Raiatea: L'Excursion Bleue with Bruno's Crew

Snorkeling in the Coral Gardens of Raiatea

This tour is offered two ways. The traditional way includes a stop at both a vanilla and pearl farm. Or you can contact Bruno direct and ask him to put together a swim only tour. The swim only tour skips the vanilla and pearl farm and allows you to spend MUCH more time snorkeling in the gorgeous waters of the South Pacific. You still get lunch served on a private Motu and two stops for snorkeling through a coral garden.

You will meet the tour very close to where you exit the ship in Riataea. Bruno typically sends an email the day before but both times the email has included errors. Things in French Polynesia can be a can be a a bit confusing with the language barrier, but they always work out.

I have no idea why he was singing Feliz Navidad in March, but this guy nearly saved my life in the Coral Gardens back in 2024 so he's not just all fun and games.

Your boat! It's not about comfort, it's about the experience!

The views just cruising along the coast of Ta'Aha

FIRST STOP SHARKS!

First stop of the day is to an area with a bunch of tip reef sharks. This guy literally swam right underneath me. Couldn't have been more than a few feet away. The water here is over your head so if you aren't a strong swimmer and want to swim among the reef sharks I recommend one of the tours on Moorea (see my blog entry for Alex and Albert). I was a bit spooked the first year, but after doing a cage dive in Honolulu with REALLY big sharks, this seemed pretty low-key.

LUNCH ON A PRIVATE MOTU

The trip also includes time at Gilligan's Island. It’s not really Gilligan's Island but it sure does. Remind me of Gilligan's Island. It is a deserted Motu and a local family prepares a barbecued lunch. There’s plenty of time to wander around and just soak up the scenery. Lots of people loved the lunch. It was just 'ok' for me both years, but I don't select this tour for the food. I typically leave the lunch table early and wander around soaking up every single moment of the experience.

Approaching Gilligan's Island (also known as your lunch spot)

BBQ Lunch on a deserted Motu

Our group from 2025

This little section of clams is just off the dock set up for lunch

Snorkeling the Coral Gardens

This tour also allows plenty of time for snorkeling the coral gardens. It should be noted that in 2024 the current going through the coral Garden was very strong. People in our group got scraped among the coral. You should also know there is fire coral on the second coral Gardens. Be sure to ask the guide how strong the current is and judge from there. Lots of people elect not to snorkel the current through the coral Garden, and instead just do the easier snorkel by where the boat anchors. The boat will anchor outside of the float area and you will walk along a Motu to get to the entrance to floating down the coral garden. Water shoes are helpful here because you most likely will not be allowed to use fins in this area. The coral Gardens were no joke in 2025, but I found them pretty easy to do in 2024 so it just depends on the tides. You can have an amazing trip and skip both of the floats through the gardens.

You will make two or three stops for snorkeling. This video was from the second stop (you can see Bora Bora in the background from the beginning of the float). The number of fish and live coral is impressive. Our guide gave each one of us a banana to fee the fish in 2025. We didn't get this in 2024 because the current really was too strong to stop safely.

Our "Feliz Navidad" guy gave each of us a small banana to feed the fish. This was a stop along the second coral gardens (with Bora Bora in the background). Note that this stop in 2024 had way to strong of a current to stop and feed the fish. I will warn you that conditions at the coral garden can be rough. In 2024 we had some people get cut up on the coral, but in 2025 it was a pretty easy float (although you must be a good swimmer).

Some footage along the coral gardens. Look a the blue clam open and close.

The entire trip is just breathtaking!

The entire trip circles the island of Ta'aha with amazing scenery and spectacular water color. It's an full 8 hour tour and will get you back just before the ship departs for Papeete. The guides are great about watching the time to make sure we get back. Note that it is rainy season when we are in French Polynesia and it does rain (a bit) everyday. Sometimes the rain is harder than others so I'd bring a rain coat on this tour.

It rained upon the return to ship both years. It's a good idea to bring rain gear. March is the rainy season and it did rain some everyday both years.