Diving in Mauritius

	The continuous stretch of coral reefs around the island has not only blessed Mauritius with beautiful beaches but also offers a great diving sites. Diving amongst our tropical fishes may be comparable to diving in an open aquarium. Currently there are 23 diving centres in the island, registered with the Mauritius Scuba Diving Association (MSDA).

North

	Starting from Pointe aux Piments in the North West, including the offshore islands of Coin de Mire, Flat Island, Gabriel Island in the North, to Grand Gaube, in the East, diving in the North is possible all year round, as the area is well protected from the prevailing winds. Slight currents thus enable a good visibility and night dives are also possible. Water temperatures are pleasant at 26-30 degrees celsius in summer (October to April) and 19-22 degrees celsius in winter (May to September). Most often, diving is done on rocky outcrops or along the barrier reef. Large fan corals, flat corals and soft corals add to exquisite beauty of the marine life. Shipwrecks have been home to an array of tropical fish including angelfish, batfish, soldier fish and squirrel fish. Large shoals of Blacktongue unicorn fish can also be found in the area. Giant moray eels, turtles, Tiger sharks and White-Tip sharks are quite common as well.

East

	Due to the high winds and rough seas, organised dives are done only in 4 places, along the coastline, at Pointe de Flacq, Palmar, Belle Mare and Trou d'Eau Douce. Dives are very often weather-dependent and during winter, high tides and strong winds in the region may not be the best conditions to dive. Visibility may vary. Shoals of Blueline snappers and Giant Bluefin kingfish and eagle-rays are frequent visitors of the site.

South

	If swimming is not advisable in this part of the island, diving is however an exquisite experience. The marine landscape is absolutely breathtaking and each sweep of your flippers will bring you to an ever-changing landscape. From Mahébourg to Blue Bay, waves have created caves, canyons, crevices and tunnels that make up very interesting diving sites. Diving in this region is heavily weather-dependent and dives beyond the barrier reef are restricted, due to high winds and rough seas. Visibility is often disturbed due to the presence of fine silt, which is continuously discharged by neighbouring rivers. Popular dive sites include Blue Bay, Le Sirius Wreck, Purple Cave, Colorado and Roches Zozo. Striped eels catfish, octopus and tropical fishes - cornetfish, trumpet fish, flutemouths and anemone fishes often weave around plate corals, brain corals, staghorns, and cabbage corals.

West

	Diving conditions are relatively good in the region, with mild currents and satisfactory visibility. Popular dive sites include Japanese Garden, Cliff, Casiers and La Passe. Night dives are highly recommended as pretty Spanish dancers come out in search of food, polyps open and corals take on a magnificent shade. For those of you who have limited time and no access to remote parts of the island, we would recommend you to dive on one of the artificial reefs, which have been created by the Marine Conservation Society at various parts of the island.