The West Coast

From the la Pirogue, divers are taken to some 20 sites. Very useful for beginners is Aquarium, a rocky reef area with plenty of angelfish, kingfish and butterfly fish plus lots of wire coral. Watch out for the stonefish. It goes to 15m. This is a site where night dives are conducted for experienced divers.

For some cave diving, try the Cathedral - a huge underwater cave in which lionfish, kingfish and squirrelfish are common. For experienced divers there is Mana - a deep dive of 47m on rock faces. Impressive emperor angelfish, white tipped reef shark and shoals of game fish are present.

A place where one is almost guaranteed sharks, rays and barracuda is Rempart L'Herbe (shark place). It is a deep dive (42-50m), on a pinnacle with steep slopes. Other big fish like wahoo, tuna and large rays usually seen, as are white tipped reef sharks which congregate in this place. Hammerheads too, may be seen.

Rempart Suisse is one of the longest Mauritius reefs with some 30 dive spots, from 12 to 80 meters, all within 15 min from the La Pirogue hotel. The site Canon is a 19th century shipwreck, which lies at 22m.

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  • All sites visited by the Meridien dive centre at Beachcomber Hotel are about 30 minutes by boat from the hotel. And they are all on the seaward side of the barrier reef, where marine life is abundant.

    You can explore sites like Needle Hall, Jim's Place and Anthony, all of which are shallow dives (14-18m). Magnificent corals, swarms of fish like sergeants majors, goldier and surgeonfish. Excellent visibility makes for exceptional conditions for underwater photography.

  • Due to strong currents, these are mainly drift dives with the boat following the divers. There are also a number of sites off popular Grand Bay. Some are nearby, like Tortoise, which is at 13m. Lots of morays, octopus and lionfish are found on these flat reefs. Coral Gardens, which starts at 18m, consists of coral banks between which are sand gullies. Commonly seen are squirrelfish, trumpetfish and goldies. For beginners, a good option is Perrybeer site, tropical reef fish abound as do moray eels.

  • A bit more affected by mass tourism than other regions, the East Coast offers some excellent diving. One of Mauritius' best dives is The Passe where you drift dive through the passes with the current past psychedelic tapestries of coral and reef fishes. It is at 17m. Also popular is Grouper Hill, three pinnacles in a sand area at 25-31m. Plenty of impressive black coral and gorgonians rock cod and kingfish.

  • Mauritius is real a deep sea fishing paradise. You may try your luck at the blue marlin, the black marlin, all types of sharks, the yellow fin tuna , the skipjack tuna the sail fish the wahoo, the barracuda etc. The prime time to catch the big size of blue marlin starts from October to April. One of the world's top fishing spots is found off Le Morne. Here the bottom plunges 700m and the currents attract small fish pursued by huge predators. Marlin, sailfish, barracuda, wahoo, tuna and shark are common.

  • Serious anglers will love the superb deep sea fishing in Mauritius and big game fishing which is available all year around, although the best opportunities are from October to April. The water around Mauritius supports a healthy population of blue and black marlin.Besides black and blue marlins, anglers also catch: Tuna: Shoals of Yellow-fin tuna move in to Mauritian waters in March and April.( 140 to 200 lbs), Wahoo: They are prominent in September.

  • Mauritius will enchant you, will uplift your soul, making you feel that you belong to the chosen few. Every visitor enjoys personal attention. Every encounter is an opportunity to discover a friendly face. Behind each smile lies the promise of a unique holiday. The contrast of a multitude of colours and tastes, the island, set in its turquoise sea, is an oasis of peace and tranquillity. Mauritius, a melting pot where past and present are smoothly blended together, offers an essential beauty that will compel to return to its shores time and time again.

  • Diving - Mauritius Dive Sites
    The reefs of Mauritius offer excellent opportunities for scuba diving and snorkelling enthusiasts with warm, crystal clear water, calm seas and varied marine life. The 205-mile (330-km) coastline of Mauritius is almost completely surrounded by coral reef, making this an excellent destination for snorkelling and scuba diving. You can dive on the colourful coral reef and over 50 wrecks which harbor a great variety of sea life.