'Pitcairn Diving Expedition'

(A two-week scuba diving expedition to Pitcairn Island,
Henderson Island & Oeno Atoll)

Diving the Pitcairn Islands is a very rare opportunity. These sparsely populated islands offer unspoiled beaches and reefs for first time exploration. As one of the few privileged, we have already experienced the pristine and beautiful diving in this region. The vast majority of the islands are waiting first time ever exploration. To capture this unique experience, the editor of Dive New Zealand/ Dive Pacific magazine, Dave Moran, joined our July 2006 voyage and wrote about his experiences in the "2007 Dive Annual" - see his article on the discovery of the wreck of the 1860's Yankee clipper "Wild Wave" in the waters of Oeno Atoll during this voyage. If you share our sense of adventure and exploration, don't miss out on this opportunity of a lifetime.

The itinerary is listed below - and is based on the assumption of fair sea and weather conditions.

Day 1 Fly to Mangareva (Gambier Islands) on Air Tahiti leaving 6am on Tuesday 11th Feb (this is a once-a-week flight). Board SRV Discovery at the main wharf in Rikitea village and depart for Pitcairn after clearing customs and immigration.

Day 2 At sea, watching for sea birds and whales on the way to Pitcairn. It is a perfect opportunity to unwind from stresses of everyday life in the western world and enter the easy pace of the Pacific islands.

Day 3 Arrival at Pitcairn Island and disembark ashore to board with local families. Pitcairners will assist as guides in a tour around the island. Keen divers could also go for their first dive (if arrival time permits).

Day 4 Diving Pitcairn waters. We can pick you up early from the Bounty Bay wharf and organize four dives a day (if you are really that keen) or perhaps you are an afternoon diver only? Mostly it is a matter of mixing quality time underwater with exciting things to do on land – phew! Tough choice.  Weather dependent, we recommend diving the shipwrecks, including the HMS Bounty and S/V Cornwallis, plus diving the pristine coral formations of Down-rope and Tautama. After diving we will drop you back on Pitcairn for the night with your host family

Day 5 Diving Pitcairn waters. The same schedule as yesterday, except that after the last dive we will be setting sail for Henderson. The voyage will be overnight.

Day 6 We arrive at the remote and wild southern end of Henderson Island at midday - and go for a few dives, get your cameras ready, its shark time. In the afternoon we will be anchoring further north in the lee of the island. Time and weather permitting we may even be going ashore.

Day 7 This day is a mixture of diving and shore time. Life is about choices and this might prove to be a hard one on a diver, because Henderson is home to hundreds of thousands of birds and a myriad of other indigenous animals and vegetation. Henderson is considered to be the most pristine tropical island in the world. In the afternoon we depart for our overnight voyage to Oeno Atoll.

Day 8 Arrival at Oeno in the early morning. Oeno has a magnificent inner lagoon with easy access via a large passage. The passage and outer reef are definitely the spots to dive. The picture of the diver surrounded by the enormous school of Barracuda’s on the right is proof. If you feel like exploring uninhabited islands and relaxing on golden sandy beach then Oeno offers an easy accessible and picture perfect opportunity. For those keener on going below the waves we will aim for three dives.

Day 9/10 Why leave? It is beautiful and you will be happy to do more exploration on Oeno, or jump in our inflatable for more underwater adventures. We aim at two dives and will depart in the afternoon for the Gambier Islands.

Day 11 At sea, a perfect moment to relax, sleep and refuel your energy after so many dives and experiences.

Day 12 Arrive in Gambier Islands. This lagoon is part of enormous protected inland sea with a circumference of approximately 90 km. There are 5 big high islands and another 18 smaller high islands and motus. Do the math and imagine the sheer amount of reef and beaches!

Day 13/14 Visit islands in the Gambier lagoon and/or dive their surrounding waters. You can explore the islands ashore and/or dive - your choice.

Day 15 Flight from Gambier Islands to Tahiti, departing at 1am, arriving in Tahiti at 4pm (Tahiti time)

Licence needed:
For a place on our diving expeditions you need to be licensed. Please ask yourself: do I love diving and feel comfortable with it? We aim at minimizing risks and ask you to stay within the limits of non-decompression diving.

Price:
Our two-week Pitcairn scuba diving expeditions are priced at US$3,900 per person. This price includes: all dives and use of dive gear. (you are also welcome to bring along your own gear). All food, coffee, tea etc are free. You are welcome to bring your own drinks, alcohol and/or specific dietary needs without additional charge.