Surrounded by a coral reef, diving and snorkeling off the Rarotonga coast is incredible. With near perfect diving conditions, these turquoise blue waters are home to not just a wealth of marine life, but numerous brightly colored topical fish species as well as many varieties of living coral. Add to this the many underwater caves, canyons, tunnels and shipwrecks to explore, and you have one of the best diving locations in the world. The underwater visibility here is excellent with warm water temperatures most of the year.

A fantastic dive destination not only for experts but novices as well, diving in Rarotonga is not limited to any single place. Rather since the entire island is encircled by a reef you can dive almost anywhere with underwater visibility between 30 to 60 meters. If you wish to dive beyond the reef the drop off here gores from 30m to 4000m and is not for the faint hearted.

For a beginner, the lagoon is a great place to learn to dive. With morning and evening dive trips on hand, you can be rest assured that no place is too overcrowded to dive in, as only 10 divers are allowed per zone at a time. This is done to protect Rarotonga’s precious marine habitat from ruin.

With a diverse range of diving sites, scuba dives here cost anywhere between NZ$ 60 to NZ$ 75 with discounts given on multiple dive trips. Rarotonga has 3 diving companies, two of which are PADI and NAUI certified. If you wish to dive by night, you will have to speak to the dive operator for a private trip.

Snorkeling in Rarotonga is wonderful as well, with the lagoon here home to many dazzling fish and vibrant coral. The southeast side of the island has some of the best snorkeling conditions with the waters here quite deep and lots to see. Many places along the coast rent out snorkeling gear, but if you like you can purchase some quality equipment from any of the island shops as well.