it!

Add-on Activity!

We took a snorkel tour, referred to as a Full Day Lagoon Safari and Lunch on a Motu, on our last day (due to our no fly time from diving) and it turned out to be awesome! We did the tour with Rohivai Tours (also coordinated by the travel agency). They picked us up from the resort dock in a pontoon boat and we did a couple of pitstops for other tour members. During this journey we saw sharks and rays in shallow waste deep water. This is for sure where the Instagram peoples go for the videos of the rays swimming up and hugging or circling them. Sharks and rays surrounded everyone, and they were everywhere. Next, we headed for a coral reef. This was the most epic reef we saw, it was so colorful and healthy. It had an array of colors everywhere and fish swimming in and out of the bed of corals. This was another favorite highlight from this tour, as it was so peaceful to see the life in this area, it is unlike anything we have seen before.  Although you will have to follow the guide and line of people on your tour as you swim along, it is still an amazing site to never be forgotten. Lastly for the day, we got to have lunch at the beach or on a Motu (‘reef islet’). It was Polynesian-style picnic lunch, buffet style. We also got to participate in cultural activities. We stamped tapestry in a Polynesian traditional fashion and watched the coconut opening process. This is for sure a touristy activity, but hey, you gotta do them every once in a while. We saw some awesome marine life and made a lot of memories here! 

Well, that is our recap of Bora Bora. We collectively agreed to these being the best parts of our experience (between the 4 of us on this trip), but we also had to shout out an amazing food place near our hotel, Lucky’s. They had by far the best pizza, bread and olive oil spread. We went every day we were here, so if you’re looking for a place for lunch, we highly recommend. We hope you get the chance to go to Bora Bora and experience this amazing place yourself! If you have any questions, check out our destinations page with logistics details or feel free to contact us and we will do our best to help out!