Perfect for Younger Kids: Underwater Scooter in Bora Bora

~ Chris Wada

If you’re in Bora Bora and you want to do something fun with younger children, you might want to consider the underwater scooter.

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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 the underwater scooter

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 debated between the underwater scooter activity and the helmet dive. However, we weren’t sure if we could do either. That’s because our daughter Char was only 5 years old at the time of the trip. She would turn 6 within three months of the trip. So, we reached out to our hotel, the St. Regis Bora Bora, if the 6 year old requirement is necessary. Their reply from the tour operator was that we can make it work for the underwater scooter as the kids will be with an adult.

Thus, we paid 48,500 XPF (~$470 US) per scooter, two scooters total, for a shared experience that was ultimately private. On top of that, we paid 9,500 XPF (~$90 US) for a video recording. Note that this fee only needed to be paid once despite us having two scooters. Also, don’t purchase this in advance in the event they can’t take videos of you.

We could have booked this excursion separately, but we didn’t because:

  • We wanted to check with the tour operator about Char’s age, which was easier to communicate via the hotel than direct.
  • The site rather confusingly listed both “over 6 years old” and age 8 as the minimum.
  • The price was cheaper through the hotel.

This excursion gave a good tour of the island from the water

Our excursion started at 10AM, where a pontoon was waiting for us. We wouldn’t be diving off the pontoon, but rather it was going to take us to a floating dive spot. The drive took a good 20 minutes, and our host didn’t say much at all during this drive.

If you’re interested in roughly where we went on this underwater scooter excursion, I marked the location on the map below. 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. For one thing, it was our only opportunity to see the island from other side. When we first arrived, there were too many rain clouds in the sky that obscured the mountain.

Those cleared up by the time we finished. In case you’re wondering, Mt. Otemanu is not visible from this side of the mountain. If you want to view Mt. Otemanu in all its glory, you’ll need to choose a resort to the east of the main island.

Arriving at the dive spot

Soon enough, we arrived at the dive spot for the underwater scooter, which was floating out in the ocean. There were three scooters available on the platform, suggesting that the maximum number of divers in any one excursion is six (each can hold two passengers). However, there looked like there was room for another scooter, if necessary.

As you can see from how the underwater scooter looks, you will get wet. Your head will be in the clear glass bubble, which is how you will breathe without a helmet. The rear seat is adjustable in height, which helps if you have a younger child tagging along. When you go underwater, the pressurization might cause some initial discomfort in your ears. It’s similar to elevation change, but more immediate and a little more severe but not too intense for the kids.

The controls on the scooter are quite simple. There’s a single pedal that makes you go forward and a steering wheel. Think of it as a little sluggish and try not to overcompensate. It will take time to start to move and to stop. I found that out the hard way… whoops.

There is enough oxygen onboard to last two hours, but you’ll only be under the water for less than one hour.

Before boarding, we learned the hand signals the hosts would use underwater to tell us how to follow, slow, and stop. We also learned how to communicate with them if we need to return to the surface and if everything is OK.

Once you’re ready, you climb aboard and the platform is lowered into the water.

Underwater scooter experience

We took a nice underwater tour of the surrounding area while following our two guides. While we were in two underwater scooters, they were scuba diving. One spent more time directing us around and showing us the marine life, while the other spent more time taking photos and videos.

For the kids, it’s a surreal experience being under the water. It reminded them of being in a submarine. Just know that there is no way to talk to anyone other than whomever is in your underwater scooter. So, I hope you like who you’re paired with!

Feeding the fish

One of the first stops we did under the water was to hang out in a big pocket of fish. They use bananas to attract the fish, something we didn’t realize they enjoy nibbling on. There ended up being a large school of fish right there, ready to meet us and the bananas. Just being in the school was a fun experience for the kids.

The divers handed us each some banana. We just needed to hold out our hands while gripping onto the banana pieces to feel their nibbles. This was probably Char’s favorite experience from the underwater scooter. I mentioned to her it’s like the fish is kissing you, and she was all for it.

Once we were done, we drove off to the next location.

Holding a sea star

One of the divers held out a ball-looking sea creature. It wasn’t until he counted out all the legs that we discovered it was a sea star that rolled up into a ball. That was pretty neat. Up until that point, we didn’t realize that some sea stars can become a ball.

He handed us the sea star, which we carefully observed from our scooters. Think of this as a touch tank that you experience from under the water. That’s the best way I can describe this.

Once done, our guide did some “tricks” with the sea star, that I won’t spoil here, but it made the kids laugh.

Meeting the giant sea cucumber

One last creature we met under the water was a rather large sea cucumber. We had never seen one this large in person before. The kids, of course, had no idea what it was and thought it was either a rock or a giant bug.

Similar to the sea star, the guide handed us the sea cucumber for us to observe and touch. The kids were worried it would be slimy, but instead it had more of a leathery feel.

Our host pointed out some features of the sea cucumber, including which end is the mouth and which is the rear. And then he took off his mask and acted like the sea cucumber was a diver too. The kids thought that was quite hilarious.

And that was about it for our time under the water. We didn’t drive too far in total distance–mostly going in a circle, meandering around the dive platform. We were underwater for about half an hour, which went by fairly quickly.

Back above the water

Once above the water, our hosts gave us some drinks and Oreo cookies.

Coincidentally, it turns out that one of our guides is dating the marine biologist we met at the St. Regis Bora Bora. Small world, but speaks to just how things are just so interconnected here at Bora Bora. Once we were done chatting, it was time to pack up and head back.

On the way back to the resort, Alex was offered an opportunity to drive the pontoon since no one else was around. We told him to go ahead and give it a try. So, he got a small crash course on how to steer.

It’s a good thing no one else was around because he had trouble looking above the console. Alex needed to stand on top of a box to see where he was going. That was a little bumpy of a ride with him steering. Hopefully by the time he is old enough to drive a car, he’ll learn how to drive a bit smoother. Maybe we can make mom teach him how to drive?

Closing thoughts

The underwater scooter is a nice experience, but it’s geared more for younger children. You’ll notice that most of my impressions above were comments about how the kids felt. That’s because Jenn and I wouldn’t have done this experience if they weren’t with us. For adults, the experiences are rather tame and it felt more like a gimmick to us. If given the choice, Jenn and I would much rather scuba dive (something we haven’t done before), but we knew the kids would not be able to do that.

But for the kids, they thought this was a unique experience, and Char especially loved it. If you have children who are timid when it comes to snorkeling or are a little bit nervous to do something on their own, pairing with an adult can make the experience more approachable. I’d wager that once kids hit about age 10, they’re not going to be as entertained by the experience. Thus, it feels like a rather narrow window to really enjoy this experience.

Still, we liked chatting with both of our guides. They were charming, friendly, enjoyed their job, and liked to interact with our kids. It almost seemed like they were big kids themselves, which helps make for a more fun experience.

Would you go on an underwater scooter?

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