Tetamanu Village

Amazing place for diving, beautiful landscape. The accommodation is pretty basic, but I didn't mind since my priority was diving, and yeah the night dive with sharks was out of this world. The pink sand beach was also beautiful

Location perfect, you do not only feel at the end of the world, you really are. The boat transfers, airport pick up etc were perfect, we were well welcomed. Our bungalow was in the Village, on a small motu, beautiful, Yes, all the bungalows are basic, there is no warm water in the shower, during the night if it rains it might drop a bit on you, but all this experience is authentic. Due to their location and not much competition, prices are quite high.. The foods is good but almost every evening the same choice in the buffet and still don't expect much abundancy, it might be that some courses are over fast and never replenished. Alcohol, juices, sweets, fruits I would have even purchased more, but unfortunately they did not have good supplies at the time. We are not divers and did not dive just snorkeled in front of the bungalows, from the village village beach till after the restaurant.. and on repeat for 5/6 days.. its just breathtaking, the fishes, the shards and I hope the octopus I met there on the way to the restaurant.. is still around, maybe someone can reply me? :) recommend to go ore than once to the pink sand beach, is just soooo more than perfect, ideal Polynesian paradise. I hope that all the corals will look similar in the waters of other Polynesian islands Mako was the dog that kept us much company during our stay, belonging to someone in the village..

OK, so I must admit that I had so much hesitancy staying here due to the recent reviews that I asked Top Dive (unaffiliated and their competitor dive company) and they were actually shocked to hear any negative reviews. Done. So we went and we are SO HAPPY we did! Tetamanu Village was our favorite experience (and we dived 5 islands on our honeymoon and stayed in some 5 star resorts). There were absolutely no problems whatsoever and the management felt like family! We were the only guests who were non-native French speakers and had no difficulty making friends and feeling like a part of the Tetamanu family. This place is such a gem that we even met non-divers there who were referred by other non-divers! Jaw drop! This location is listed as one of the top 10 dive spots in THE WORLD. Yes. And we sent a girl we met in Bora Bora over who doesn't dive! It really was that good... We stayed for three nights in an ocean view bungalow with a direct view of the Pass. We were picked up at the airport and drove south as far as the road could take you (?15-20 minutes) then boarded a 1.5 hour boat ride to ultimately arrive in the charming and very remote village of Tetamanu. We literally felt like we were on the edge of the Earth. Exhilarating! Our bungalow was rustic but reasonable; certainly not uncomfortable by any means. We slept well and without complaint. We did not expect hot water but most of the time it wasn't even needed. We didn't expect wifi either but they had it, and I even had good signal in our bungalow!?!!?! But if I had to do it over again, I would have never asked for wifi just so I could feel as off the grid as we were! The food was good, plentiful and we never felt like we needed to be aggressive AT ALL despite being "busy" per staff. There were plenty of leftovers after every meal and tons of variety (even for vegetarians). You will not go hungry (or unhappy). The reef below our bungalow was spectacular- we feel like "unofficial" fish behavioral science experts now! It's fascinating to watch all the wildlife interact...and sunset is the main event! Not only do you have spectacular sunsets, the entertainment is in the water! Tons of fish and insane biodiversity- just below your feet... You will not be bored if you spend all your time on your balcony! Most people who stay here dive with Tetamanu; which is as safe as any (just to negate previous reviews). Scientists come here from all over the world and dive with Tetamanu (they were there when we were) so that should dispel that rumor. In fact, we were the ONLY ones diving with Top Dive. We were on a 10 dive pass otherwise we would have dived with Tetamanu. You like sharks? You can't miss them, above or below the water...they're everywhere! We not only feel fortunate for getting to experience Tetamanu Village, we are honored to have had the opportunity. Our trip to French Polynesia would not have been the same without our memories here and for that we would recommend this once in

First, the good stuff: The location is extremely remote, and the sealife is absolutely stellar. That’s why we come here, right? How many places can you night dive in a channel with literally hundreds of sharks as they become more active and begin to hunt after the sun goes down? Amazing. I scuba dived multiple days on the north pass before traveling here to the south pass and recommend you experience both, as they are quite different. The scary stuff: The dives were not well organized or executed, and during my 3-day stay, two guests (from separate dives, I might add) had to be evacuated to the hyperbaric chamber on Tahiti because they ended up with the bends and cardiac issues after their respective dives. This is NOT the place you want to find yourself in an emergency. Despite being a diving operation, staff seemed entirely unprepared to deal with this, and medical supplies were scarce to non-existent. A guest who happened to be a doctor had to manage both patients on her own as well as their evacuation all the way to Tahiti. This meant a nearly 2-hour speed boat ride to the Fakarava airport and then a chartered airplane to fly the patients at low altitude to the decompression chamber in Papeete, while their stressed spouses took the once-daily flight from Fakarava to meet up with them at the hospital on Tahiti. The speed boat’s engine had broken on the southbound journey two days prior, and staff was still working on the engine as they loaded the patients onto the boat to head north to the airport. Both divers were breathing from oxygen tanks during the evacuation, and the lodge owner was upset at the fact they were “using up” his tanks. The owner is quite old and seems to be burned out and care nothing of the quality of his lodge or safety of his guests. This is obvious in the dive gear as well, which was the oldest, least maintained scuba gear I’ve had to use anywhere in the world. In fact, some divers were told upon arrival at the lodge that they would not be able to dive at all, because the air compressor used to fill the scuba tanks had broken that morning. (It was “fixed” after my last dive but before the emergency evacuations.) Divers were given BCDs with a pressure gauge for the air supply but no depth gauge or dive computer. This is absolutely unacceptable, especially with the large number of divers per guide and the significant depths of the dives in the swift channel. After our night dive, I congratulated a new (level 1) diver on what must have been his deepest dive to date. But he was shocked to see on my personal dive computer that we had been at 95 feet, not 60, where he thought we had maxed our depth. Divers should not be blindly led into situations for which they are not trained or comfortable or even aware. This operation doesn’t use the buddy system but tells everyone to just stay together as a group so the guide’s dive computer can be used for everyone’s dive profile. This doesn’t work for multiple reasons, including the fa

Firstly this place is incredible and in my opinion an experience not to be missed. I found the staff very welcoming and friendly and the hut we stayed in was basic but clean. The hut had the most amazing view, I could sit out front all day watching for sharks. It was spacious and had sink shower and toilet (the shower is rain water it’s not cold it’s the same temperature as the sea you just swam in.) Wifi worked for us at the hut and the main spot where you eat. Little bars of soap, 2 towels and toilet roll were provided. Electricity in our hut was good. A few simple things that could be improved in the accommodation… Toilet seat was not attached to the toilet. Mosquito net had several holes - we filled them with loo roll. When we shut the door to the room the lock the other side sometimes locked us in so we had to prize our way out. There are two chairs and a table on the balcony but a hammock or something to lay on aswell would be really nice there. I did find the bed a bit uncomfortable. A better mattress would be great. None of this was a major issue. Being here was just such an amazing experience. Breakfast lunch and dinner were served at the same time every day. 6:30, 12 & 19:00. Breakfast was pancakes bread Jam and fruit it was lovely. Lunch was always salad, rice, chicken, fish and maybe a vegetable dish or two. Dinner there was even more and usually an Italian dish thrown in while we were there such as bolognaise or pizza. The effort made to decorate the eating area was incredible. Always little flowers and decorations everywhere. One night people from a moored up yacht came in for a meal only and someone from our group didn’t really get a meal. Usually you could go for seconds but not on this night. My partner and I did 3 dives each and had an epic time on each. We also did our own snorkelling which you can do right off the jetty and that was AMAZING! The boardwalks between rooms and the dining area are almost sea level so you are constantly in amongst the fish and sharks. I highly recommend this place. My partner and I stayed 3 nights and it was just the right amount. Of the 3 different islands on our 2 week trip this one was the most memorable.

Be prepared to stay in a very basic bungalow with no glasses, no shampoo, hardly any light at evening and no lock on the door - and experience great food, amazing views above and below water and very friendly staff. This is a diverse paradise. Very relaxed, people eat together after the sound of the bell and talk about todays discoveries. Snorkelling is wonderful too! The reef is 5 meters from the beach and you can easily enter from beach of bridges. The hotel offers daily shuttle boat to a bounty island area free of charge. Amazing with just sand and palms.

Not only did the boat transfer take THREE+ hours, the captain had to refill the petrol TWICE during the trip - while the boat was rolling and pitching. The reason? NO functioning navigation equipment on board. Both the Garmin AND compass didn't work. In good weather situations, I believe the captain relies on beacons. Typically, the trip only takes 1.5 hours. But that evening, it was pouring, dark and due to high waves - the beacons could not be seen. No visibility of the coastline - nor where the reefs were. The captain resorted to making 'figure eights' in rough seas to get his bearings. Eventually, he used a guest's smart-phone to navigate. I repeat, HE USED A GUEST's SMARTPHONE. To make matters worse, apparently bad weather the day before meant there was a backlog of travellers. There were, I believe, 24 souls on board with the baggage piled up in the middle. People who became sea-sick had to trade-places as we were packed in like sardines. A boy SCREAMED for 30 minutes straight 'Dad, I'm afraid' until he whimpered with exhaustion in his father's arms. We were soaking wet and cold and shivering by the time we arrived, luggage and contents wet/damp. A couple even left the very next day due to stress. (They took a different transfer back). Sure, the reef is insanely beautiful. Yes, the location is superb and should not be missed. But there ARE other ways to experience this amazing place safely. So be warned. We got lucky. But it could be an accident waiting to happen.