Snorkelling in the cook islands

Hi!

We are planning a 2-3 week holiday to the Pacific and at the moment thinking of coming to the Cook Islands (ex Melbourne, Australia). Can you recommend the CI for snorkelling? The travels pics and brochures look amazing, however the waters look shallow and like there may not be many reefs close to shore or easily accessible. We read that the swimming and diving is great, however, we dont have diving qualifications.

We were thinking of spending one week on Rarotonga and one week on Aitutaki and another week whereever takes our fancy?
Can anyone recommend better locations in the Pacific to snorkel? We hear that Tahiti esp Bora Bora is great for snorkelling.
Your comments and thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jules

You are asking 2 Qs here, of which I can answer the 2nd:

Can anyone recommend better locations in the Pacific to snorkel?

To me at least, the best snorkelling is where marine biodiversity is at its richest.
So that means the Coral Triangle, of which East Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and the Solomons are in the Pacific region. The Philippines too, but the reefs there have seen too much trashing by destructive fishing methods.
More on the Coral Triangle here and here.

Within this region, the very richest biodiversity and in my experience also the very best island scenery is found in the Raja Ampat Islands which hold 75% of all coral species in the World as well as the highest number of reef fish species.

Anything I've seen underwater east and south of the Solomons (including Fiji) was no more than a pale shadow of this.

As for your first Q, about snorkelling specifically within the Cooks, it is answered in great detail by Raro in reply #17 on the FAQ thread . His conclusion at the end of it is:

The fish here are great, but the coral is not very good compared to places like Fiji.

I wouldn't choose the Cooks for snorkeling. I was in Rarotonga and Aitutaki for my second visit last Nov. and Dec. and the lack of fish was so strange. On Aitutaki I saw locals illegally net fishing (catching the fish coming in on the tide). That's why the lagoon has become depleted. If you do decide to go to the Cooks take a look at FAQ post #17. Raro used to live on Rarotonga and operate a small hotel (which now has another name).

On Bora Bora the coral gardens behind the Sofitel Motu (I think now Sofitel Private Island) are an enchanted forest of fish. There are other good snorkeling spots, as well as areas where there aren't fish.

I would head to the Tuamotus. I would choose to stay by the southern pass of Fakarava. Saw giant napoleon wrasses and a grey shark (among others). On Rangiroa I did a drift snorkel through the pass. I admit my eyes were closed (I was just holding on, trying not to drown) but I was told that right below there was a hammerhead shark devouring another shark. On Tikehau I swam with the little reef sharks (3-4ft) every day. Requin is the French word for shark.

Another choice is Palau. There's jellyfish lake, incredible snorkeling that you can access via tours, or just around Koror there are fish everywhere.

Snorkelling around Rarotonga at any of our marine reserves is good. There are numerous mr's known as Ra'ui in the Cook Islands. You can snorkle straight off the beach on Rarotonga and Aitutaki. If considering another island to explore, I suggest Atiu because of the airline access, range of accommodation and scenery. The coral reef encircles Rarotonga as it does the other islands. Depending where you want to gain access to the reef and for what purpose, generally the reef is closer to the shoreline in the north and west on Raro, and where there is much more coral anyway. The reef that encloses Aitutaki is further away from shore around the south and SE. Aitutaki's lagoon is magnificent! Part of the lagoon on all these islands is shallow, which is to our considerable advantage for fishing and access to the reef for surf casting. The dive centres all provide scuba lessons, at most affordable rates. The benefit of a Cook Islands visit by comparison to Tahiti is affordability!

We have visited the Cook Islands on two occasions. Being avid snorkelers we were somewhat disappointed with the snorkeling we did there but did find Aitutaki to be better than Rarotonga. We enjoyed Tahiti more so, especially Huahine and Bora Bora. And while Tahiti is more expensive there are definitely ways of doing it on a smaller budget if you do the research and don't opt for the normal tourist route. But hands down for us was Palau! The snorkeling was awesome - unfortunately you have to access the best areas by boat and this will add up quickly. There is a new airline - Pacific Flier - that is flying to Palau from Australia these days.

We have not been to Indonesia but hopefully it will be our next big trip - we definitely would love to get to the Raja Ampat Islands - have been buying lotto tickets so we can do the fabulous snorkel live aboard I have bookmarked!! I'll have lots of questions for you Laszlo, when we finally get around to the planning.

would love to get to the Raja Ampat Islands - have been buying lotto tickets so we can do the fabulous snorkel live aboard I have bookmarked!!

LOL! Well, in case luck with lotto is not going your way, there will still be cheaper options than those liveaboards - not dirt cheap, especially by SE Asian standards, but definitely OK by South Pacific standards. ;-)
There are also other great spots that may not be quite like Raja Ampat, but very definitely great compared to pretty much anyplace else.
As for resorts and liveaboards, note that there are a few "fake" websites run by middlemen (or conmen?) constructed simply to catch those searching the web, but ASFAIK, this is a list of authentic, existing operators.
Your questions are of course most welcome, newfie.

Thanks for the link Laszlo - I have added it to my bookmarks. Two of the liveaboards I have looked at are on the list but are definitely of the expensive variety. Unfortunately we were late getting into all this and now in our late 60's are finding it challenging to travel without some comforts, thus limiting our choices. We had hoped to get to Indonesia in Sept/Oct of this year but a big family wedding is having us to wait until 2011 - gives me more time to win that big lotto!! LOL

You should be able to find simple but clean bungalows that you could use as a base for day-trips by boat for no more than US$ 30 per night in Raja Ampat. The catch with such bungalows, but also with many cruises (!) is that you may not get to the real crown jewel of Raja Ampat, the uninhabited Wayag archipelago, which is far out to the west. If seeing Wayag is important for you, check any cruise itinerary carefully.
Putting Raja Ampat aside, places with very good snorkelling possibilities within the Indonesian portion of the Coral Triangle include the Banda Islands, the Bunaken Marine Park, Komodo National Park, the Alor Islands, the Sangalaki archipelago... Kakaban in the latter even has its own Jellyfish Lake similar to Palau's, but with more species.

After doing a search around TripAdvisor, julesmmm, there are various references to the great snorkelling around Rarotonga at the marine reserves including the Edgewater resort, the Rarotongan Resort, and at the lagoon area near Fruits of Rarotonga on SE corner of the island. Overall, you receive very good value for money taking a visit to Rarotonga and Aitutaki. There is more to see and do on each of the two islands in addition to snorkelling. Clean, beautiful picturesque scenery, friendly people, vibrant culture, lovely accommodation, romantic dining, and ease of access to all the attractions would be good reasons to visit. Take a look around the TA forums to see what interests you before deciding on a Sth Pacific location.

The snorkeling near the Edgtewater is very poor compared to most other places on Raro, and is horrible compared to most snorkeling destinations in the South Pacific. The area near the Rarotongan is OK for one afternoon. The best area is near Fruits of Rarotonga, SE side of the island, S end of Muri Beach, etc. Aitutaki is better in many areas, out near the islets.

But also try Atiu---but not for the snorkeling, which is limited to about a 50m area. It has a lot of cultural stuff---tumanu, etc.

The Cooks are not a destination for those who primarily want great snorkeling. Fiji is much better, but on the offshore islands, not the mainland. But if you are going to the Cooks, "light" snorkeling is a fun thing to do each day.

As suggested above, see my detailed info in the FAQ at the top of this destination section.

Raro

I agree that snorkelling by Fruits of Rarotonga wasn't bad. It's good access from the shore and a nice stroll from Muri Beach. When I was in Aitutaki I snorkelled several times and it was amazing! It's definitely worth going on a snorkel trip so that you can see the giant clams. Some are the size of loveseats! We went with Matthius who owns Matriki Beach Huts (http://www.matrikibeachhuts.com/aitutaki-snorkeling.htm) and it was truly amazing. We went on the outside of the reef and saw some massive parrotfish and hit a whole bunch of other spots where we saw clams, shipwrecks and more. I'd give it a 10/10 and give Fruits of Raro a 3/10 in comparison. Also spent 5 days on 'Atui but didn't do much swimming or snorkelling. The fringing reef is close and it was pretty windy when we were there. I was actually surprised to hear about snorkelling here. Where?

The marine reserve at the Rarotongan Resort has an impressive array of fishlife - teaming around swimmers and snorkellers. On Aitutaki a good spot to snorkle close to shore is in the lagoon area alongside the Marine Resources hatchery at the Northern end of the coral runway. On Atiu, snorkle at the coral garden along Matai Beach.