Diving in Mauritius is spectacular, environmentally friendly, comfortable and safe. There are diving spots in Mauritius for professionals and for those who have never tried scuba diving. Beginners dive in the picturesque lagoons with coastal coral reefs, while their more experienced comrades join diving tours to sunk wrecks, sharks and sea turtles. Those who are especially lucky may see huge drifting whales, which often sail to the shores of Mauritius.
You can book diving tour to East coast of Mauritius here.
Diving in Mauritius is a unique adventure for travelers with kids, honeymooners and youth companies. White sand, clear turquoise water, comfortable ocean temperature, a variety of inhabitants of living in coral reefs – this is what you can expect from scuba diving in Mauritius island.
Here is the list of best dive sites in Mauritius to check for beginners and advanced divers as well; we’ve tried to mention the most popular spots for scuba diving in each part of the island.
Best Diving Spots in Mauritius
Mauritius is a great place to dive no matter what your level of experience is: from advanced divers to those who want to scuba dive into the ocean waters for the first time. Below, we’ve tried to collect the best diving spots in Mauritius and split them according to the part of the island they’re located in.
Dive Sites in the North of Mauritius
Northern Mauritius has excellent conditions for scuba diving: there are no rivers and strong current so underwater visibility is great all year round. The height of the reefs is from 8 to 40 meters. In the north, you can go diving with sharks, look at sunken ships (depth from 16 to 40 meters), meet turtles and watch huge shoals of fish and other marine life, and also incredibly beautiful corals.
The chances are high to meet tubular fish, scorpion fish, unidentified species of shrimp and lobster. If you are into macro photography, then the north of Mauritius is a real paradise for you.
Many dive tours starts from Grand Baie area, where you can also find many dive schools. From the north you can reach Round Island, Flat Island and Ile Gabriel. Another picturesque location is Coin de Mire, also known as Gunners Quoin or Gunners Point. Here you can meet a large parrot fish, as well as see several underwater rocks: whale rock, where the hammerhead shark lives, and Holt rocks. This is one of kitesuring spots in Mauritius with several school located along the coastline.
Trou aux Biches is another starting point for diving in the northern part of Mauritius. It’s a nice dive spot for those who enjoy wreck diving. One of the popular dive spots is Stella Maru wreck, which lies at a depth of 17 meters. Divers are attracted by clear waters, good visibility and abundance of marine creatures you can meet.
List of dive sites within Grand Baie and Trou aux Biches
- Grand Baie Aquarium (10 – 18 m)
- Whale Rock
- Stella Maru
- Pigeon’s Rock
- Wrecks “Water Lily” “Emily”
- Holt’s Rock
- Le Mur
- Caravelle
Dive sites in the south of Mauritius
Even though the best diving spots in Mauritius are in the north and the east of the island, it will be unfair to ignore the sites located in the south. You can start your exploration from dive locations near Le Morne peninsula. There is an artificial reef in this area, created from the sunk wreck Hoi Siong. It will be a bright experience for both, beginners and advanced divers. Diving spot of St. Jacques in Le Morne area is for adrenaline-seekers, bull sharks and barracudas are the frequent guests there.
If you are just starting your diving journey, then come to Blue Bay Marine Park in the southeast of the island. There are no strong undercurrents and dangerous reefs underwater, so the location is ideal for beginners. There are also great conditions for snorkeling in Blue Bay marine park. In about 10 minutes by boat you can reach Ile des Deux Cocos – private island with excellent conditions for advanced divers.
List of diving spots in Le Morne, Bel Ombre and Blue Bay
- Japanese Garden
- Needle Hole
- Casiers
- Passe St. Jacques
- Ile aux Benitiers
- Roche Zozo
- Lobster Cave
- Colorado
Diving spots in the west of Mauritius
Strong currents pass through volcanic basalt rock formations with canyons, caves and pipes in the west of Mauritius. The height of the reefs in this place is from 15 to 46 meters. Divers can watch huge schools of stingrays, sometimes meet sharks and dolphins. There are few corals in the west due to the basalt rocks on the ocean floor. If you’re looking for something a little more exciting, then choose wreck diving tours, deep pass diving, and underwater current diving (for experienced divers only).
Underwater visibility is the best in winter. In summer it falls due to the rainy season, but at this time a large number of hunting fish swim to the west of Mauritius.
There are enough diving spots to explore close to Flic en Flac. One of the most popular places for divers is the Cathedral. It is located near Flic-en-Flac and without exaggeration this Mauritius dive site is well-known all over the world. The landscape in this location is just surreal, plenty of caves and holes with the abundance of marine life.
Snake Reef can be another dive spot to try out in the area. The name doesn’t mean that you’ll see sea snakes around, so you can relax, the form of the reef is snake-like. This diving spot in Mauritius can be explored by beginners as well as intermediate level divers.
Another sunk ship that became an artificial coral with many marine creatures that live there – Kai Sei 113 Wreck. Available for exploration only for advanced level divers, with the maximum depth of 40 meters.
Dive Sites in the east of Mauritius
A beautiful lagoon stretches along the entire east coast of Mauritius. It has many reef passages, so getting to open waters is very easy. The corals in the east are large and the deep ravines are filled with a variety of marine life. These areas are rich in plankton and attract a wide variety of rays, game fish and invertebrates.
Beginners as well as more experienced divers can start exploration from one of the very interesting diving spots in Belle Mare area – Coral Garden. As you might guess from its name there are many different types of corals, like hard, soft and rare corals. Together with schools of bright tropical fish you can meet turtles, stingrays and eels in this spot.
Aquarium diving spot in Belle Mare is just a place for relaxed diving. It can be a great place for those who dive for the first time and not yet so demanding. You’ll see clownfish, parrotfish and octopuses.
