Mo'orea Snorkeling Tours. Albert and Alex

There is no need to prebook any tour water tour on Moorea. In both 2024 and 2025 there were several tour operators with signs right when you get off the tender. I went with Albert's tours since I had used Alberts for transfer from the ferry to the Sofitel hotel and they were easy to work with. Here's the crew:

The boat is nothing fancy. More like a huge pontoon boat with bench seating. I suspect it holds more than 100 people so this isn't personal tour (it's also $50 as opposed to $200). The ride to the first stop is just gorgeous. I mean, seriously, Mo'orea is one of the most beautiful islands I've ever stepped foot upon. You'll cruise by the old Intercontinental Resort. It's all boarded up and has been for several years. The locals told me it's all about politics whether the resort will ever be reopened. Without the Intercontinental, that leaves just the Sofitel or Hilton for overwater bungalows on gorgeous reef.

The first stop you will swim with black tip reef sharks and sting ray. Lots of very close interaction. Obviously the marine animals are being fed by the tour operators. The sand bar where you stop is not over your head so it's super easy snorkeling here. There isn't any reef to see, but there are lots and lots of sharks and rays.

This guy was getting freaky with me. Obviously it thought I had some food to share

There will be plenty of opportunity to interact with the stingray. This tour guide was spewing some straight up bullshit to the two tourist you see in the video telling them that the ray knew him and they were friends. In truth, the guy had chum stuffed down his shirt. He wasn't pleased when I mentioned that to the couple, but I do think honesty is the best policy :).

After plenty of time swimming with the sharks and rays you will be greeted by a welcome committee on a private motu. They got people up and dancing and also did a show for how to wear a sarong. It isn't the worlds best entertainment, but it's fun, the rum flows, and what do you expect for $50?

If you booked with Alberts ahead of time a bbq lunch is included (I believe that was $95 pp). If you booked at the tender pier ($50) there was no lunch included but you could add the same bbq lunch for $15.

I elected to skip lunch and spend quiet time at this lovely beach in paradise. There were plenty of black reef tips swimming around here too. There is a water taxi (the same a large pontoon boat that brought you to the motu) that makes runs back to the pier about once every hour. You can stay as long as you like. I believe we were the last water taxi back to the ship.

Here's a snapshot of my very dear friends Simone and Warren with some gorgeous background. The water here was perfectly sandy too. Just such a gorgoeous spot on Planet Earth. I'll remember this day forever.

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ALEX LAGOON TOURS (2024)

Alex from Alex Lagoon Tours

In 2024 I book a much more private tour with Alex Lagoon. There were just 5 of us in his personal small Chris-Craft. My friend James arranged the tour (with his lovely wife Toni). James arranged for a taxi to meet us early and we were the first tender off and taxied to Alex's home where he also has three Pensions that he rents. These are like small bungalows on property.

James paid the taxi driver and they arranged for her to come pick us back up at 1:00p.m. This is where the day went a bit astray and why I don't trust transportation on Moorea. At 1:00 the driver was a no-show. We actually started making the 4 mile hike back to the ship. Since the last all aboard was at 4:00 we would have made it, but it was HOT... and all I was wearing was water shoes. I managed to stand in the middle of the road and flag down the one and only taxi driver headed in the opposite direction and begged her to give us a ride back to the ship. Thankfully she did, but it was a bit of a sketchy few moments.

The Boat.

The trip with Alex was amazing. We went to the same shark and Ray spot as Alberts, but were the first (and only) ones there. We also got towed (with a ski rope) thru a pass that had strong current and were able to spot a dozen or so Eagle rays swimming below.

The trip ended at this snorkeling spot with no one around. It was the best of any I have snorkeled since the 1980's. I'll do a separate entry on the entire tour one of these days, but in the meantime this is a 11 minute video of the coral garden Alex took us to.

AFter snorkeling we had about an hour to just hang around Alex's pool before our ride was scheduled to show up (see above, she didn't show). The pool, while not fancy, was perhaps the most refreshing pools I have ever stepped into and the backdrop was truly stunning.

Jim and Toni just relaxing before the scheduled taxi ride home. Neither had any idea the chaos that was about to erupt with the driver didn't show (see above). In the end, it all worked out just perfectly and this was one of my all time favorite days on the 2024 cruise.