Pacific Divers
Pacific Divers
4.5
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
12:30 PM - 6:00 PM
About
Pacific Divers is a full service scuba diving and training centre located in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. We service all of Rarotonga with daily dive trips for all levels of diver, and the full range of PADI dive courses. We are the only PADI 5 star Instructor Development Centre in the Cook Islands and consistently deliver quality training to both new and experienced divers. We have a great crew who love to dive and share our amazing underwater world with you.
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
492 reviews
Excellent
393
Very good
66
Average
6
Poor
20
Terrible
7

Sven G
Sydney, Australia3 contributions
Jan 2020
We just got back from our best holiday ever and a huge part of this was due to the fantastic experience we had with Pacific Divers
My 14 year old son and I are certified and our 11 year old did his certification while we were there and it was just fantastic
From sorting PADI registration issues out (PADI issue not theirs) to rescheduling dives due to the weather they were just fantastic, prompt pickups and just did everything for us.
My youngest dived with a few of the staff and they were just fantastic with him and he is a confirmed diving addict.
Huge thanks to Sandra, Ben, Victoria, Gareth and all the others....we couldn't have had a better experience
Sven Graham
Sydney
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Jessica K
1 contribution
Feb 2023 • Couples
Both dive instructors were great. They knew exactly what they were doing
They are a real team –they worked hand in hand
They always made sure you were safe and having fun.
I had two great dives
Smurf Island is absolutely stunning

Highly recommended
And definitely i will come back to do some more dives
Thanks again
Written February 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Jonny_8iron
Christchurch, New Zealand43 contributions
Dec 2019
Did our open water qualification here. Signed up a bit last minute due to a stubborn ear infection only just clearing in time; as a result the paperwork was a little disorganised and there was a bit of confusion around pickups. However, once there it was a friendly atmosphere and we had a great time. Staff were good fun and patient with the newbies. Second time diving with this outfit and would use again if / when next in Raro.
Written January 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Captchris8
San Diego, CA27 contributions
Feb 2020
Pros..
Friendly, congenial, helpful staff. Dive boat returned to the dock for your surface interval after the first dive. Would not have been pleasant in that little boat with the conditions we had. Could be the time of the year we were there. Strong current and surge on the three dive sites we visited. Surface waves were fairly large.
Cons.
Dive guides stayed about 3 – 4 meters off the bottom, swimming in near straight line. Not looking for interesting stuff to point out to us.

Upon getting back after our 2nd day of diving I noted that the rinse water, in the barrel, for washing the gear, looked as thou it had not been changed since our first day of diving, 2 days before. Very dirty, filled with dirt and debris. Not good if you care about your personnel gear.

We were there during the rainy season, it rained each day, be it at night or sometimes during the day. General rule we found in diving around the world is that rain runoff from land will have bad impact on the VIZ. We opted out of diving the rest of our stay because of the lack of VIZ, little marine life and the conditions, surge at depth and the surface conditions.
Written March 9, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Marlo F
Flagstaff19 contributions
Dec 2019
Our day with Pacific Divers was absolutely wonderful. We were met at the cruise port and taken to the shop and were diving in no time at all. Sandy and the whole crew are very professional and fun. It was truly a trip of a lifetime for us and we'll enjoy watching our videos during our cold snowy winters.
Written January 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Brian T
2 contributions
Apr 2014 • Couples
I was really disappointed with my experience with Pacific Divers. First off, let me preface this with some background on myself. I'm a very experienced diver that has previously worked in the dive industry. My needs from a dive shop are minimal, get me a tank, take me to a good dive location and let me dive my dive and I'm happy...show me some things I wouldn't have found on my own and I'm even more pleased.

However, there is also a standard expectation of safety that should accompany any 5 Star PADI dive shop and these guys really missed the mark on this one.

First off, lets start with the boat. The "Dive Master/Boat Captain" couldn't steer the boat and was unable to reach the mooring line. Now to put this in perspective, we were diving a dive location that couldn't have been more then a couple hundred meters from the harbor. There was a little bit of swell and some small wind chop, but still no reason to have problems reaching the mooring line. Since he couldn't reach the mooring line, we threw anchor out and the DM did a quick bounce dive to check to make sure the anchor was set in the reef.

Then while he was going over the dive briefing he mentioned that they don't have life jackets on the boat and that everyone should just use their BC's for floatation. Found this amusing as laws in the states very clearly wouldn't allow this, not to mention the fact that there were two people on the boat without BC's (my wife, who was along for the ride and not diving as well as the second DM who stayed on the boat).

Next, the DM forgot his wetsuit, which funny enough he mentioned had happened a few times to him lately. There were probably 3-4 other divers on the boat, not including the DM and they were your typical vacation divers. The dive site was pretty mediocre (I come to find later that other dive ops don't even dive this dive site, because it sucks compared to the others). The DM led a quick dive around the reef, never pointing anything out to anyone, expect a turtle that shot by and had us back to the anchor line in around 30 min. Most of the divers were low on air and surfaced, the dive master went up with them (presumably because he was shivering due to not having a wetsuit. He I stayed in the water for another 25-30 minutes and he also left a 13yr old in the water on his own. Not sure if the kid had his Jr. Open Water or not, but even if he did, he is supposed to have an adult diver buddied up with him at all times and this guy completely left him. This was another major red flag.

Finished my dive, got back on the boat and they try to pull the anchor up. However, it's firmly wedged in the reef. DM/Boat captain tries to pull it off the reef by tying it off to the bow and nosing into the swell, finally it releases, and he runs to the front to pull it up while the boat drifts back and the anchor re-sets. 20-30 minutes later, he grabs his dive gear and bounces back to the bottom to swim the anchor up. 3 quick bounce dives to 40 ft within an hour!

Then they call the second dive. Conditions weren't perfect, but weren't that bad, and while we were calling the dive, Dive Rarotonga was out on their second dive with no issues.

My last issue with Pacific Divers was that I was charged $99 for my one dive trip. If you look at their website, they say a one tank dive trip only costs $80, but they insisted on charging me more then that.

Very disappointed in the whole experience. Did the rest of my diving with another op on the island and the experience was night and day.

Only positive I have were the toasties after the dive.
Written May 12, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Thank you Brian T for your frank review. First off let me express my concern that you left our business with such a poor experience. At Pacific Divers we will do our best to rectify any concern a customer expresses to us. In your case we would have happily either refunded your payment, or given you a dive on another day free of charge. These are stated in our product guarantee. The staff that took you out, while experienced operators, were fairly new to our operation. I will use your review to ensure they receive the proper training and guidance as it raised many points. It is fair to say your review would have been more helpful in person, or in writing on our customer comment card, however at least we have seen the issues through trip advisor and are able to correct them. The vast majority of our customers have an excellent experience with us, and we strive to maintain the highest level of customer satisfaction. We conduct our dives in such a way that gives people the freedom to plan their own dives, while also enjoying the guidance of a dive leader. All our dive leaders are dive instructors, and as you would be aware, this gives them the ability to be better prepared to deal with less than comfortable divers. We also operate the largest dive vessel in the Cook Islands and the only one with a full length sun canopy and twin boarding ladders. This gives our dives protection from the elements and ample room when gearing up and getting in the water. Regarding the price, we had a price increase on 1 April, probably between the time you viewed our website and came diving. All bookings made before the price rise were and are still honored at the price when the booking was made. Once again, this issue would have been able to be sorted out if discussed at the time. I apologize again, and will take all steps required to ensure these issues you raise are resolved. Pacific Divers Management.
Written May 14, 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Shiri1130
Chamonix, France104 contributions
May 2015 • Solo
I booked a few days of diving with them before I arrive. They quoted the cheapest price and were really friendly. I went by the shop the day i arrived to plan the diving for the next day and everything seemed fine. I showed up the next morning and they told me that they werent diving. They blamed it on visibility and wouldnt go to another area because I was by myself and the only person diving. The other dive centres all went out that day and had 30m visibility so it was really disappointing and a waste of a full day of holiday. I do not recommend going here. The other dive centres are just as cheap when you ask in person and at least keep their word and take you diving.
Written May 19, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
This reviewer has given an inaccurate view of her interaction with our business. The fact is that there was no prior booking before she came to our store. She came in and encquired about diving the next day. We advised that because of the poor weather (torrential tropical rain for the previous 24 hrs) we may not dive the following day, but the forecast and experience told us we would have a much better experience the day after. She did not confirm a booking with us by leaving a deposit or credit card details as recorded on our booking system. Instead it was a tentative booking. The following day we made early assessments and decided conditions were not suitable for a good experience. The diver failed to show up on time at 8.30am so we thought she had opted not to dive anyhow. She showed up late, at around 8.45am and was very rude to staff when advised we were not diving. The next day (today) our team went out and everyone had some great diving, in clear, tropical water. Conditions that would not have been possible the day before. We dive the best sites we can considering weather and always take feedback seriously. As I was present in an adjoining office when this customer was interacting with staff I am confident that we could have done nothing better, and that if we had have taken her out and the water was cloudy the resulting poor review would have had actual merit.
Written May 20, 2015
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Steve R
Auckland Central, New Zealand6 contributions
Feb 2015 • Family
Depending on your experience level your view of this center will differ. If you are very experienced and just fancy a quick dive then its ok. if you are a new diver and a little nervous then perhaps check out the other dive centers.
The staff dont seem to be that knowledgeable and want to have a laugh more then actually take you diving, which can be ok if your up for a laugh and confertable in the water. but the diving seems to be secondary.
Written June 7, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

herewego28
Whangarei6 contributions
The boat we went out on was in a typical condition for the islands. A once white tired looking solid plastic inflatable about 14ft long with noticeable bits missing like the hole in the front cockpit area where a hatch was missing. It did have a couple of quite new looking engines, which I suppose is the important bit. That said, looking at the state of the boat I'm not sure how long they'll stay in running order. The boat arrived just after we did at the launch site towed by a truck on very rusty trailer. This trailer, we reckon, broke the laws of physics by supporting the weight. I love the islands, the road laws a a little more relaxed than at home!

On the way to the dive site we had the gear positioned in a homemade rack in the middle of the floor. With not enough seats for divers, rough seas and a backend heavy overloaded boat it was not a fun journey to the first dive site. Then with the boat bouncing and pitching we had the job of trying to get gear on and get into the water with not enough room to move. By the time we got in the water, both of us felt sea sick something that I've never experienced before.

Once underwater the first dive was pretty good. Plenty of fish life and we saw a shark too, unfortunately all I could think about was the journey back. Thankfully by the time we surfaced, the water had calmed down a bit and we made it back to shore without feeding the fish! The dive guide was pretty good, although a bit relaxed about checking the divers. One guy told us on land that he hadn't noticed how low his air had got, he'd nearly emptied his tank. His fault I know, but also handy if the guide had checked too.

Back on land we had about a 20 min interval before heading back out for a second dive. By now we were both feeling a bit less green so decided to go. This turned out to be a mistake. The second dive site was much closer than the first, which was just as well because by now the wind had picked up again and the sea was pretty rough. By the time we were in the water it was a real struggle not to vomit. Once underwater we realised that we'd pretty much been dropped in a the first available anchor point. Dead coral and not a lot going on fish wise. I assume the guide did this because of the weather, but we'd have been better not bothering.

After our experience with Pacific Divers, we didn't dive agan during our stay.
Written August 16, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

nzdiveboy
Auckland2 contributions
I'd known where I was going to dive I'd have done something else instead. One of the dives was reasonable, but for the other one the guys had us dive in front of the old wreck that sticks out of the water. Being just out of the harbour we could have swum to the site from shore and saved fuel! Dead coral and hardly any fish. Why take us there? I was told that we were just unlucky with the wild life. More like unlucky with the dive shop I say!
Written August 7, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Pacific Divers (Rarotonga) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go