One of our best experiences in the Cook Islands was snorkeling with turtles. As budget-conscious travelers, we spotted turtles daily at Muri Beach and didn’t see the need to shell out $150 for a guided tour. However, throughout our three months on the island, we encountered multiple groups of travelers who couldn’t stop talking about their fantastic experience with Ocean Toa.
On our last week on the island, we got serious FOMO and booked a tour with Ocean Toa. Their safety record, engagement with the local community, and passion for environmental conservation made it a no-brainer. There are many turtle tours to choose from, and as a tourist, it’s your responsibility to choose the best one for you and the turtles.
Ocean Toa is one of the more expensive turtle tours. But their pillars of Visitor Safety, Giving Back to the Community, and Conserving the Natural World mean your money is spent in the right place.
Check out this guide on finding the best tour for you, the environment, and the turtles.
Swimming with Ocean Toa Means Swimming Safely
As experienced swimmers who feel confident in the ocean, we debated going out without a turtle guide. While no one would stop us from venturing into Avaavaroa Passage, the current is strong, the water is deep, and the turtles are several hundred meters from shore. Although rare, tourists have drowned when attempting to swim the passage solo.
The staff at Ocean Toa are experienced ocean swimmers. In addition to their combined decades of experience, they are trained in first aid, health and safety, and qualified lifeguards.
The experienced guides at Ocean Toa are no strangers to pulling tourists out of the surf.
They have performed multiple rescues this year, including rescuing stubborn tourists who went out without a guide and tourists who booked the wrong tour.
The day Ocean Toa took us out was gentle. However, I found myself being dragged out to sea on multiple occasions. My guide, Louise, was always right there with her life-saving flotation device, giving me a pep talk, reassuring me that everything was alright, and showing me the easiest way to swim back to shore. Ocean Toa’s strict 2:1 lifeguard-to-guest ratio ensures maximum safety – and the best turtle photos!
Ocean Toa Turtle Tours Give Back to the Cook Islands Community
One of the most potent ways we travel responsibly is by being selective with our selection of tour operators. Choosing a tour operator is voting with your money, and your choice can majorly impact the local community, environment, and wildlife. Selecting a company that teaches local children ocean confidence and allows future generations to enjoy the beautiful lagoon surrounding them safely should be a no-brainer for anyone visiting Rarotonga.
In Jamaica, the beaches are slowly privatized, preventing Jamaicans from enjoying the incredible Caribbean Sea. The high number of luxury resorts popping up along Jamaica’s stunning 795 km of shoreline has reduced the beaches with public access to a mere 7.9 kilometers of beach.
Luckily, the Cook Islands doesn’t have a problem with privatized beaches. They do have an issue with Ocean Education. Locals use the stunning lagoons surrounding the Cook Islands daily for play, splashing in the water, and bathing. But, the passages, with their deep water, strong rip tides, and dangerous currents, are off-limits for many locals.
$10 from every Ocean Toa tour participant goes directly into Ocean Tamariki, a fund that sponsors local schools. Thanks to Ocean Tamariki, school classes go on turtle tours, teaching them to swim, developing a deep bond with the Ocean, and beginning a life-long journey of stewardship for their beautiful island home.
Eco-Friendly Turtle Tours Support Ocean Conservation Efforts
Mana Tiaki is a deep appreciation for the natural world and the abundance freely provided by nature in the tropical paradise surrounding the Cook Islands. Mana Tiaki goes beyond appreciation. It encompasses the guardianship of this natural beauty. It is the responsibility of the older generations to protect the mana, or life force, of the Cook Islands for future generations.
Tourism is on the rise, and the negative effects it has on the natural beauty of the Cook Islands is only beginning. Crowds of tourists swarming over the turtles freely ruin this stunning attraction.
That’s why Ocean Toa has repeatedly lobbied for more regulation of turtle tours. Together with other groups, they’ve established a sustainable turtle tour model framework. Smaller groups, no motorized vehicles in the passage, and no weekend commercial tours are a small fraction of Ocean Toa’s conservation work behind the scenes.
Ocean Toa is, hands-down, the best tour for eco-friendly tourists. In addition to spearheading most turtle tour conservation initiatives on Rarotonga, Ocean Toa sponsors and runs multiple coral nurseries around the Cook Islands, lobbies against the introduction of deep sea mining in the Cook Islands, and removes invasive species popping up in the outer reefs of Rarotonga.
Supporting these fantastic initiatives is why their tours cost more than most others.
Why You Should Book A Turtle Tour
Swimming with the turtles on Rarotonga is a bucket list experience that should not be missed. The short answer to why tourists should swim with a guide is obvious: safety. However, the more I chatted with Louise, one of the owners of Ocean Toa, the more ignorant my original question felt.
As tourists, we have a responsiblity to the places we visit. The principles of Mana Tiaki apply to everyone on our planet. Making responsible choices, choosing ethical tour groups, and reducing our impact on the environment when traveling are all excellent ways to start giving back to our planet.
Are there cheaper tours than Ocean Toa? Yes. But these tour groups often play fast and loose with their guest’s safety, encourage tourists to touch the turtles, take small children into the passage, have inadequate and outdated diving equipment, or bring out large groups. The largest group we saw had over 45 participants – and four lifeguards.
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