Rarotonga drops away steeply just outside the reef, which means blue water is minutes rather than hours from the harbour.

What is caught

Mahi mahi, yellowfin, wahoo and skipjack are common; marlin and sailfish are seasonal. Local boats also fish for the table rather than sport.

Booking

• Half-day is enough for most people, particularly if anyone is prone to seasickness.
• Ask about the catch arrangement in advance.
• Take seasickness tablets before you leave the wharf, not once you feel it.

Muri is the obvious place to paddle: shallow, protected and with four small islands to give the outing a destination.

Where to go

Koromiri and Motutapu are within comfortable reach on a calm morning. Taakoka is further and the channels between the motu carry more current than the flat surface suggests.

Safety

• Wind picks up in the afternoon and blows offshore in places.
• Stay well away from the reef passages.
• Tell the hire operator where you are heading.

Muri gets reliable trade winds and the lagoon is shallow and flat, which is close to ideal for learning and pleasant for anyone already competent.

Learning here

Standing depth over much of the lagoon means mistakes are recoverable, and instructors operate on the beach.

Practical

• Wind is most reliable in the afternoon and in the drier months.
• Reef shoes — you will be standing on the bottom.
• Keep clear of swimmers, paddlers and the cruise boat channels.

Rarotonga’s diving is outside the reef, where the wall drops away steeply. Visibility is frequently very good and the water is warm year-round.

What is there

Coral canyons and swim-throughs, drop-offs, turtles, reef fish and occasionally eagle rays or reef sharks. There are wreck sites too.

For beginners

Conditions are forgiving enough that Rarotonga is a reasonable place to learn, and operators run introductory dives and certification courses.

Practical

• Which side you dive depends on the wind that day.
• Leave 24 hours between your last dive and flying.
• Reef-safe sunscreen, and no sunscreen at all right before getting in.

Turtles are seen regularly around Rarotonga, most reliably off the northern and western coasts. Guided snorkel trips run specifically to find them.

Realistic expectations

They are wild animals. Operators have good spots and good odds, but nobody can promise a sighting on a given morning.

How to behave

• Do not touch, chase or ride. It is harmful and, in many places, illegal.
• Stay a few metres back and stay still — you will see far more.
• Give a surfacing turtle a clear path up. They need to breathe.

A lagoon cruise is how most people experience Aitutaki, and the operators differ more than the marketing suggests.

A typical day

Depart mid-morning, two or three snorkelling stops, time on One Foot Island with the passport stamp, a barbecue or picnic lunch on a motu, back mid-to-late afternoon.

Questions worth asking

• How many passengers? A dozen and fifty are entirely different days.
• Which motu? Not every cruise stops at One Foot Island.
• Is snorkel gear included, and are there flotation aids?
• What happens if the weather turns? Refund, or reschedule?

Private charters

More expensive, but you choose the route and the timing, and you are on the lagoon when the group boats are not. Worth considering for a special occasion or for photographers.

The wide, shallow sand flats of the Aitutaki lagoon hold bonefish, and the island has a quiet reputation among fly fishers because of it.

How it works

Wading the flats on foot with a guide, sight-casting to fish as they move in with the tide. It is demanding fishing and almost always catch and release.

What to know

• Tide dictates everything. Your guide will pick the window.
• Sun protection matters more than you think — hours on white sand with no shade.
• Some guides supply gear; confirm rather than assume.

Maina, toward the western side of the lagoon, is one of the stops most lagoon cruises include, and the reason is the clams.

The clams

Giant clams sit in shallow water with their mantles open, in blues, greens and browns that look artificially saturated. Because the water is shallow and clear, you see them properly without diving.

Also here

Reef fish in numbers, coral in reasonable condition, and a sandbar to stand on between snorkels.

Looking after it

• Do not touch or stand on the clams or the coral.
• Reef-safe sunscreen, or a rash vest instead.
• Keep fins clear of the bottom — a careless kick breaks years of growth.

Titikaveka on the south coast has some of the clearest lagoon water on Rarotonga and noticeably better shore snorkelling than the busier spots.

What you will see

Coral heads with reef fish around them, giant clams in places, and occasionally a turtle. The water is shallow, so the colours hold.

Practical

• Morning is calmer and clearer than afternoon.
• There is little in the way of facilities — bring what you need.
• Stay well clear of the reef passages, where the current runs out to sea.

The Aitutaki lagoon is shallow, warm and clear, which makes it forgiving snorkelling — you can see a great deal without being a strong swimmer or going far from the boat.

What is down there

Giant clams, with the vivid mantles that are the thing people remember. Reef fish in numbers. Coral gardens in the better-preserved patches. The lagoon is shallow enough that light reaches everything, so the colour is far better than at depth.

Where

The best spots are out in the lagoon rather than off the main island’s shore, which means a cruise or a charter. Most lagoon cruises build in two or three snorkelling stops and carry gear. If you have a particular interest, a private charter lets you choose where and how long.

From the shore

Possible on the eastern side, and pleasant enough, but it is not what Aitutaki is known for. Judge the snorkelling from the lagoon, not from the beach.

Looking after it

• Do not stand on coral. It is alive and it is slow to recover.
• Do not touch or lift the clams.
• Reef-safe sunscreen, or a rash vest instead of sunscreen.
• Take nothing — shells, coral, sand — off the motu.