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DESTINATIONS » Pacific » Cocos | Galápagos | Cook Islands | Fiji | French Polynesia | Malpelo | Solomon Islands | Tonga

A group of 15 islands in the heart of the South Pacific spread over an area the size of India with a population no bigger than a small New Zealand country town, 14,000 souls. These unique and friendly Polynesians have their own language and government and enjoy a vigorous and diverse culture with significant differences between each island.

The Cook Islands in the South Pacific are still pretty much undiscovered as a diving destination. The year-round warm water with temperatures of between 23ºC and 30ºC, the easy accessibility and the circular shape of the islands of Rarotonga and Aitutaki allow divers to go out in virtually any weather and take advantage of shelter from rough wave action. There is a huge variety of coral and splendid visibility of 100-200ft. There is a wide range of diving sites including caves, wrecks and simple submarine terrain for beginners such as sand rivers.




Favorite dive spots to name but a few are the Ngatangiia Swim-throughs, the Matavera Drop-Off, the Mataora Wreck, the Papua Canyon, the Sand River and the Koromiri Coral Garden. The abundant reef life among 73 types of live coral features hundreds of fish species, a bonanza for underwater photographers. Experts rate the reef drop-off as the highlight for divers off Rarotonga. This begins at about 100ft and plunges down to 12,000ft.




Cook Island Divers/Lagoon Lodges
Cook Islands Dive Shop




The Cook Islands experience little fluctuation in climate and have moderate temperatures and humidity. It does rain, however, with the rainy season beginning in December and running through March. Water temperature varies from a mean of 81°F in December to 78°F during their winter in August. Whale season is September - October. Hurricanes mainly develop from January - March, with the more severe ones hitting only about once every twenty years and lesser ones once every five years.






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Cook Islands

The Cook Islands

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DESTINATIONS » Pacific » Cocos | Galápagos | Cook Islands | Fiji | French Polynesia | Malpelo | Solomon Islands | Tonga