Bora Bora Snorkel Cruise By Polynesian Outrigger Canoe With Bbq Island Lunch

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We're staying at the beautiful St. Regis, but we wanted to experience a different side of Bora Bora. We weren't looking for fancy. We wanted something real, to meet the locals and get a glimpse into their everyday lives. And what an incredible day we had! Marama was wonderful! He sang for us, kept us smiling, and made the entire adventure so much fun. We swam with blacktip reef sharks and several different species of rays, and I even got to KISS a stingray! That's a memory I'll be talking about for years! One of my favorite parts was lunch with our lovely local host. She showed us around her beautiful garden and explained how she grows and tends to her crops. I absolutely loved getting that little glimpse into her world. Bora Bora is breathtaking, and the resorts are amazing, but it's the people and experiences like this that make a vacation truly special. We came looking for something authentic, and that's exactly what we found. Thank you, Marama, for a day we'll never forget! ❤️

A must do! Jean is the best! Beautiful water, great snorkeling, private island was awesome. Good was great.

We enjoyed an excellent experience with Jean, our guide. The tour was 6 hours and included three snorkelling locations where we swam with manta rays, eagle rays, sting rays and black tipped sharks, as well as a visit to a beautiful coral garden. Jean then took us to a private beach/residence where we were greeted with rum punch, Jean prepared tuna seviche for us and served it with bbq meats and salad. The dessert included fresh fruit and champagne. The day concluded with the boat tour that took us all around the island. Jean is fluent in French and English and has a wealth of knowledge that he happily shares with his guests. The day was a full 5/5.

We swam with manta rays, sting rays, and black tip sharks. We saw turtles and even a seahorse! We saw more sea life on this tour than the other 4 tours we took this trip combined. We ended up with a private tour, which was a great way to spend our 10th wedding anniversary! The lunch was also delicious! We had BBQ steak and chicken, poisson cru, baked potatoes, salad, and fresh fruit along with beverages and champagne. This was one of of not the best snorkeling tour we have taken. Thanks so much for a great day!

Our boat guide put us right on top of the best spots! We saw everything in the description! Giant Manta rays, we swam 5 feet from them, big school of Eagle rays, 60+ in 20-30 foot water. About a dozen or more black tips sharks 4-5 feet long close enough to touch. Many large sting rays, my wife was able to hold one in her arms. The coral garden was impressive, hundreds of different tropical reef fish, lots of colorful large clams in the reef coral and a lot of live colorful corals. Our lunch was the best ever! We wadded in to a nice beach with 4 covered tables at a home on an island behind the main Bora Bora Island. Our lunch was prepared in front of us by the nice friendly woman who lived there. She described in detail the ingredients and Polynesian ways of cooking as she prepared our food. The presentation and setting were really nice. We had fresh green salad, fresh fruit, Polynesian tuna with vegetables, grilled chicken, beef and tuna, potatoes and sodas, beer or water. After we ate she opened a bottle of champagne for a final toast! Much more than we expected! The lunch spot was clean and nice with good bathrooms available. A+ trip!

This was the highlight of our trip to Bora Bora! Tema and Dan were outstanding! They took us to the best places for swimming with the sharks and stingrays (completely safe and a ton of fun!), to one of the prettiest reefs I’ve ever snorkeled on! Our barbecue lunch was fantastic! At the end of the day, this crew made you feel like family! I would not hesitate to recommend this cruise to anyone!!

We had a wonderful day on the water with our captain, Marana. He played the ukulele and saying beautiful Tahitian songs. All of the sites we stopped at included all the things we were hoping to see. Highlights included three types of stingrays, black tip sharks, butterfly fish, and many other species. The length of stay at each stop was just right. Lunch was served at a beautiful beachside property and was scrumptious and nutritious. The service was wonderful and blew away our expectations. highly recommended.

Wonderful experience and would book the same tour in the future. The BBQ did not disappoint and the service was exceptional!

Our tour guide was wonderful and he showed us the best snorkel spots where we saw sharks, sting rays, a giant mantaray and an octopus!! Couldn’t believe it!! And then lunch was amazing!! The woman who prepared lunch was so great and she delivered the most perfect spread of food for a day on the water complete with champagne. Would highly recommend.

We loved every minute. From the people we met our guides and of course the bbq lunch. Would recommend this tour 10out of 10

After our two week trip, we all agreed that this tour was our most perfect day. This was actually my husband and I's second time enjoying this tour but it was the first time for my parents. This was the first excursion I booked after we booked our trip to the French Polynesia. We loved everything about it the first time and loved it just as much the second time and we knew that my parents would feel the same way and could not miss out on this. We love that the boat is not overcrowded, the couples seats really make a big difference and we felt so much more comfortable having our "own" space. The coral gardens that they take you to are our favorite place to snorkel anywhere. It is an absolutely stunning location, with so much healthy, beautiful and thriving coral and sea life. I can't imagine better. The lunch location is also absolutely lovely and tranquil. The property owner is very welcoming and makes sure that everything is pristine for her guests. It is clear that lot of love and hard-work goes into caring for and keeping that property amazing. The food and drinks were excellent! If we are blessed to have another opportunity to travel back to Bora Bora, you can be certain that this will be the very first activity we book!

We were lucky to get on this tour with Ray as our delightful and fun-loving tour guide. A similar tour was cancelled and our concierge helped get us on this one and it was perfect! Ray entertained us with stories and his love of sea creatures. He has even named his favorite stingrays who seem to love him back. (They swam to him like a puppy would to its owner!) He encouraged some reluctant to get into the water and they emerged extremely happy that he did. One woman was fearful and with Ray's encouragement, she made the leap and was ecstatic! He also took some underwater photos of my husband and me which we will treasure.

Sam our guide was so nice accommodating. We have French and English speaking guests and he made us all feel welcome and included. Each stop to swim and snorkel was great. Lunch was so delicious and the host was wonderful. Swimming with sharks and rays were the highlight of the trip.

Incredible adventure, we had the best time. The food and drinks were flowing and the music was magical!

We took the 6-hour group tour with a total of 8 people on our boat. Our group had 4, and were joined by 2 other couples. 6 spoke English and 2 spoke French. Our guide, Jean, did an excellent job of making sure everyone on the boat knew what was going on, where to look, what we were looking at, and what we were doing next. We snorkeled 3 spots. We swam with rays and sharks, explored the coral garden, and had the rare opportunity to see a large school of eagle rays! 2 from our group were not strong swimmers and Jean made the necessary accommodations for us to snorkel and enjoy all the sights everyone else did! The BBQ lunch was without a doubt one of the best meals we had while visiting Bora Bora. The island was beautiful and the hosts so hospitable. We really enjoyed our afternoon! This tour is well worth the money. The boat was well maintained and beautiful. Jean was on time and very respectful of everyone's time. He was fun to hang out with and taught us a lot about the area and Polynesian culture. Take this tour. You will not be disappointed.

From start to finish the trip was more than we expected. First our guide Jean was waiting for us at the dock prior to our start time. So we already started off on the right foot. Jean was very knowledgeable and clearly loves his job. We started off snorkeling with sharks and sting rays. We moved over to another area with a large group of sting rays swimming around. From there he drove us around the island explaining everything and anything. Pointing out local attractions, points of interest and giving us some history lessons. At the end of the trip we ate with him and his aunt and I will tell you. The food wasn’t why we booked this trip. But let me tell you, it was absolutely amazing!!! I would book just a lunch with them if they ever allowed it. So Jean and auntie if you see this please keep us in mind if you open a beach side restaurant. We would come back. Overall the day was more than we could have asked for. So much beauty underneath the water.

There are so many memorable parts to this trip. First Sam took us to see dolphins that had showed up that morning, then he took us to see Manta rays (unbelievable!) they were magical, coral garden that made you feel like you were in an aquarium, beautiful fresh lunch, swam with sharks, snorkeled to see a huge community of eagle rays and one last view of a Manta ray. Sam made the trip fantastic by knowing exactly where to go. You can’t go wrong with this cruise. There was only one other couple with us. It was a chill day with the most beautiful memories that we’ll never forget.

Teddy was a wonderful guide that answered all of our questions and pointed out a lot of spots of interest in Bora Bora. We were able to snorkel with beautiful fish of every tropical variety, black tip sharks, sting rays and manta rays. Amazing experience. Lunch was fantastic!

Captain T (Tarepa) was great. we had a great time we saw lots of beautiful things and the lunch was fantastic. The best lunch we had or should I say the best meal we’ve had on the island.

Manu and Nico were excellent hosts- attentive, humorous, friendly and gave us a wonderful and memorable experience. The ladies who prepared our delicious BBQ lunch were friendly and engaging. The food was plentiful and delicious. Snorkeling in three different areas gave us a wonderful opportunity to see a lot and have an amazing experience.

Jean and Nico were absolutely fantastic guides! Highly recommend this tour and company. Including 3 water stops for swimming with sharks, snorkeling at the aquarium, and snorkeling with rays. The lunch stop was delightful with delicious food and super kind hosts. We had a lovely day with Jean & Nico.

Exceptional service. Amazing scenery. Snorkeling great. Very nice motu lunch. Nice having a small group tour. One of the best tours we have experienced.

Wow! Wow! Wow! What an amazing and fun day! Spent most of the day in the water with rays, sharks, and fish! Our guides Ruma and Tau were fun and knowledgeable, easy going and laid back. We hope to come back and do this trip again! Beautiful and fun. If you are staying around Bora Bora, this is a MUST do trip!

Best day in Bora Bora. Crew very attentive. Great experience swimming with the rays and sharks. Unbelievable snorkeling through the coral garden. Wonderful Ukulele playing. Great BBQ on the private Motu

The best tour of our life. We went a full day snorkeling with lunch on the Motu. We swim with the black tip sharks, sting rays, colorful fish and mantarays. The locations and the food is a 5 star. Our captain Tarepa and Hotu (the help of the captain in training) were incredible funny and help us to have the most memorable trip of our life. Also, Laila and Vairea prepared the most delicious food (white tuna with coconut milk, barbecue chicken and fish with rice, fresh papaya salad, coconut cake and fresh fruits of the season. The hospitality was amazing and the place was incredible beautiful and well maintained.

Had a great time thanks to Captain Tauarii and our guide Tarepa. Swam with sharks and rays - lots of them with great visibility. Then went to see an amazing coral garden. Lunch with Naila and Vairea was delicious. The private beach house was a beautiful spot. The crew did everything they could to make sure we had a unique and special experience. A perfect way to spend the day in Bora Bora

This excursion was certainly a highlight of our time in Bora Bora. Our guide, Sam, was very knowledgeable and facilitated an exceptional experience. When my husband was so excited about the manta ray we saw, Sam took us to an extra, unplanned spot where manta rays are known to frequent in hopes that he could help us find more. Lunch was delicious and the perfect way to end a fun morning of snorkeling. I highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a fantastic snorkeling experience and authentic Polynesian lunch!

We were staying at the Conrad resort for five nights and did a couple excursions, had massages and ate at every restaurant there. Everything was amazing but the small group snorkel with Bbq lunch was absolutely the highlight for both of us. I would say you should not miss it. It is more expensive than the regular, larger group snorkel excursion, but it isn’t cheap getting to Bora Bora so you might as well spend the extra money for something memorable. The captain of our boat was Tauarii and the guide was Tarepa. Both were super nice. Honestly, I LOVED TAREPA. He was a big bear and super sweet. They start off by picking everyone up at the individual resorts all over the island. There were five pit stops altogether. Everyone else were French except my husband and me. Tarepa gave instructions in both French and English. They had a large cooler on board with different juices, which they offered from the get-go. The first stop was a coral garden, which was absolutely stunning, packed with fish and colorful coral, and brilliantly blue clams. After we spent about 40 minutes in that area, which was definitely our favorite, we went back on the boat and our way to the second destination, we heard Tarepa yell, “Look!” And there in the distance, you could see a mother and baby whale breach the water. We followed them a bit but eventually went on our way. It was an amazing bonus. Then they took us to a shallow area where there were swarms of smaller sharks (about 5’ long) and stingrays. The stingrays seemed to have their stingers removed and all the animals seemed very human-friendly. That said, we didn’t try and pet or touch them and gave them due respect, per instructions. The third stop was to deeper waters to see another type of ray. On the way, Tarepa offered everyone beer and more juice. I can’t remember what type but they might have been leopard rays. These days had long tails and traveled in a pack. Then we went to lunch on a beautiful private motu (island) where the chef, Laila, had made an amazing lunch of teriyaki fish, chicken and beef, traditional poke salad, and potatoes. The moment we arrived on the island, we were given mango margheritas. As we ate buffet style, Tarepa and Taurarii asked what we wanted to drink. After we ate, they poured us champagne and we toasted. Dessert was a homemade coconut-infused cake, which was delicious. There were four cute small round tables with built in benches and thatched roofs right near the waters edge, and then more up the few steps to where the food was displayed on a long table (see pic). There was another long picnic bench in front of the long tables, and a couple more of the cute round tables with built in benches and thatched roofs in that area. There was a swing hanging from a large tree in that area with a sign that said Honeymoon Corner, or something cute to that effect. By the end of lunch, everyone had gotten to know each other a bit better and we were all joking and laughing. The group was eight couples, two were gay (not like it matters, just saying it was a fun, mixed group.) After lunch, most of us went back into the water to cool down. The last stop was a shallow area you could stand up in where Tarepa demonstrated how we could take the sand at the bottom and use it as a exfoliating scrub. We all rubbed it on our faces and arms and bodies. Then we all got back on the boat, which dropped each group off at their respective hotels. We will definitely be doing it again when we return, and we definitely plan on returning to beautiful Bora Bora.

Rosh was on time. The tour of the coral reef was my favorite! The BBQ lunch was absolutely delicious as well as the welcome drink. Great host, he offered offered drinks continuously ; provided towels, and snorkel gear. Don’t miss this tour while in Bora Bora!!!

Such an amazing experience! Our guide/captain Jack Sparrow/brother/ Maleke was so awesome! Even though it was rainy and cloudy at the beginning he brought so much joy and warmth to our trip! He was friendly, fun, sang beautifully and kept us all with smiles on our faces! The snorkeling with black tips and sting rays was so worth it! We were nervous but never felt unsafe thanks to the other guides and our captain!

This was a great romantic experience. Our Captain was extremely considerate by not speeding along when the seas were rough. Nice job. The food and preparation crew did an outstanding job. Thank you.

Our guide Terapa was great! He was super friendly and on time for our pickup at the resort's dock where we were staying. We were able to swim with several sharks, but only saw one stingray briefly (not Terapa's fault though). Snorkeling was great at the "Aquariam". Some of the most amazing snorkeling I've ever done! Terapa offered lot's of drinks on board after the snorkeling was done. My favorite part was lunch on one of the motu's. Great food and friendly staff! Terapa sang several songs while we ate. We were lucky to have a nice group to enjoy the trip with (4 couples including my wife and I). I would definitely do this again if I ever make it back to Bora Bora!

This was the most incredible experience during my stay in Bora Bora. Our guide Tarepa and all the staff were so accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable. During the tour, I was able to swim in two different coral reef gardens, swam with sharks, sting rays, manta rays and lots of tropical fish. Lunch on the private island was DELICIOUS! I would highly recommend this tour to anyone that is visiting Bora Bora. You will not regret it!

This was an excellent day out with Malaki and Dan: swimming with sharks, delightful island lunch, good vibes all around. Genuinely great singing by our friendly host on the boat as well. The snorkeling was relaxing and the locations we visited were beautiful. I would do this little cruise again.

Incredible experience going to different coral gardens, swimming with Sharks and Sting Rays followed by an incredible BBQ. Our guide Tarepa was amazing, 10/10. The nicest man who only wanted us to have an amazing time. Can’t recommend this tour more, our favourite activity of the trip!

The canoe was nice and clean. The gear, towel and bottle of water have been provided. Our guide, Maraki, is very nice and funny. All the programs was amazing. Recommend!

The boat was very nice. Our guide did not keep track of where we were and spent too much time socializing with other guides. He was going to quit after lunch, but we told him we wanted more snorkeling. I did not feel he made any effort to look for mantas. The lunch was very nice.

Best day of our vacation here in Bora Bora. Heimana and Lailla made it spectacular!!! Great time swimming with the black tip sharks and rays. Plenty of them swimming around us. Then a nice boat ride over to go snorkeling amongst beautiful coral and fish. Then some complimentary drinks and off to have a beach side lunch with the most amazing fresh fish dish I have ever had. Then we got to walk over to the other side of the island to see the water over there. Our guide even gave up his flip flops so I didn’t hurt my feet walking since I left my shoes on the boat. Made some friends along the way to from the states. Beyond recommend them. They went above and beyond!

If you are looking to snorkel in Bora Bora, you need to book this trip! Malaki was our guide, he picked us up from our resort boat dock and took us to a spot packed with sting rays and black tip reef sharks. Such an amazing experience to snorkel with these creatures! After that he took us to a coral garden loaded with beautiful fish. He then took us to a private beach where the chef Laiila prepared a delicious polynesian lunch with - fish, chicken, beef, salad, tropical fruits, cake and finished it off with champaign. After that we enjoyed a relaxing cruise around the lagoon. What a great day! Malaki even played the ukulele and sang while driving! His english is really good and he was very personable. I highly recommend this for couples. It will be a highlight of your trip.

Ruma was such an amazing tour guide! She was knowledgeable and took us to see a coral garden, sting ray, sharks, tons of fish, eagle ray. The lunch was delicious on the private moto and she provided great entertainment with her amazing voice and ukulele. I would definitely do this again!!

Everything was truly perfect. I had high expectations due to such a high rating and everything was so beyond expectations. We had a very small group, which was surprising due to us doing this adventure the week of Valentine’s Day, so I’m not sure if this is typical, but they sang and played what I think was a ukulele while we drove around on the boat which added to the peacefulness to pick up other guests and gave us water and delicious local beer while we drove around. As far as the snorkeling we saw several black tip sharks, eagle rays, thousands of fish in the coral gardens, and even stopped and got to see a massive manta ray (12ft minimum) cleaning itself in the deep sea, they did mention this is very rare to see and it was one incredible. As far as the lunch, we were taken to a local’s island house and the food was so fresh and delicious, they even provided us with delicious local cocktails and beers to go. We took a walk through their garden to “the ocean side” of the island and learned about the culture, the nature, and about how foods and everything are made locally. Everything was so beyond expectations and I highly recommend this to everyone. One of the highlights of our trip.

This was by far the most incredible snorkeling I’ve done. Sam, Laila, & Heimana were the most gracious of host. A mix of fun, culture, with a little bit of humor. Scenery and clarity of water was 5 star

Amazing experience! Malaki was our guide and was patient and kind and made sure we had a blast! Swam with the stingrays and sharks and had an amazing lunch on a private island with Chef Lailla’s delicious food! Easily the best meal and best experience of our trip! Could not recommend more!

Our guide was a local Tahitian. He sang Pokare Kare Ana while playing a ukulele which made us feel at home. Lunch was farm to table in a beautiful spot on the outer flat island where we were hosted at Val's house. It was only our family of four on the tour and we were blessed with our own private tour and day on the water. We snorkelled with Manta Rays, Eagle Rays, Reef Sharks and Sting Rays. It was a day to remember forever. I couldn't recommend more.

Our guide was the best! She sang and played the little guitar all during the excursion. Lunch was farm to table & Val was amazing. Anyone taking other excursions missed out. They went above and beyond to make or trip enjoyable. Only 3 couples on our tour.

Swimming with sharks & rays & snorkeling in the coral garden was amazing. Our guides were friendly & knowledgeable. We had a wonderful time and would book again.

The snorkel cruise was so much fun! Not only did we swim with sharks, stingrays, manta rays and snorkel a coral garden, we also had a delicious and traditional island lunch. The crew was amazing, playing the mandolin and singing during our boat ride; which kept it fun. At the location for lunch we learned about the fruits grown on the island and saw a small garden. We finished by cracking open a fresh coconut and sampling it. 10/10 would recommend.

Malaki was an excellent tour guide. He took us to all the best spots for snorkeling and ensured we got to see sea turtles, dolphins, manta rays, sting rays and black tip sharks. We had a wonderful time and truly felt the romance!

It was a super fun day out on the water. The only thing that bothered us was that one of the guides had no respect for the creatures or the coral. That was very upsetting to my Husband and I. He would stand on the coral with his fins on and pick up sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and was poking at a baby moray eel.