Moorea Glass-Bottom Boat Tour with Motu Lunch

About This Experience

Captain Taina is a Moorea family business that has run lagoon trips for more than 20 years. You go out on the Honu Kea, a small glass-bottom boat with shade and a ladder at the back, so anyone who doesn't want to swim can watch the reef through the glass panels while the others snorkel with the guide. The listed start point is Captain Taina's base at PK 26.7 in the Maiau area of Moorea.

The first stop is a turtle area the family calls a sanctuary, home to around 20 green turtles, including one named Ohure Pio that Taina once rescued. You may also see coral, reef fish and eagle rays. Next come tiki sculptures placed on the lagoon floor, then a sandbar where you swim among grey stingrays and blacktip reef sharks. Guests describe snorkeling while holding a rope behind the boat, which keeps children and nervous swimmers relaxed, and full-face masks for kids.

Lunch is on the family's private motu: a taste of local rum, a lesson in making Tahitian raw fish with coconut milk, chicken kebabs, grilled fish depending on the day's catch, and seasonal fruit. Afterward you can rest in the shade or snorkel the coral garden around the islet. One family reported a trip of about 5.5 hours and would have liked more time at the ray and shark stop and less on the motu.

This is a lagoon trip, not a whale tour. Outside whale season, or on a day off the ocean, the turtles, rays and reef sharks are the lagoon's main attractions, and the glass panels let non-swimmers in your group see them too. Transfers are not part of the price; one guest paid $20 per person for one.

Prices start from $162 per person, lunch included, with a 4.9 rating from 86 reviews. You can cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund.

Highlights

• Glass panels in the hull, so non-swimmers can watch the reef
• Turtle stop with about 20 resident green turtles
• Underwater tiki sculptures in the lagoon
• Sandbar swim with grey stingrays and blacktip reef sharks
• Rope-assisted snorkeling that suits children and first-timers
• Guides who sing with a ukulele on the way, per reviews

What's Included

• ✓ Guided tour aboard the Honu Kea glass-bottom boat
• ✓ Snorkeling gear
• ✓ Guide in the water at each snorkel stop
• ✓ Polynesian-style lunch on the family's private motu
• ✓ Local rum tasting and a raw fish salad demonstration
• ✓ Seasonal fruit

Not Included

• Transfers to the start point (one guest paid $20 per person)
• Towel
• Wetsuit

What to Bring

• Swimwear
• Towel
• Sunscreen and a sun hat
• Water shoes
• Windbreaker
• Sunglasses

Good to Know & Caveats

• All swimming levels are welcome; non-swimmers can watch through the glass panels while others snorkel.
• Smoking is not allowed on board.
• Tell the operator about food allergies in advance; one guest was given an alternative lunch.
• Do not feed fish: feeding sharks is illegal in French Polynesia, and the official Moorea guidance asks visitors not to feed any fish.
• This is a lagoon trip with lunch; it is not a whale-watching tour.
• On days with rough seas the ride can be bumpy, according to one guest.

Meeting Point

Captain Taina's base at PK 26.7, Maiau area, Moorea; transfers can be arranged at extra cost.