Best Moorea Snorkeling Tours According to an Avid Snorkeler
My husband and I travel all over the world seeking out the BEST snorkeling sites from the Maldives to Bonaire and of course, French Polynesia! We have done many snorkeling tours from crazy big groups (Stingray City in Grand Cayman, never again!) to intimate excursions where it was just the two of us (like Shark Ray Alley in Belize). Trust me when I say SMALL GROUP snorkeling tours are super important for having the best experience. Now that you know my background, here are my favorite Moorea snorkeling tours!
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Map of Moorea Snorkeling Tour Locations
A map of Moorea snorkeling tour locations
All of the best snorkeling sites are located on the northwestern and the northeastern side.
→ Alex Lagoon Tours will take you to all the best sites on the northwestern side.
→ Moorea Water Games will take you to all the best sites on the northeastern side.
If you take BOTH of these tours, you will have explored ALL the top snorkel spots in Moorea!
Remember small groups are super important if you are looking for a high-quality snorkeling experience. The snorkeling tours we booked only took 6 people max.
01- Alex Lagoon Tours
Swimming with blacktip reef sharks and stingrays in Moorea
I cannot say enough positive things about Alex Lagoon Tours.
Alex is just a great human being, and he goes out of his way to make sure you have an exceptional experience. It feels like you are hanging out with a friend on their boat all day.
He makes sure you are comfortable in the water.
I also loved that he checked to make sure our masks were cleaned before jumping out of the boat. These little details are so important. Nothing is worse than a foggy mask especially when you have a cute affectionate stingray brushing up against you.
Alex takes you to 4 unique snorkeling sites along the northwestern side of the island, which include the following:
✔️ Turtle & Eagle Ray Alley (this is what I call it, not sure what the official name is)
✔️ Sharks & Rays Sandbar
✔️ Coral Canyon
✔️ Coral Garden Tiahura (next to the famous Coco Beach)
At the first site, you get to use a tow on the back of the boat to cover a lot of ground. So much fun!
One of the highlights was the Sharks & Rays Sandbar, where you have quite a few curious blacktip sharks and friendly stingrays swimming around you in chest deep water. Pretty unique experience!
We also saw turtles, eagle rays, and plenty of schools of fish.
Do not miss this tour!
All the juicy details with multiple photos can be found in my detailed Alex Lagoon Tours Review.
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02- Moorea Water Games
Swimming with stingrays at Jardin de Corail
Moorea Water Games is yet another fantastic snorkeling tour! They only take 6 max.
Captain Manu, guide Mana, and photographer Tom take you to 3 unique sites on the northeastern side of the island.
The sites include:
✔️ Cleaning Station
✔️ Jardin de Corail du Motu Ahi
One of the coolest things about this tour is you get to use an underwater scooter to jet around the coral.
This was the first time my husband and I used a sea scooter. We are hooked! So much fun! You can dive down and spin around. You feel like a little kid.
The snorkeling sites were incredible. We saw turtles, blacktip reef sharks, multiple sting rays, and plenty of schools of fish.
This is another snorkeling tour not to be missed!
See my Moorea Water Games Review for more details!
03- Moorea Dark Waters
Courtesy of Shutterstock: night snorkel with octopus
I didn’t join the Moorea Dark Waters Tour, but I wanted to include it because it is HIGHLY rated and offers a very unique snorkeling experience.
Snorkeling in the dark!
Yikes! I really wanted to do this, but I chickened out.
Everyone raves about the friendly guide Joaquin, who leads you safely around the coral using a flashlight pointing out all the cool sea creatures.
The snorkeling is done at Temae Beach, which is where the Sofitel Kia Ora Moorea Beach Resort is located.
When we come back to Moorea to swim with the whales, I really want to do this tour. I snorkeled in the dark once with manta rays when we were on the Big Island (Hawaii) but that was years ago and a different kind of experience.
One of the biggest reasons I would love to try this night snorkel is the chance to see an octopus since they like to hunt at night.
I am obsessed with octopuses. We had a magical experience with multiple octopuses while at the Le Meridien in the Maldives, and now I just want to see more and more of them!
Final Thoughts
Snorkeling is one of the top things to do in Moorea!
We snorkeled all over the island (5 different sites) both independently and with snorkeling tours. If you want to hit all the highlights, book Alex Lagoon Tours and Moorea Water Games without hesitation!
And if you do the night snorkel with Moorea Dark Waters, please let me know if it’s as cool as it sounds (and if you see an octopus!).
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.
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Questions about our Moorea snorkeling tour experiences?
Let me know in the comments below!
We will be in the Society Islands on a PG Cruise. Do you have other recommendations for these islands for snorkeling? THANKS!
Thanks for reaching out.
Here are the specific snorkeling tours we’ve experienced in French Polynesia that I highly recommend (we booked through Viator since they have a generous cancellation policy):
Bora Bora: Reef Discovery
Taha’a: ARE Tours
Rangiroa: Rangiroa Excursion
Enjoy your cruise! We love French Polynesia. 😊
Hello,
I wrote a couple of days ago to let you know how much we have appreciated your travel recommendations in the past. We are avid snorkelers and want to be in the water as much as possible. We will be coming to Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, and Taha’a in April and I am trying to firm up our hotel accommodations in Moorea to make it as convenient to great snorkeling as possible. We will have a car but want to stay somewhere that we can just walk in and snorkel right from the hotel. We have heard the snorkeling is better at the Sofitel in Moorea, but the food and accommodations are not as nice as the Hilton Moorea. Do you have any thoughts?
I apologize for the delayed response. My hubby and I are visiting my parents for the holidays.
Happy to help.
We stayed at a beautiful Vrbo rental in Moorea, so I can’t compare the Sofitel and Hilton from an accommodation/food standpoint. However, I can compare them from a snorkeling standpoint.
The shore snorkeling from the Sofitel is definitely better than the Hilton. Now granted we snorkeled at the Hilton on a less than ideal day, so maybe we need to give it another chance.
Hubby and I snorkeled at the Sofitel twice- once on our own from the shore and once with a sea scooter from the Sofitel. Incredible snorkeling!
Hope this helps! We loved Moorea. Next time we would love to visit Moorea when you can snorkel with humpback whales (July – early November). Happy to answer any other questions. Enjoy your trip! 🤿 🐠
Hi Nichole, thank you so much for all the amazing info on French Polynesia. My husband and I are traveling there in September and your tips are incredibly helpful. I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog posts.
Thanks so much for your kind words. I’m so happy the posts have been helpful 😊
French Polynesia is such a special trip. September should be a great time to go too.
Hope you both have the best time. You’re going to love it!