Snorkeling at Sofitel Moorea [Reviewed + Rated]
My husband and I love traveling, especially when snorkeling is involved. In fact, we often plan our trips around discovering the world’s best snorkeling spots. On our recent 2-week adventure in French Polynesia, we explored Moorea from end to end, seeking out its top snorkeling locations. One spot we really enjoyed was Temae Beach, right in front of the Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort. Here’s what it was like snorkeling at the Sofitel Moorea based on our own experience.
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Moorea Snorkeling Rating System
My snorkeling guides are always rated.
The ocean and its marine life are unpredictable, so ratings will be subjective since the ocean conditions and even the time of day will influence what you see.
Hopefully, though this gives you an overall sense of a destination’s snorkeling experience.
Please see the rating key below.
OVERALL SNORKEL RATING KEY
🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 = World-class snorkeling and worth traveling just for the snorkeling alone!
🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿 = Incredible snorkeling and should be on your list of top things to do!
🤿 🤿 🤿 = Decent snorkeling and worth the effort!
🤿 🤿 = Worth consideration if you are running out of things to do!
🤿 = Not worth it!
Sofitel Moorea Snorkeling
Snorkeling at Sofitel Moorea
Rating: 🤿 🤿 🤿 🤿
Hi, I’m Nichole—the discerning traveler, wine lover, and adventure seeker behind Enriching Pursuits.
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How to Get There
How to get to Temae Beach to snorkel
Type in “Terrain de foot” Moorea in Google Maps.
The directions will lead you to where you want to park along the beautiful Temae Beach. Temae Beach is one of our top places to visit in Moorea!
There’s one main road in Moorea. The public access to Temae Beach is off a side road from the main road.
It’s a little bumpy. Don’t worry. This is the right road!
As you drive down that road, you will veer left. Going right takes you towards the Sofitel.
Parking at Temae Beach near Sofitel
We parked across a field near the public toilets because we wanted to start our snorkeling on the northern side of the beach.
Never leave anything in your car. I take my Ugo with me to store my keys, credit card, phone, and sunglasses.
Temae Beach parking in Moorea
Snorkeling Map
Map of where to snorkel at Temae Beach near Sofitel
There are two sections to snorkel.
01- Northern End of Temae Beach
After you park, grab your snorkeling gear and walk to the northern end of the beach.
Swim diagonally and to the left until you hit the reef. The swim out is against the current and will be a little workout.
I like to wear my snorkel vest in case I tire out.
Then enjoy a lovely drift snorkel with no effort, which will push you towards the Sofitel overwater bungalows.
Another great thing about Temae Beach is there’s a shower to rinse you and your gear off after you snorkel. It is located across the open field on the northern end of the beach. I hate sticky sand, so I appreciated this small luxury.
02- Next to the Sofitel Overwater Bungalows
The second amazing snorkeling site is adjacent to the Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort.
We did not shore snorkel this site but instead took a really fun snorkeling tour with Moorea Water Games using a sea scooter.
The first stop on the tour is at this site.
Entry
Snorkeling entrance at the northern end of Temae Beach
The entry couldn’t be easier.
One the day we went, the water was clear and calm.
The bottom was sandy. No rocks or sea urchins to avoid.
Moorea Fish Sightings
I should say what didn’t we see? Besides an octopus.
You could write a fish identification chart just from what you see at the Sofitel!
The snorkeling at Sofitel was incredible. Much better than the snorkeling at Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa.
We saw two sting rays, a goldentail eel, a white spotted puffer, school of yellowfin goatfish, a black tip shark, pair of ornate butterflyfish, saddled butterflyfish, six bar wrasse, blue-green chromis, yellowmargin triggerfish, pair of honeycomb toby, flutemouths, lemon peel angelfish, a porcupine fish, blue clams, forceps fish, and threadfin butterflyfish.
When we finished our Sea Scooter Tour and were boating back to the dock at the Sofitel, we even spotted a lone eagle ray in the Sofitel lagoon.
Trust me when I say you are going to want a GoPro (my favorite underwater camera) with FULL battery because of all the cool fish you are going to see!
Snorkeling with a sting ray at Sofitel Moorea
Snorkeling with a sting ray
Goldentail eel
White spotted puffer
School of yellowfin goatfish
A blacktip shark
Pair of ornate butterflyfish
Snorkeling with a school of convict surgeonfish
Snorkeling with saddled butterflyfish, sixbar wrasse, and blue-green chromis
Moorish Idol
Snorkeling with a school of blue-green chromis
A school of yellowstripe goatfish
Yellowmargin triggerfish
Lemonpeel angelfish
Porcupine fish
Beautiful coral and blue clam at Sofitel Moorea
Forceps fish
A threadfin butterflyfish
Snorkeling through staghorn coral at Sofitel Moorea using a sea scooter
Final Thoughts
If it wasn’t obvious enough, do not miss the snorkeling at the Sofitel Moorea!
There are two incredible sections to explore, and we loved both. I am amazed at the variety of fish and pockets of healthy coral. You’ll even get the chance to see stingrays and the passing blacktip reef shark. That makes for one fantastic day.
And when you finish your snorkeling adventure, enjoy a delicious poke bowl at Restaurant La Grand Voile, one of my favorite Moorea restaurants!
By the way, if you love blacktip sharks and stingrays, do not miss snorkeling at the Sharks & Rays Sandbar!
I’m Nichole, the author of all the blog posts on Enriching Pursuits. Think of me as your geeky discerning travel friend who dives deep (Google Page 20, forums, travel groups deep!) to uncover the best ways to enjoy exceptional outdoor adventures and foodie experiences.
My husband and I are experienced snorkelers, day hikers, and casual cyclists who also love delicious street food, an incredible glass of wine, and the occasional Michelin-starred meal.
Balancing full-time careers, we cherish every second of our vacation days and love sharing tips to help you do the same. If this sounds like your kind of travel, subscribe below or drop me a note with any questions. I’d love to hear from you!
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Questions about our Sofitel Moorea snorkeling experience?
Let me know in the comments below!
We are travelling to Moorea Island in December. We will check out all your recommended snorkel sights. The information you provided is excellent. Where did you stay while on Moorea Island?
We are also considering Raigoria Island. Please tell me what you thought of this island and where you stayed.
Thank you for reaching out and for the kind feedback!
You are going to love Moorea. 😊 We have been to Bora Bora, Rangiroa, Moorea, and Taha’a, and so far our favorite French Polynesian island is Moorea.
We stayed at a beautiful villa rental with an infinity pool on the western side of Moorea. It was central to a lot of the main activities (Magic Mountain, Alex Lagoon Tours, Coco Beach, and some of our favorite restaurants like Casa Vincenzo and Le Lézard Jaune). We loved it. The sunsets are pretty epic from the villa!
Rangiroa is also beautiful but completely different than Moorea. Moorea is very lush and mountainous. Rangiroa is flat, which is great for biking around the island. If you snorkel or dive, I HIGHLY recommend Rangiroa. If you do not snorkel or dive, then I would skip since the land activities are limited. Here is a list of all the activities we enjoyed on the island:
Favorite Things to Do in Rangiroa
We stayed at Hotel Kia Ora on Rangiroa. Great location, and it was easy to bike from one end of the island to the other.
Enjoy your trip!
Hi Nichole, thank you for all of the great info! We are going on a cruise this fall and are only stopping in Moorea for 1 day. I’d really like to spend it at Sofitel and Tamae Beach but we won’t have a car. Do you happen to know if taxis are easy to come by/reasonably priced or is there another option you would recommend?
Thanks so much for reading and for your kind note, that means a lot!
My husband and I rented a car, so we didn’t personally use taxis or public transport. From what I’ve heard though, taxis can be pretty limited and on the expensive side.
I’d recommend:
* Pre-arranging a taxi ahead of time
* Asking that same driver to pick you up later in the day for the return
That way you have everything locked in and don’t have to worry about availability.
We rented our car through Albert Transport and had a great experience. It might be worth reaching out to them to see if they can arrange a roundtrip transfer for you.
Enjoy your trip!