Bora Bora Snorkeling: Loving the Big 5 on the Loveboat

~ Chris Wada

Have you had a chance to do some Bora Bora snorkeling excursions? If you want advice from us, go check out the Loveboat for an awesome time.

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For avoidance of doubt, we do not earn a commission or have a relationship with the tour operator referenced in this article. We simply want to give an idea of paid excursions we took while in Bora Bora to help you plan your own trip.

Booking

Before arriving on Bora Bora, we decided to book a couple of activities. While we could have booked through a third-party, we decided to book this activity through our hotel (the St. Regis Bora Bora). Our resort listed the potential options in a menu that can be viewed online.

We paid 79,300 XPF (~$775 US) for a private snorkel excursion aboard the “loveboat”. We could have booked this excursion separately, but we didn’t because:

  • The package we were interested in wasn’t available when booking direct.
  • While it’s technically cheaper for two people (452€ or ~$530 US for 3 hours of snorkeling), we had a party of four

We knew pricing would reflect an extra admin allotment for the St. Regis, and were comfortable with the price paid. But if you’re going as a couple and on the shorter excursion, it might be worth it to book direct.

Our excursion started at 9AM when we met Gael, our captain for this excursion. It’s nice when we can just depart right from the dock at the resort. There are lifejackets available for the kids on the ship and he had towels for everyone.

The snorkel excursion gave a good tour of the island from the water

If you’re interested in roughly where we went on this “Big 5 Snorkeling” excursion, I marked the locations on the map below. It’s not precise, as I did not have access to internet while on the loveboat, but it’ll do. For a reference point, the St. Regis Bora Bora where we stayed is due immediately south of the Four Seasons.

As you might imagine, cruising around the island on a boat gives some awesome views of the island.

You could even see the small cave on the east-facing cliffs. It’s possible to climb up to this cave and explore, but we didn’t do it on this trip. I don’t think the kids would be able to at this point in their lives. This is the only cave on the island according to Gael.

Snorkel stop #1 — Motu Tane

Our first stop was to Motu Tane, which is actually near the airport. But we’d never guess that’s the case because we didn’t see or hear any planes. This is one of the best reefs on the island. Boats have to dock at specific anchor points and the current can be a little strong, so it’s a little bit of a challenge getting off the boat. In fact, the kids were a little nervous, but they figured out it’s not too bad once they got in the water.

There is indeed a lot of coral in the area, and lots of fish. I know the pictures don’t do it justice, but the kids really enjoyed it. And us parents agreed the reef here is better than what we’ve seen in The Maldives or in Hawaii.

For this first stop, Gael got into the water with us and used my phone to take images and videos of the scenery. Below is just one of the many videos he took. Glad I got that underwater cover for my phone! (For those wondering, Gael mentioned Amazon doesn’t deliver to Bora Bora.)

After about 45 minutes here, we moved on to the next location. We only planned for 30, but thankfully things didn’t feel rushed the rest of the cruise.

Snorkel stop #2

Our second stop was to see the clownfish in their natural habitat, roughly between the Four Seasons and the main island. The current is a bit stronger here, so we needed to go in pairs. Once again, Gael led us to the correct area. This is where Char determined she didn’t want to go into the water anymore, which is fine. She had plenty of fun just staying onboard the ship. And then I think because he didn’t want to leave his sister alone, Alex called it quits right after this one.

The water in this area of the ocean was a bit cloudy due to the windy conditions picking up the sand. That’s a bit unfortunate, but it was still neat to swim around. The one thing to be aware of in this region is the anemone. Touching it will sting like a jellyfish and we thankfully didn’t have to find out ourselves.

Snorkel stop #3

Our third stop was to search for the manta ray. This stop is not too far away from the clownfish, but in much deeper waters that extend about 60 feet down. There wasn’t a guarantee we would find one, but the general idea was for us to get into the water and Gael would follow us along in the boat. He stuck his head in the water, and sure enough he found one. So Jenn and I jumped off and he trailed behind us.

We followed along for a good 20 minutes as it swam in the deep waters. Gael was a bit nervous for me because if I dropped my phone, there would be no way to get it back. But I’m sure you’ll know that I was careful not to do that since I do have pictures and videos to share.

We’ve seen manta rays in the wild before, but this was our first time swimming alongside it. It was an awesome experience and the highlight of the excursion for both me and Jenn.

Swimming with manta rays

Snorkel stop #4

Our fourth stop was along the southern end of the island, roughly near the lowest red circle on the map above. Here, we encountered some other boats and tours that were also looking for eagle rays. But we were the only ones to jump in the water with them.

A common sight on our boat was Gael standing up in search of the action.

Once he found them, Jenn and I once again jumped in the water while Gael followed us with the boat. We followed this fever of eagle rays around, which was neat. Not quite as mesmerizing as swimming with the manta ray, but we still loved the opportunity.

Sometimes they went right underneath us and we got the chance to see them close up and personal.

Snorkel stop #5

The fifth and final stop along this route was in a similar area as the eagle rays–just a bit closer to the main island. Here, we saw both the blacktip reef sharks and the stingrays. The currents were the weakest around this part of the island, but the kids still just wanted to watch from the comfort of the boat.

The stingrays camped out right under the boat, making it easy to spot them in the water if you’re in the water. But if you’re on the boat, it’s harder to see them.

Meanwhile, the sharks wandered all over the ocean floor. For those afraid of sharks, you should know that these paid no attention to us. They just lived their best life.

At the conclusion of the trip, we went back to the hotel, about four hours after starting the trip. We were offered light snacks on the boat, but nothing substantial. So, we arrived back at the hotel around 1PM and ready for lunch.

Closing thoughts

This ended up being our favorite snorkel excursion to date. We’ve done snorkel boats before on Hawaii, and it simply doesn’t compare. Swimming with three types of rays and seeing all sorts of different coral and fish is fantastic. While it might seem like an expensive trip, consider that some of the more popular snorkel trips in Hawaii can cost upwards of $200/person on a massive boat with no personalized service. By that standard, this trip was a steal.

Ultimately, we have no regrets with what we chose.

Where do you go snorkeling?

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