some facts about us

Dive Aitutaki

Explore Aitutaki’s underwater world and dive in one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Meet Monty, one of our large local and friendly resident turtles, Frank the Napoleon Wrasse, the school of eagle rays, moray eels, and the beautiful variety of fish living in our reefs…

As the company director, my name Onu translates to “turtle” in English which of course, “turtles know the best diving spots”.
Our family business started back in 2004, where we returned from NZ to Paradise Aitutaki.
With the love of the sea, the peacefulness being out on the ocean, it was what drove me to make a career out of diving and continue my dive education & graduate as an SSI (Scuba Schools International) and PADI (Professional Association on Diving Instructors) Dive Instructor.

My wife Menema manages the dive shop, taking bookings and the retail side, you will also find her baking delicious goodies and firing up the espresso machine ready for our small “Bubbles2Go” café to open in time to greet our friendly customers.

Bubbles Below offers PADI & SSI dive courses for traveler’s that have spare time on their trip to Aitutaki and would like to complete their open water certification. Another primary service we offer is Discover Dives for those who have never tried it before and wish to experience Aitutaki’s underwater world. Please see our DIVE page for more information.

Our line of work not only allows us to show divers Aitutaki’s marine life, but we also continue to be proactively involved in underwater environmental projects, working alongside several local and overseas agencies
(NGO) organisations i.e. (KOTO) Korero O’te Orau, (MMR) Ministry of Marine Resources, (NES) National Environment Services, (NAT GEO) National Geographic and Ocean Living Foundation, on coral monitoring projects and removal of the (COTS) Crown of Thorns Starfish from the reef.

We have worked alongside various world-renowned media production companies and have supported them with assembling equipment and props for scenes in various shooting locations either above or beneath the waters of Aitutaki. This includes the Air New Zealand safety briefing video (Supermodel’s edition), USA’s TV series Survivor Cook Islands, Diver magazine Japan, TV show World Summer Resorts Japan, NZ Fishing Programme -Outdoors with Geoff Thomas, NZ Herald and Tangaroa with Pio, Blueback yard etc. Our most recent highlight and a historical moment for not only Aitutaki but the Cook Islands, was being contracted in December 2019 to receive and bring ashore the Manaatua One Polynesia Submarine Fibre Optic Cable off the cable ship Reconnaissance. (Original cable route runs from NZ/Samoa/USA). Our link is from Samoa/Niue/Cook Islands/French Polynesia. See link https://www.capacitymedia.com/articles/3826021/the-manatua-one-polynesia-cable-now-rfs

If you are a media production company and are interested in filming on Aitutaki, please contact us for assistance!

Whatever your needs may be, we are certain we can make this work for your next trip to Aitutaki.

“Take only Memories, Leave only Bubbles”

meet our team

Menema
Hewett

Company Director/Retail

I love hearing about participants diving experience and mentioning about meeting our big & friendly turtles.

Onu
Hewett

Padi & SSI Dive Instructor #491222/#1626

Its great meeting people from all over the world and from different walks of life, plus showing them Aitutaki’s underwater world. I love...

Happy clients about us

Oh man! Oh man! Diving in Aitutaki is a great experience along with your new dive staff. The toasties are last years things, now its all about your new hot crew workers. Hot temperatures & warm waters is what my family came for, but for me I was excited to come because I heard you have a new hottie in town, although I loved to dive to see your friendly turtles and big fat delicious Napoleon fish…Too bad I don’t eat fish! Its been 3 years diving with you & your dive operation is a must thing to do, not only because of your new attractive hot sexy crew workers, but its because everyone involved in your diving has a great experience. I would keep coming back here yearly because that’s how much I enjoyed diving with you & your hot crew member Polly (30 November 2016).

Jay BodinoSan Clemente, California, USA

Just finished my PADI open water course. Most amazing scenery underwater. I couldn't believe how beautiful the reef was. The visibility was exceptional; the fish were almost as friendly as the dive team. Saw 3 big turtles and many varieties of fish. Thanks to everyone involved, it has been a special time (24 February 2017)

TahiNew Zealand

Really enjoyed my 2 dives on Aitutaki "Frank the Napoleon". WOW. The staff were fantastic thank you (1 June 2016).

Robb AndersonLos Angeles, CA, USA

Awesome time on our first dive. Great staff. We saw huge turtles and touched it. Definitely a highlight of our honeymoon so far! Thanks heaps for the toasties! (4 March 2017)

Iain and Tania WalkerWellington, New Zealand

Bubbles Below is by far the most friendliest and professional scuba diving centre on Aitutaki. Thanks for the diving - but a major thanks goes to the mother and calf humpback whales that we saw. What an absolute privilege it was to see them in their world and not on TV. We also saw fantastic turtles and eagle rays. Cheers for the amazing diving and fun !! (2014)

David & EmmaYorkshire, United Kingdom

Onu and Uta, our hosts make an awesome team. Today was incredible.... great guiding, superb boat support, great surface interval with coconut and groovy music. And what about the whale ! The swarm of graceful eagle rays ! Memories etched in my brain. Thanks guys- you da best !!!! (Helen Kettles - Wellington, New Zealand - 2015)

Helen KettlesWellington, New Zealand

Unbelievable, awesome and indescribable !!!!!!!! Whale, massive turtle, school of eagle rays. Best dives in the Cook Islands, and one of the best dives in my diving career !!! (February 2016)

Rob GeversThe Netherlands