Frequently Asked Questions About SCUBA Diving Aboard the m/s Paul Gauguin
Booking & Requirements
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 onboard booking forms here:
Scuba Diving Booking Form - Society Islands 7 Nights
Scuba Diving Booking Form - Society & Cooks Islands 11 Nights
Scuba Diving Booking Form - Society Islands, Marquesas & Tuamotus 14 Nights
Scuba Diving Booking Form - Society & Tuamotus Islands 10 Nights
Society Islands Schedule for Beginner
Society Islands Schedule for Certified
At the watersports marina, you can also pick up snorkeling equipment (mask, fins, and snorkel), which you can keep for the entire cruise. The fins are not adjustable and are to be worn barefoot. Dive fins are provided per dive per person; snorkel fins can be kept for the duration of the cruise.
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 that is less than one year.
No, all dives must be booked once on board the ship.
Equipment & Gear
We provide a dive computer, BCD with integrated weights pockets, regulator, 3mm wetsuit shorty or full, weights, mask, fins, 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.
Dive Prices* & Available Courses
A single-tank dive is $120.
Pool session: $50. Open water dive: $130.
Yes, we offer several PADI courses, including Open Water, Advanced, and Enriched-Air Nitrox.
- $50 Refresher course (compulsory for those who have not been diving for over a year)
- $99 PADI Discover SCUBA Dive course pool session
- $130 PADI Discover SCUBA Dive course per any additional dive
- $120 Single-tank day dive
- $130 Long distance dives
- $130 Intro dive (see question below about beginning divers who would like to try SCUBA diving)
- $230 Two-tank day dive
- $330 Excellence Package (3 dives)
- $660 Passion Package (6 dives)
- $1,080 Master Package (10 dives)
*All prices are subject to change.
- $130 PADI Enriched-Air Nitrox Course (for certified divers who wish to extend their skills with enriched-gas-mix diving): Price includes book, exam, and certification fee.
- $319 PADI SCUBA Referral Diver Course (for divers who have completed the pool session and a class before embarking the ship): Two dives are required to complete your SCUBA diver certification. You will obtain the certification on board.
- $499 PADI SCUBA Diver Course (complete course): Includes three pool sessions, theory lessons and exams, and two open-water dives. You will obtain the certification on board.
- $599 PADI SCUBA Referral Open-Water Course (for those who require only four dives to complete their Open-Water Diver certification: You will obtain the certification on board.
- $570 PADI Advanced Diver Course (for those who already have the Open-Water Diver certification but would like to advance to the next level): Five dives are required, including one deep dive of 100 feet and one navigation dive. You will obtain the certification on board.
- $99 PADI Deep Diver Specialty Certification (for those who already have Advanced Open Water Certification and wishing to participate in dives in the Marquesas).
Prices are subject to change.
For Beginners
Yes! We offer two (2) options:
- An Intro Dive in shallow water (max. 18 feet), with a ratio of maximum 2 diver with an instructor.
- A PADI Discover SCUBA Diving (DSD) course with a confined water training dive or pool session followed by a shallow open water fun dive (max. 40 feet). For the DSD program a medical clearance issue by a licensed physician is mandatory.
Yes, basic swimming skills are required for all diving activities.
Most dive sites are enjoyable within 60 feet. Maximum depth will be 90 feet for some advanced dive sites in the Tuamotus or the Marquesas Islands.
The water temperature depends on the period of the year:
- Summer (Dec–Jun): ~83°F (29°C)
- Winter (Jul–Nov): ~76°F (26°C)
Yes. Before diving in the passes of Fakarava or Rangiroa, each diver must complete a check dive so we can assess their dive level and experience. Good physical condition, control of buoyancy, efficient breathing and proper finning technique are required. We recommend a minimum of 50 logged dives, and an Advanced Open Water or Deep Diver Specialty certification is mandatory.
Diving is weather-dependent. For safety, dives may be cancelled due to wind, swell, heavy rain, or strong currents.
Our instructors are all qualified in first aid and diving accident management, our dive boats are fully equipped with oxygen and first-aid kits. In addition, our teams undergo regular training in coordination with the professional medical team on board for risk management in diving. A decompression chamber is available in Tahiti.
Logistics
The dive itself lasts about 45–50 minutes, and the total trip time is around 2 hours.
Groups are limited to 5 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.
Additional Miscellaneous Questions
Dives can be booked on board with the Marina Supervisor. Dives at Rangiroa and Fakarava are organised by the Paul Gauguin Cruises Marina team. Only the drift in Tiputa pass (Rangiroa) and the South pass (Fakarava) are not organized.
No, but it gives you credit toward the Open-Water certification. You will be registered in the PADI network, and if you want to complete your certification, you will have one year to do so.
We always try our best, but we cannot guarantee that it is going to be possible, due to variables such as the number of interested divers and the dive schedule during the cruise.
You can, however, prepare your certification at home and arrive at the ship with a PADI referral form. You will then need only four open-water dives in order to complete the full certification.
Yes. You have two options for refresher courses:
- $50: Held in the swimming pool on board during the first day of the cruise, in Huahine, depending on the itinerary.
- $130: Held in the lagoon off Taha’a, Bora Bora and Moorea. This option consists of a refresher course followed by a dive.
Please see the Dive Desk on Deck 5 (next to L’Étoile restaurant) for more information during embarkation day.
Yes, if you haven’t dived for more than a year, the policy of the ship requires you to take the refresher class in the swimming pool on board during the first day of the cruise.
No, French Polynesian diving regulations are very strict and require that you always dive with a PADI or CMAS 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.
We have compensated regulators from Beuchat and some BCD spare parts (Beuchat) on board. If we can repair some of our guests’ equipment, we will do it.
We have yoke-valve tanks. If you have a DIN regulator, please bring your own adaptor, or you can dive with one of our regulators.
Depending on weather conditions, the average visibility is about 100 feet (30 m) except in particular locations (the Marquesas and the manta dive in Bora Bora).
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.
No.
No.
For a single-tank dive operation, it usually takes about two hours from the meeting time at the marina to the time you are back on board the ship.
According to French Polynesian law, diving instructors are able to conduct a group of five divers maximum. We have four French state-certified diving instructors/PADI instructors on board The Gauguin, so the maximum number of divers is fifteen, divided between two Zodiac® dive boats.
It is allowed but not really necessary.
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.
Updated as of February 2026