Went 4 years ago -- 44 'cat out of Riataea. Sunsail. Very professional. Briefing very straightforward and while the charts were rudimentary they proved adequate. Sailing guide I think is available on line and very helpful. I don't think any of the available boats had A/C or water makers then -- probably too much maintenance -- may have changed. Taking the boat out the first day getting a feel for the scale of the maps vs the distances travelled was a bit different from our familiar BVI waters but was soon accommodated.
The snorkel on Ta'aha was truly magnificent. 20 feet wide 6 ft deep and 100 yds long -- drift snorkeled it several times -- Titan triggers so aggressive they knocked off your mask if too close. Largest moray's I've seen. Unbelievable fish, corals and multihued clams in abundance. and the pearl shop there had the best tour, best prices and quality.

The trip to Huahina was quite the adventure -- 8-10 foot seas for 7 hours -- but the island was beautiful and the people unforgettable.

The trip to BoraBora a bit shorter but still much more adventurous than sailing the BVI --- but truly magnificent.

The briefing very effectively outlined where to go for fuel, water, provisions on the various islands and I found the info very easy to follow and up to date.

Much more open water sailing than BVI and there is no effective chase-boat system if you go island hopping. I would have been happy just staying within the atoll system comprising Riatea and TaHaa-- That is no more challenging than Sir Francis Drake channel. Otherwise you are sort of on your own to fix most things. But that is sailing.......

We never had a problem finding good holding anchorages following the guides given by Sunsail. You do have to anchor as most mooring balls are private.

That said, my son who holds a 100 ton captains license was with us and helped with navigation and logistics.......Having a little piece of mind aboard might not be a bad thing

One of our most memorable sailing trips.