Cook Islands Diving & Snorkelling: Rarotonga & Aitutaki

Your first full day of diving on Rarotonga's dramatic reef. A short boat ride brings you to sites where the reef plunges from the shallow lagoon into deep blue water, creating a spectacular seascape of coral canyons, caverns, swim-throughs and drop-offs. In visibility that regularly exceeds thirty metres, you glide among green turtles, whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, moray eels and clouds of colourful fish, on healthy, uncrowded reefs you often have almost to yourself. The friendly local operator tailors the dives to your experience, with two tanks and plenty of time in the water. Between July and October you might even hear the songs of migrating humpback whales underwater. The afternoon is free to relax on the beach or snorkel the calm lagoon, and the day ends with the quiet satisfaction of superb, uncrowded diving in some of the clearest water in the Pacific.

Another day exploring Rarotonga's underwater world, with more two-tank diving on the island's coral canyons and drop-offs, seeking out turtles, reef sharks and the abundant fish life of these pristine reefs. For a change of pace, you might snorkel the protected marine reserve at Titikaveka or Muri, drifting over shallow coral gardens busy with parrotfish and giant clams, ideal for surface-interval relaxation. The local operators' personal, unhurried service means the diving is relaxed and safe, whether you are experienced or still building confidence. As always, there is time to enjoy the beach, the lagoon and the island's easy pace between dives. In the evening, a fresh seafood dinner by the water rounds off another rewarding day beneath the surface, and you rest ahead of tomorrow's flight to Aitutaki and its pristine lagoon and outer reef.

A free day to rest your surface intervals and enjoy Rarotonga above the waterline. You might hike the cross-island trek to the towering Needle and Wigmore's Waterfall, cycle to hidden beaches, browse the market and black-pearl shops of Avarua, or simply relax by the sea and snorkel the calm lagoon. Taking a day off diving is sensible before flying, and Rarotonga's culture and greenery make it a pleasure. On Sundays, a village church service reveals the Cook Islanders' extraordinary harmony singing. As the sun sets, enjoy a relaxed dinner of fresh fish by the water and rest ahead of tomorrow's flight to Aitutaki, where world-class lagoon snorkelling and uncrowded outer-reef diving await in one of the most beautiful settings on earth.

This morning you transfer for the short, scenic flight to Aitutaki, and as the plane banks low over the lagoon, its breathtaking palette of turquoise and jade unfurls beneath you, a preview of the pristine reefs to come. On arrival you are garlanded and transferred to your beachfront retreat opening onto the lagoon. The rest of the day is yours to settle in and sample the world-class snorkelling straight off the beach, drifting over coral gardens alive with giant clams and rainbow fish in bath-warm, crystal-clear water. Aitutaki sees very few divers, so its reefs are in superb condition and the sense of exploring untouched underwater wilderness is profound. As the sun slips into the Pacific in a blaze of colour, you look forward to combining easy lagoon snorkelling with more adventurous outer-reef diving in this most beautiful of settings.

A superb day combining Aitutaki's pristine outer-reef diving with its world-famous lagoon. In the morning you dive the reef beyond the lagoon, exploring healthy hard and soft corals, drop-offs and caves alive with turtles, reef sharks, trevally and Napoleon wrasse in extraordinary visibility, on reefs that see a fraction of the divers of busier destinations. Later, a lagoon cruise glides across the shimmering turquoise water, stopping to snorkel coral gardens and to land on One Foot Island, a tiny deserted islet with a perfect beach where you feast on a barbecue of freshly grilled fish. The contrast between the adventurous outer-reef diving and the blissful lagoon snorkelling captures the very best of Aitutaki, above and below the waterline. It is a day of pristine reefs, dazzling water and barefoot relaxation that ranks among the finest anywhere in the Pacific, and a highlight of the whole diving holiday.

A final full day to enjoy Aitutaki at your own pace. You might fit in a last dive on the outer reef, snorkel the coral straight off your beach, kayak or paddleboard across the mirror-calm lagoon, or take an optional scenic flight over that unforgettable water. Equally, you might do nothing more than relax on the sand, cocktail in hand, watching the endless colours of the lagoon. The warm, clear water and pristine, uncrowded reefs make every swim a pleasure, and the island's gentle pace is deeply restful. As your Cook Islands dive holiday draws to a close, a farewell dinner by the lagoon celebrates the days of superb diving and barefoot relaxation, and you watch one last spectacular sunset over the water, logbook full and thoroughly content.

After a final morning by the lagoon, perhaps a last snorkel over the coral, you are transferred to Aitutaki airport for your flight back to Rarotonga and onward international departure. You leave with a logbook full of memorable dives, turtles, reef sharks and pristine coral in some of the clearest, most uncrowded water in the Pacific, and thoroughly rested from the barefoot island days between. With sand between your toes and the warmth of the islands in your heart, you depart already planning a return to these under-the-radar reefs and their gentle, welcoming island world. Few dive destinations combine such clear, warm water, healthy and uncrowded coral, and genuine island hospitality, and the memories of gliding beside turtles and reef sharks in that brilliant-blue water stay vivid long after you unpack your fins. The Cook Islands reward divers richly, and you leave already wondering when you can return to explore more of their pristine underwater world.