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Papua Drop Off

Papua Drop Off is exactly what it sounds like, but better. You follow a sandy channel out from the reef plateau, a nice warm-up, before the reef just... disappears. We love the feeling of swimming along the edge, watching the reef slope away into the blue. It’s an easy drift, usually, so you can really take your time checking the deeper water for pelagics. This site is probably our favourite spot on Rarotonga for eagle rays. We’ve had incredible encounters here, sometimes a whole squadron of them gliding past, their shadows rippling over the sand. You’ll also find green turtles munching on corals or resting in crevices. Keep an eye out for the small opening to a cavern around 10 metres. It’s a tight squeeze, but a fun little detour if conditions are calm, though we don't usually push it. Visibility is generally excellent, often 25 metres plus, so you get a great sense of the scale of the drop-off. It's a relaxed dive, perfect for beginners, but still offers plenty of excitement for more experienced divers keen on spotting bigger stuff.