Paddle it or walk it
A Moorea lagoon kayak tour is three guided hours in a transparent kayak from the beach at Tiahura, with a snorkel stop in a coral garden. The helmet walk puts you on the sea floor at 12 feet, breathing air from the boat. Here is what each one costs, covers and asks of you: $90 and $99 per person.
Quick answer
The short answer. Book the Moorea lagoon kayak tour ($90, 3 hours, 4.9 from 77 reviews) if you want to paddle, look down through a clear hull and snorkel a coral garden with your own mask. Book the helmet walk ($99, 2.5 hours, 4.9 from 78 reviews) if you want to stand on the sea floor without a scuba certificate while the guide feeds the stingrays around you. It takes children from 6 years old, and its pickup is included.
The kayak
Paddle, look down through the hull, then snorkel the coral garden.
The Moorea lagoon kayak tour is a 3-hour guided trip in a transparent, glass-bottomed kayak. The listing describes sea turtles passing under the clear hull, spotted eagle rays, reef fish and coral below you. It adds that if you are lucky, you might even come across stingrays and blacktip sharks. A fish identification card comes with the trip.
The paddling stops for snorkeling in the middle of a coral garden between the motus, the small islets inside the reef. If the time and the weather permit, there is also a break on the motu sandbank. The trip ends with a fresh fruit juice or seasonal fruit.
The listing names the lagoon after Hauru, but you meet at Tiahura Public Beach, by the stairs down to the sand. There is no pickup, so plan your own way there. One step many people miss: the listing asks you to get in touch at least 48 hours before the trip to confirm the forecast, sizing, meeting point and time of departure.
The kayak, stop by stop
Everything below is from the listing. Nothing under the hull is promised on a given day.
Transparent and glass-bottomed, with a guide from start to finish.
Sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, reef fish and coral, as the listing describes them.
Stingrays and blacktip sharks: the listing says you might come across them.
A coral garden between the motus. Bring your own mask and snorkel.
On the motu sandbank, if the time and the weather permit.
A fresh fruit juice or seasonal fruit.
The helmet walk
No scuba certificate, about 30 minutes under water, rays fed by the guide.
The helmet walk is the other way to see this water from below, and it needs no scuba certification. You are outfitted in a comfortable wetsuit and secure water shoes, a 10-minute boat ride takes you out, and you walk the sea floor at a leisurely depth of 12 feet. The helmet is connected to the boat's air supply via an air hose. Time under water is approximately 30 minutes.
Where you walk depends on the sea and the weather: off the coast of Motu Fareone, or within the waters of Papetoai. Triggerfish, butterflyfish, groupers and parrotfish live there, and a congregation of stingrays gathers as your guide feeds them. Of the twelve listings on this site, this is the only one that says the guide feeds the rays.
The listing asks only that you be comfortable on and in the water; no prior scuba or snorkeling experience is needed. Groups are limited to 8 participants. Pickup is included, with departure from the pier or your hotel.
Under the surface
Triggerfish, butterflyfish and stingrays are on the helmet walk listing; turtles are on the kayak listing.
A sea turtle lifts its head out of flat, bright blue water, with the white line of the reef far off on the horizon.
Seen from above, a triggerfish with a bright blue and yellow band across its face swims over pale sand and stones in shallow water.
A stingray glides over white sand while black, white and yellow butterflyfish swim around it.
Who can go
Ages, health limits and swimming, as the two listings give them.
The helmet walk takes children from 6 years old, and its listing calls it a perfect experience to share with your family. Some guests need a doctor's certificate first: pregnant women, people with pulmonary or cardiac issues, people with reduced mobility, people with back or neck problems, and people with asthma. Every guest signs a waiver.
The Moorea lagoon kayak listing gives no minimum age. It calls the trip an activity allowing children to observe animals, and says proof of age may be requested. It does not say how well you need to swim, so ask when you get in touch before the trip. Rebecca from the United States: «It truly was a magical family experience.»
If someone in your group cannot swim, look at the glass-bottom boat ($160): it is the one listing here that calls itself friendly for all swimming levels.
Every trip, current fare
Both trips next to four snorkeling boats on this site. Prices are per person.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transparent kayak | $90 | per person | 3 hours | Guided kayak, coral-garden snorkel stop, fruit juice or seasonal fruit. Own mask and snorkel | Tiahura Public Beach | 4.9 · 77 |
| Helmet walk | $99 | per person | 2.5 hours | Wetsuit, water shoes, helmet with air from the boat, about 30 minutes under water | Pickup from the pier or your hotel | 4.9 · 78 |
| Lagoon cruise and cooking class, lowest price here | $83 | per person | 3 to 6 hours | Snorkeling, a poisson cru class on a motu, fruit and drinks, towels | Pickup from your hotel or the ferry | 4.8 · 21 |
| Lagoon and reef, 171 reviews | $113 | per person | 4 to 6 hours | Reef and lagoon snorkeling, a shallow stop for rays and sharks, cold drinks; lunch as an option | A dock in Tiahura | 4.9 · 171 |
| Glass-bottom boat | $160 | per person | 5.5 hours | Turtle sanctuary, a sandbar with rays and sharks, a meal on a private motu | By the road, at an orange flag | 4.9 · 87 |
| Whale swim, August to November, our top pick | $247 | per person | 3.5 hours | Whale swims during the season (August to November), life jackets for those without a wetsuit, maximum of 6 people | Tourist office, Paopao | 4.6 · 142 |
Pairing it with snorkeling
Snorkel from the kayak, from a boat, or both on separate days.
The Moorea lagoon kayak tour already has a snorkel stop, so you snorkel either way. A boat adds the reef edge and the shallow stop where stingrays and blacktip reef sharks gather. Two snorkeling boats meet in Tiahura, the same corner of the island as the kayak: the lagoon and reef tour at a dock ($113, 4 to 6 hours) and the small-group tour at a restaurant car park ($141, 4 to 6 hours).
Neither the kayak nor the helmet walk listing gives a start time, and the kayak listing asks you to confirm the time of departure 48 hours ahead. So book the kayak first, confirm its time, then pick the boat. A 3-hour paddle and a 4-to-6-hour boat on the same day add up to a long day; two separate days are the easier plan.
The helmet walk is a different thing from snorkeling: you stand and walk rather than float. Its pickup is included, which makes it the easy half of a two-activity plan if you have no car. Together, the Moorea lagoon kayak tour and the helmet walk cost $189 per person.
In their words
Quoted as written, with the reviewer's name and country.
«We saw so many turtles, eagle rays, and colorful fish from our clear-bottomed kayaks. … Our snorkel break was a highlight—we saw an octopus!»
«because we brought our own snorkels we got to explore a beautiful reef in a lagoon too!»
«It was easier breathing than you expect.»
«I wear glasses so never got to experience anything like this before.»
«we loved doing the helmet walk on the ocean and enjoyed interacting with a stingray.»
Before you book
A few minutes now save a wasted morning at the beach or the pier.
The kayak listing asks you to confirm the forecast, sizing, meeting point and departure time, and to contact customer services before booking.
For the kayak, bring a mask, a snorkel and water shoes. The helmet walk outfits you itself.
The helmet walk needs a doctor's certificate for the five groups listed above. Every guest signs a waiver.
One helmet walk reviewer says the photos and video were offered for a payment. The listing does not mention them.
Both listings offer free cancellation. Check the deadline on the booking page before you pay.
Our verdict
Book the Moorea lagoon kayak tour at $90 if you snorkel, own a mask and want three hours on the water. Book the helmet walk at $99 for children from 6, for anyone who would rather walk than swim, or if you need the pickup. Both hold 4.9. With a few days on the island, do both for $189 per person.
Book direct
The two trips on this page, and our top pick: whale swims from August to November. All prices are per person.
★ 4.9 · 77 reviews
★ 4.9 · 78 reviews
★ 4.6 · 142 reviews
Common questions
No. The listing says the walk needs no scuba certification and no prior scuba or snorkeling experience, beyond being comfortable on and in the water. The helmet takes air from the boat through a hose, and you spend approximately 30 minutes under water at 12 feet.
Yes. The kayak listing says that for snorkeling you need to bring a mask, a snorkel and water shoes. On the helmet walk you are outfitted in a wetsuit and water shoes, and the helmet is part of the trip.
The helmet walk takes children from 6 years old. The kayak listing gives no minimum age; it calls the trip an activity allowing children to observe animals and says proof of age may be requested.
The helmet walk needs no swimming experience, but you must be comfortable on and in the water. The kayak listing does not say, so ask when you confirm. The glass-bottom boat is the listing here that calls itself friendly for all swimming levels.
The helmet walk includes pickup, with departure from the pier or your hotel. The kayak has no pickup: you meet at Tiahura Public Beach. Of the twelve listings, only the cooking-class cruise names the ferry as a pickup point.
On the helmet walk, yes: the listing says stingrays gather as your guide feeds them. The kayak listing mentions stingrays only as a chance, if you are lucky.
Your options
A Moorea lagoon kayak morning and a helmet walk show the same water from two sides: from above, through a clear hull, and from below, on the sand. Both offer free cancellation, so hold a place now.
Go deeper
Which tours suit a family: ages, boat types and time in the water.
Coral gardenThe coral garden stop: what lives there and how long tours stay.
TurtlesWhere tours look for sea turtles, and what the listings promise.
Rays and sharksThe stop with stingrays and blacktip reef sharks, and which tours include it.
Moorea Shared Boat Tour Whale Swimming and Snorkeling
★ 4.6 · 142 reviews · 3.5 hours