SCUBA Frequently Asked Questions

Visit the Dive Desk on Deck 5 (next to L'Étoile restaurant) as soon as you embark. All dives must be booked onboard with the Marina Supervisor with all required forms completed to sign up for dives. Divers must possess a valid recent medical certificate less than a year old of no contraindication to scuba diving before signing up for a dive (the doctor on board m/s Paul Gauguin will not be able to issue this certificate). Divers at all levels of experience must meet with one of our dive instructors and must complete the liability disclaimer form.

For additional information, please refer to the Required Forms. 

Please find the provisional SCUBA diving schedules here: ● Provisional SCUBA Diving Schedule — Society Islands 7 Nights

● Provisional SCUBA Diving Schedule — Society & Cook Islands 11 Nights

● Provisional SCUBA Diving Schedule — Society Islands, Marquesas & Tuamotus 14 Nights

● Provisional SCUBA Diving Schedule — Society & Tuamotus Islands 10 Nights

You must provide the following:

● Your scuba certification card (physical card or e-card)

● Your Nitrox certification, if you plan to dive with Nitrox

● A medical clearance form filled and signed by your physician, confirming you are fit to scuba dive and less than one year old

No, all dives must be booked once on board the ship. For the safety of our diving guests, we limit dives to a maximum of two per day, per diver (age restrictions apply), with no exceptions.

We provide BCD with integrated weights pockets, regulator, 3mm wetsuit shorty or full, weights, mask, fins, dive computer and 80CF aluminum tanks (compatible with both DIN and Yoke regulators).

Yes, you can use your own SCUBA gear. All personal equipment can be left at the marina storage area for the entire duration of your stay on board.

We offer PADI Nitrox certification on board. We recommend arriving already certified for other levels, as we no longer offer full open-water certification courses on board.

Please note dive types offered and pricing are subject to change at any time without prior notice.

• Single fun (exploration) dive: $130 USD

• Discounts on fun dives: 5% off from 3 dives booked, 10% off from 6 dives booked

• PADI Nitrox Certification: $190 USD

• Training dives (Intro Dive, DSD, Refresher): $150 USD each — no discount applies

• Dives with external providers: prices vary

Yes, we offer several PADI courses, including Open Water, Advanced, and Enriched-Air Nitrox. 

Yes! We offer two (2) options:

● An Intro Dive in shallow water (max. 18 feet), with a ratio of 1 diver per instructor.

● A PADI Discover SCUBA Diving (DSD) experience — a short theory briefing followed by your first dive in a sheltered, shallow lagoon site (max. 40 feet). For the DSD program, a medical clearance issued by a licensed physician is mandatory.

Yes, basic swimming skills are required for all diving activities.

The dive itself lasts about 45–50 minutes, and the total trip time is around 2 hours.

Groups are limited to 4 divers per instructor, with a maximum of 10 divers per boat.

No, only divers are allowed on the dive boats.

Most dives take place in the morning for certified divers. Beginners dives generally take place in the afternoon.

No — it's an introductory experience, not a certification.

We recommend getting certified before your cruise. The Gauguin does not offer full open-water certification courses on board.

Yes — if you haven't dived in the past 12 months, a refresher dive is required before you can join a dive. Please see the Dive Desk on Deck 5 for details.

Yes, if you haven't dived for more than a year, ship policy requires you to complete a refresher dive before joining a dive.

No, French Polynesian diving regulations are very strict and require that you always dive with a professional dive instructor.

We have two Zodiacs® that can carry ten divers each.

No, for safety reasons it is forbidden to dive, swim, or snorkel from the marina platform.

We use Zodiacs® as dive boats. We never dive or swim from the marina platform for safety reasons. On our dive boats, the most convenient way to make entry is by side roll.

The member of our marina team who is doing the surface watch on the dive boats takes your weight belt, BCD and tank, and other gear, after which you exit the water and enter the dive boat by means of a ladder.

Yes. The Marina has a shower and different tubs for rinsing gear.

We do not perform maintenance or repairs on personal dive equipment, so we recommend bringing your own "save a dive" kit.

We have yoke-valve tanks. If you have a DIN regulator, we can provide an adaptor, or you can dive with one of our regulators.

Visibility varies depending on location, dive site, weather, and sea conditions, but averages around 100 feet (30 m) at most sites.

All the dive instructors on board are EFR (Emergency First Response) certified, and the dive boats have oxygen and a first-aid kit as required by local and ship regulations. A doctor and nurse are also standing by on board The Gauguin, and there is direct communication among the dive boats, the bridge, the ship's medical center, and the Safety Officer. There is a decompression chamber in Tahiti. Emergency evacuations are performed by helicopter.

We don't offer a photo/video service for dives. Guests are welcome to bring and use their own camera or GoPro — flash photography is not recommended when observing rays. If our Studio Ponant photographer on board happens to hold a dive certification, they may occasionally join a dive as well.

No, unfortunately we don't offer prescription masks — we'd recommend bringing your own if you need one.

According to French regulations, each instructor can lead a maximum of 4 divers. The Gauguin has 4 French State-certified (DEJEPS) dive instructors and 1 boat pilot on board. Typically 3 instructors lead each dive outing, for a maximum of about 10 divers on one dive boat.

Wearing dive gloves is allowed in French Polynesia.

When we arrive on a non-drift dive site we attach the boat to an existing mooring. This is for assisting guests in their descent, especially for beginners so they do not need to control their buoyancy. There will most likely be a mooring line on every dive, but is not guaranteed.

We only dive Fakarava's North Pass (Garuae Pass) — the South Pass is too far from the ship's anchor point.