Ariki Adventures Sea Scooter Turtle Safari review – Rarotonga activities
This incredible Cook Island experience will have you stunned with awe at just how many turtles you can swim with in the wild in Rarotonga!
Swim with the turtles in Rarotonga
We were invited to visit the Cook Islands with Jetstar Australia!
This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!
We were very lucky to be invited along on the very first Jetstar Australia flight out of Sydney to the Cook Islands – a brand new Australian holiday destination route exclusive to Jetstar airlines!
During our stay in the Cook Islands we were given the opportunity to take part in an exciting island activity – swimming with turtles using sea scooters!
Can I swim with the turtles in the Cook Islands?
The girls and I absolutely loved swimming with the turtles in Rarotonga with Ariki Adventures
Yes you can. Swimming with the turtles is an amazing activity you can enjoy in the Cook Islands.
My teenage daughters and I joined an Ariki Adventures Sea Scooter Turtle Safari in Rarotonga and were thrilled to experience swimming with many turtles in the Rarotonga lagoon.
Watch our Ariki Adventures Turtle Safari YouTube video here.
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How do sea scooters work?
Sea scooters are a water propelling hand-held aquatic machine that is easily manoeuvrable through the water. They are controlled by a simple press button system. Although you do need to be able to swim, the sea scooters do most of the work. There’s very little swimming required when using the sea scooters. For the most part, you just need to steer and kick your flippers.
Ariki Adventures use motorised sea scooters to help you swim out into the Rarotonga lagoon more easily to reach the Rarotonga turtles. You are also able to view other Cook Islands sea life you may not have been able to reach otherwise.
Is swimming with the turtles safe?
Yes, Ariki Adventures run a responsible and safe attraction. This is a fully guided activity with backup staff in boats in case there are any issues with gear, etc. There’s a safety briefing and short sea scooter orientation before you start. You are also given the option to wear a life jacket.
Although you do venture into deep water within the lagoon during the tour, you don’t go into the open sea so it doesn’t feel scary at all. The sea scooter makes it really easy to cover a much larger area than you could if you were swimming, plus it helps to keep you afloat. I’m not a hugely strong swimmer, but I really enjoyed using the sea scooters to get around. They make covering distances between the shore and the turtle area of the lagoon easy. I didn’t get tired at all!
Sea scooters can make getting out to the deeper water much easier than swimming
Before you know it you find yourself motoring out to the “Turtle Cafe”, a local nickname for an area within the Rarotonga lagoon absolutely full of beautiful turtles.
Where can you swim with turtles?
At the turtle cafe we found ourselves surrounded by lots of regularly swimming and surfacing turtles! More than once I was surprised to find a turtle surfacing right beside me! I had to move aside, as there is a no-touching the turtles rule.
At the turtle cafe we met Black Beauty, the largest local turtle – and there’s even one turtle that likes to sleep on its back down on the coral!
Learn more and book your own Ariki swimming with turtles experience on Tripadvisor here
Where can you stay in Raratonga?
There is a huge range of island accommodation for all budgets in the Cook Islands. You can read about our Rarotonga beach resort Edgewater Resort and Spa stay in our resort review here or check for the best Edgewater Resort rates on Tripadvisor here
Which is the best airline to fly to the Cook Islands from Australia?
We were invited to fly with Jetstar Australia to fly from Australia to the Cook Islands See Jetstar Australia’s cheap Cook Island flights here
Jetstar Australia offer cheap fares to the Cook Islands three times a week – check their website for their low Cook Island fares and frequent sales.
You may also enjoy reading our Cook Islands holiday planning feature here and our An Australian’s essential holiday guide to the Cook Islands here.
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Do you have any questions about flying to the Cook Islands for your next vacation? Ask me in the comments below!
The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Jetstar Australia and Cook Islands Tourism for this trip to the Cook Islands, including our Ariki Adventures Sea Scooter Turtle Safari. As always, all opinions remain firmly our own.
This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!
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Ariki Adventures Sea Scooter Turtle Safari review
