Premium Sea Scooter Turtle Adventure
5
LIKELY TO SELL OUT*

Premium Sea Scooter Turtle Adventure

By Ariki Adventures
Recommended by 96% of travellers
96% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 7-70, max of 12 per group
Duration: 2h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More


  • Equipment (Sea Scooter, Mask, Snorkel and Fins)
  • Professional guides
What's not included
  • Wetsuit Hire


Start:
  • Rarotonga Island Villas 2, P6M9+V9C, Takitumu District, Cook Islands
    Meeting location is on the south coast close to Avaavaroa Passage. Look for the Ariki Adventures signs with car parking on the inland side and you walk across the road to the beach where our crew will be waiting. Look for the yellow Can Am Defender vehicle and trailer.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 65454P1

    • We schedule our adventure timetable 5 days in advance to allow for the changing weather conditions here in Rarotonga.
    • You MUST contact Ariki Adventures at least 5 days in advance to your preferred tour date to ensure your tour time and starting location.
    • Most travellers can participate
    • This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travellers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 65454P1

    From
    $189.93
    per adult
    Select date and travellers

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    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Ariki Adventures
      493
      Rarotonga, Cook Islands
      Joined in November 2015
    • raerobertsnz
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Excellent Turtle tour, even for a nervous Nelly like me
      Excellent tour, especially as I was very nervous to do this tour. Hubby is an experienced snorkeller but the sea scooter was a new experience for us both. The safety of the group is paramount, so the safety checks and explanations of how the sea scooters work was well presented. Having a lead guide, back safety guide, photograher, paddleboard and boat watching and guiding the group, made me feel safe at all times. We saw loads of turtles, even the oldest one chilling on the bottom. She then came up towards the surface to take a few breaths and then swam off again. The guides saw some eagle rays and dived down to take some photos for the group. There is a good variety of reef fish to see as well. Well worth the cost for the peace of mind given to me
      Written 11 February 2025
    • Camper51890477287
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Sea
      Such an awesome experience, the team were very professional and helpful. Even if you’re not a super confident swimmer in the ocean the sea scooters made it so easy to move around. Would highly recommend going!
      Written 17 December 2024
    • 493kymc
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      First Time Swimming With Turtles
      This was amazing, what a great experience. Staff were brilliant, the scooters make it a breeze with the current (I want one), they are very easy to use. There were lots of turtles. I really love that this is such a wonderful thing to do but, the staff teach respect for the turtles as it is their home and they deserve to be safe from unwanted human interaction - no touching. You still get so close, especially when they just pop up right beside you. I downloaded the app suggested in the email when booking was confirmed - at the end of the experience staff put the photos of us onto my phone, it was so easy. Will definitely do this again and recommend this company.
      Written 30 November 2024
    • Explore32861157285
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fabulous experience!
      Had a fabulous experience yesterday with the Ariki crew! I’m not a confident swimmer and my son freaked out a bit but we both had an amazing experience. They looked after us, we’re very focused on our safety and both of us had a great time. Highly recommend this company! They also provided really great photos!
      Written 6 October 2024
    • Drew E
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      BEST SNORKEL EVER 😍
      Loved every second out on the water!! The guides are so knowledgeable and able to help with anything and any concerns you have. We saw heaps of different kinds of fish, a couple turtles and even a whale on the surface!! Was an awesome day and highly recommend this tour :))) was a highlight for us!
      Written 17 September 2024
    • Manfred H
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fun times
      A fun 4 hrs trip from 11am to 3pm. Pickup and return service from/to hotel for some extra 11NZD available. Includes snorkel equipment, lunch, show and extra time to swim. All well organised and professional. Fun and friendly guides. Go for it.
      Written 24 July 2024
    • barbonice
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      World class tour!
      My 13 yo and i did the ship wreck scooter tour. We LOVED it. Maddie and her crew were professional and super personable. We did other tours on the island- but this was our fave. Scooters were FUN and we got to see turtles and other wildlife. Just blatting through the deep waters (with their safe guidance) was awesome- and great value for money. Just nominated them for the Raro people’s choice award. Thanks Maddie- we loved it💕
      Written 16 July 2024
    • Carolyn B
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      Small outfit
      Totally lacking in duty of care. The weather was very choppy and I informed them several times that my father is NINETY TWO!!! Did not exercise duty of care and say that it was not appropriate for him. Dads skin tore when they were putting him in a soft bottomed dinghy. Then they zoomed over coral atolls where dads bones could have been broken. We didnt know we were entering from the beach or using rubber dinghies.
      Written 30 June 2024
    • JessicaF5194
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Shipwreck Snorkel - highly recommend
      We did the shipwreck tour and it was awesome. Really nice staff made it super easy and fun. The kids loved it. It was super easy and simple to use the Scooters. Best adventure on the Island yet. We have a special kid and the staff were amazing and they just got alongside him.
      Written 22 April 2024
    • Discover34840004273
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing
      This was truly an amazing experience. I only wished the current had been better. The team was amazing. The girls were so very helpful to us. The turtles that swam up to me and touch me with their fins were just fantastic. We are so happy that we chose this tour!! Thank you
      Written 16 December 2023
    • B2455LYgiorgiom
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      They don't keep their promises
      I booked the excursion, no problem with overseas transaction. Then, not being able to participate, I canceled within the terms indicated on the site. After 3 months, I never received the refund. So they don't keep what they promise, they are not serious. Perhaps there may have been problems with the refund via international bank transfer, but when I paid there were no/any problem ....
      Written 28 November 2023
    • 6SteveS
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Memorable - not to be missed
      We took the anti-clockwise bus to the snorkel drop-off stop, where we were soon met by Mets and Maddie, two of Ariki’s very pleasant and competent tour guides who explained the basics of swimming with a scooter in the fast-flowing channel to the deeper part of the reef. They carefully described their safety procedures, and outfitted us with good quality masks, snorkels, and flippers. We went into the deeper channel with a 10-adult group of young and middle aged folk, with one guide leading, the other bringing up the rear. Our little scooters, the very latest, dragged us along easily through the current flowing by the coral drop-off. We saw several turtles, including a 90 year old-timer and plenty of colourful fish. One particularly good thing about the tour was that our guides kept us together, never letting us become separated. The scooters gave us extra oomph to skim along with ease and made it a thrilling experience, particularly for people who have snorkelled before. A personal view: I don't think this is appropriate for young children, the elderly or the faint-hearted.
      Written 22 November 2023
    • endined
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Expectations exceeded!
      Absolutely amazing and safe. Guides were on point and the turtles (kaitiaki) breathtaking. Loved the time in their whare!! Definitely recommend 100%. Meitaki mata!
      Written 11 November 2023
    • Vacation68349072547
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      Bad!!
      Poor customer service. Had to wait 2 weeks for refund after cancelation with no response to emails or apology. I also think they allow people to get too close to the turtles. This makes me very sad for the turtles. 😒
      Written 27 October 2023
    • cfathena
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Generally as expected
      This tour was definitely more positive than negative. Most of my group were doing the scooter tour, but I was doing the snorkeling tour only which netted me a private guide so that was a win. The water was clear enough and I saw fish, at least a dozen turtles, rays and even an eel. So that was all good fun. The guide picked up a sea cucumber and a starfish for me to check out. The reason I’m knocking a star off was that the guide spent a lot of time bad mouthing the other companies, and I’m not sure if it was a language barrier, or just disinterest, but sort of dodging my questions about the environment and the things I was seeing. Once on shore he quickly turned his attention to the next group without so much is a good bye or Thank you. also, all of the scooter people seem to be having their picture taken for purchase, but I never did.
      Written 24 October 2023
    See all 493 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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    5.0
    5.0 of 5 bubbles253 reviews
    Excellent
    231
    Very good
    13
    Average
    3
    Poor
    4
    Terrible
    2

    These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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    12gosurfing
    Newport Beach, CA13 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Oct 2024 • Couples
    The staff and owner were absolutely wonderful . Very attentive to everyone's different needs making sure everyone was safe and comfortable. Unfortunately we had pretty heavy winds that day and a few from the group were not comfortable in the rough sea. Water was a bit murky but obviously not the fault of Ariki. The sea scooters are a must with this type of dive and strong current. I always felt safe with the crew watching everyone . You will definitely see turtles and swim up close. Eagle rays were also spotted down deep. Fantastic adventure, recommend practicing your snorkel abilities prior to this dive ,may be a bit much for absolute beginners and weak swimmers.
    Written 25 October 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Kia Orana, Thank you for an informative review. Sharing your experience with our team is always helpful for others. Safe travels home hope to see you again soon. Meitaki
    Written 27 October 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Amalie G
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Oct 2024 • Family
    Taji and Christian were absolutely amazing. Ariki focuses on safety in the water whilst simultaneously ensuring that your dive leaves you feeling humble and so privileged to have have experienced seeing such majestic animals up close. Taji and Christian were incredibly knowledgeable and professional whilst simultaneously being warm and embracing the team. We had the most breath-taking experience and will most definitely do the dive again when in the Cook Islands and without hesitation recommend Ariki Adventures to anyone wanting to swim up close with the turtles. Taji was so absolutely lovely and so accommodating. Christian and Taji went above and beyond what we would expect from representatives of an adventure company. Ariki is very lucky to have such wonderful people on the front line. we have recommended Ariki to four different couples in the space of a week and will continue to do so going forward!
    Written 10 November 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Folkert V
    Amsterdam, The Netherlands11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Saw at least 6 large turtles and a group of rays on the bottom. Location can be reached from the beach. There is an inlet in the reef where the depth is about 25 meters. That's where the turtles and large rays stay. There is a current and then the water scooter is super handy. Very good guidance! Groups of 6 tourists with 1 guide and two others to watch you and an extra person in a boat to watch you. First time working with these underwater scooters. Very simple actually. We had chosen to wear life jackets so that we did not waste much energy with corrective swimming. We are good swimmers but were lazy. The disadvantage is that you cannot dive with a life jacket.
    Be sure to download the app in advance!! You will receive all the photos immediately after the tour.
    Google
    Written 22 May 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Courtney Whitehouse
    Auckland, New Zealand13 contributions
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    Sept 2024 • Couples
    This was easily a 4 star review before the last 5 minutes of our experience.
    The tour itself was good - the gear was good, the tour guides were nice, funny and informative, the snorkeling was fantastic, the sea scooters were super cool (highly recommend!), and the timing was good - not too long and not too short, just enough to enjoy it.
    The thing that soured our experience was a lady working for (owns?) Ariki Adventures (she came over when we first arrived to welcome us on the tour and was on the phone talking to someone and mentioned that she manages Ariki Adventures). Near the end of our tour, we saw my husbands parents (my in-laws) walking on the beach after their snorkel in the same area of the ocean. We were talking about how beautiful the ocean was here, how cool it is to be able to go snorkeling, and how lovely Rarotonga is to visit. Upon walking up to look at the photos Ariki had taken of us, the lady from Ariki comes up to us and starts aggressively speaking to my in-laws about snorkeling in the channel/this area of the ocean. My in-laws were very obviously shocked and asked what they had done wrong. They were told that they were not allowed to swim in this area of the ocean. They asked was it a private beach owned by Ariki and they were told no it is not a private beach at all, and they asked if somehow Ariki owned a certain part of the ocean, and they were also advised no they did not, so they asked why are they not allowed to swim here? Ariki Adventures then explained that it is to "protect their business"... well, that made my husband and I really wish we had of taken our paying custom elsewhere. This was extremely dominating, intimidating and possessive behaviour, that we do not support - and we do not recommend others supporting a business like this.
    If this area was owned by or protected for tourist businesses only, they absolutely would not have been there without paying to enter the area or swim in that section of the ocean.
    As paying customers this interaction made us feel so uncomfortable that we left straight away, we did not stop to look at the photos taken of us with the turtles.
    After having such a lovely experience with Ariki Adventures, this tarnished the feeling of the business to us. It made us feel very unwelcome in Rarotonga to see a local business owner treat visitors this way.
    Written 23 September 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Kia Orana Courtney, Thank you for taking the time to do a review. So happy you had a great experience with our beautiful turtles and our Ariki team. Safe travels home Meitaki
    Written 24 September 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Maz
    Wellington, New Zealand6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2023 • Couples
    Was an amazing experience and as a special gift for my husband’s special milestone birthday it didn’t disappoint. Saw lots of turtles up close and an huge amount of eagle rays in the distance. The sea scooters were great fun but also a real help in the fast flowing current of the channel. The staff from Ariki were all really professional, clearly accomplished in the water, great at pointing out sealife and they took safety and reef /sealife welfare really seriously, which was important to us - we were out at the same time as another company (not sure which) and to be honest seeing them made me really pleased I’d picked Ariki - it was worth every cent for the experience itself but also how safe we felt (detailed briefing, the guides, and the safety boat) and the respect shown to the marine environment…also make sure you grab a coffee at the Flying Turtle cafe if you go there to book, was the best we had.
    Written 14 November 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Kia Orana, thank you for taking the time to give us such an amazing review for our team. We all appreciate each and everyone that comes on our tours and has an amazing experience to go home with. We are looking forward to seeing you all again soon. Take care :)
    Written 20 November 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Iwishtotravelmore
    Christchurch, New Zealand40 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Oct 2024 • Family
    Ariki Adventures did a superb job and I would thoroughly recommend the sea scooter experience. Had an amazing time. It was exactly as they described and we saw turtles and rays which was fabulous. It was fun using the scooters too. They supply the snorkel gear, flippers and scooters and most importantly - expertise!.
    After our safety instruction we walked out to the shallow water and got our scooters and then went out further - in some parts the water was over 25m deep. They offered life jackets for those who wanted them. However you still need to be confident in deep water and in snorkeling. I was thinking it was a high price considering we could just snorkel from our hotel but this is different - the deep water, turtles and rays and the strong ocean current means you need the guides and we saw things we do not see in the normal snorkeling round the island.
    The number of guides to people was superb - safety was excellent. When someone needed support they were there immediately - they had guides in the water, on kayaks and in the bigger boat and were ready to help. And they were so sweet and kind about it all - they could not have been nicer. All the staff were great - special thanks to Christiano and his team who helped our group.
    They also took amazing photos of us with the turtles etc for us to download - no extra cost - brilliant. There is a cafe onsite which does nice smoothies after which in the heat is great. Wear rash tops etc - we did get burnt - but it was worth it. Do this!
    Written 22 October 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Kia Orana, Thank you for a very informative and helpful review for Ariki Adventures. I will pass on your gratitude to Christian who along with all the team do an amazing job of keeping everyone safe and making sure you all have the best experience. Safe travels hopefully we will see you again some day. Meitaki.
    Written 27 October 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Sarah P
    Wellington, New Zealand11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dec 2022
    An amazing experience to swim with turtles
    The sea scooters were very needed as you shoot through the water, alot of fun. the guides keep you so safe and you do a mini test at the beginning so you know your way around it.
    We came on a rainy day but you're going to get soaked anyway, please note there was nowhere to put your bags - luckily we had a rental car, so the rest of the group put their bags in the back seat
    We wouldnt recommend this tour if you can't swim or snorkel, you need to be confident in the water as you go out pretty far but its a question they ask you when you book so no lying! there was one lady who wasn't as confident and she ended up getting a life jacket and was connected to the guide which was completely fine
    Afterwards you get some fresh paw paw and watermelon which was much needed as you may be accidently swallowing salt water and the baby shower that is put on the snorkel for anti-fog purposes (a game changer!)
    Written 26 December 2022
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Meitaki for the review Sarah. We look forward to hosting you again soon.
    Written 28 December 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Paul B
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2025 • Family
    Myself my brother and sister In law had the most wonderful experience of our lives. The crew were outstanding in their presentations and safety was at the forefront of our experience. Sea scooters were pretty easy once you had a go of them. Once out in the passage you just get lost in your own world and the turtles were so majestic and beautiful to behold. Our instructor took us to each turtle and photos were taken without us knowing. Was a once in a lifetime experience and one I will definitely be booking on my next trip to Rarotonga.
    Thanks again to the Ariki Team and Ka Kite.
    Written 4 January 2025
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Jessie W
    Sydney, Australia22 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Firstly, Jane was excellent and communicative when weather wasn’t the best and kept us in the loop when moving dates around.
    The sea scooter turtle adventure was excellent! Christian and the whole team had an eager eye and quickly pointed out any sea life we weren’t seeing.
    The scooters were zippy and helped navigate the rips/tide.
    It was so good, we were in awe and wished we had more time! Loved it, would highly recommend!
    Written 4 September 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Kia orana thank you for a wonderful review of your beautiful experience with our Ariki team and our amazing turtles and sea life. Safe travels look forward to seeing you again soon:)
    Written 18 September 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Coastal49941365882
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2023 • Solo
    I wandered in off the street deciding to book an adventure. The amazing team on the reception desk got me sorted for soon to be the best experience of my life!
    I've always wanted to see a turtle in it's own environment, just chilling out. I lost count of how many I saw doing just that, it was amazing!
    The team in the water were so friendly and taught us heaps about the environment, the turtles and their quirks.
    Being a smaller group, I felt so safe the whole time with paddle boards and a boat. I really felt like the turtles were more relaxed with less of us around too.
    The photographer made sure everyone had a photo opportunity, I was a little nervous I'd have to go completely under, but nope, he got awesome photos!
    Also, you must test out the sea scooter at 3rd speed. It's the best feeling!
    Written 31 March 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Meitaki! Thank you for your wonderful review. We are so happy to hear that you had the best time. We hope to see you again soon!
    Written 3 April 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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    *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

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