Scuba diving in Mauritius

Our dive schools cater for all levels, helping you learn the basics or guiding you to the very best dive sites. Discover The Cathedral, its sheer drop-off fusing with enormous boulders to create an exciting topography of caves and arches; or explore one of our sunken shipwrecks that have been transformed into artificial reefs. To help you get the most out of your underwater adventures in Mauritius, we’ve caught up with a few local divers and asked them for their favourite spots (as well as offering one or two of our own!)

Located off the west coast of the island near Flic-en-Flac, the Cathedral is (with good reason) one of our most famous and beloved dive spots. Jill Holloway, the Director of Ocean Spirit Diving, told us that it takes just 45 minutes by boat from Pereybere beach to reach the site. “The corals are pristine and varied,” Jill said. “The topography is magnificent with deep drop-offs and arched caverns undercutting the island, and breathtaking walls coated in Sea Fans and hard corals. There’s an abundance of reef species and massive shoals of pelagic fish. It’s one of the few places in the world where several varieties of sharks cruise in the turbulence under the islands.”

A small island facing the north coast of Mauritius, Coin de Mire offers a plethora of beautiful dive spots, including Confetti Bay and the Carpenter Reef, The Wall and Djabeda Wreck. Emma Andrews, the co-owner of Crystal Divers Mauritius, describes Djabeda Wreck as the ‘perfect’ dive site. The wreck itself is a 10 metre-high Japanese fishing vessel which was sunk in 1998. Since then, it’s exploded as an artificial reef and is home to schooling fish, moray eels, octopus and much more. “The wreck is such a thrill to explore because it’s rich in marine life,” Emma told us, adding that the current and surface swell was usually minimal. “There are beautiful soft and hard corals and exciting swim-throughs.”

Home to batfish, barracudas, angelfish, scorpion fish and the elusive and often well-camouflaged frogfish, this former fishing trawler is now a diver’s paradise and one of our favourites. Sunk in 1991, the 38-metre-long trawler is a man-made reef, absolutely teeming with life. The wreck lies at a maximum depth of 40 metres and is located around 2km from Pereybere beach. It’s an ideal site for those doing their first dives on Enriched Air (Nitrox) or for those taking their PADI Wreck Specialty or Deep Specialty Courses.

Located on the north coast of Mauritius, Merville Patches is a great spot for beginners, as well as those practising their navigation skills. Offering a coral garden of easy reef dives and a depth of between 12 and 15 metres, Menon Moorghen, a diving instructor from MyBase Diving, picked it as a diving favourite due to the abundance of wildlife on display. “There’s loads of marine life,” Menon said. “Turtles, rays, stonefish, lionfish, moray eels, ghost pipefish and leaf fish! It’s a nursery, so there are lots of juveniles as well.”

Bertrand from Just Diving recommends Ti Corail. Found in the north of Mauritius, this nice shallow dive site is considered one of the most beautiful reefs around. There’s a plethora of wildlife to be found at Ti Corail, including lionfish, stonefish and moray eel. Bertrand told us that no matter how many times you take the plunge into this site, you’ll always discover something new. “It’s a site that is accessible to all because it is shallow,” Bertrand told us. “And you just have to look into the blue waters to discover eagle rays!”

Towards the north of the island, offering interesting rock formations and with a depth of only 15 metres, Grand Baie Aquarium is the perfect spot for training. Divers will be treated to displays from anthias fish, small morays, torpedo rays, flying scorpion fish, triggerfish and sea angels. Christelle Tocque, the director of Sunset Diving, picked it as one of her favourites. “The corals are alive!” she told us. “There are several varieties of fish, it’s accessible to all levels and the visibility is superb!”

Snake Reef might sound ominous but don’t worry, it gets its name from its shape rather than its occupants! A flat reef located in the middle of a snake-shaped sandbank with a maximum depth of 25 metres, Snake Reef is one of Katharina Dohmann’s favourite spots to dive. Located on the west coast of Mauritius near Flic-en-Flac, Katharina, who is the Director of Sea Urchin Diving Centre, told us that Snake Reef is ‘perfect’ for underwater photography. Home to just about everything from stonefish to scorpionfish, turtles to octopus, you can certainly understand why photographers flock to this diverse dive spot.

Located in the Black River Bay, Silvana is the perfect spot for non-divers, beginners and those with more experience as it starts at a depth of 5 metres and goes down to 18 metres. Jess, the manager of Tamarin Ocean Pro Diving Ltd, explains the appeal of the site. “We can see the green turtles and hawksbill turtles over there,” she said. “They can be seen almost every time we go and sometimes it varies from 5 up to 10 turtles. They are used to people and don’t go away. We even named a few of them! Stone, one of the turtles we named, has been there for more than 5 years!”

If you’ve never been diving before, we can understand that it can be a little bit daunting (as well as exciting)! Rest assured knowing that diving centres in Mauritius are subject to strict safety controls, all governed by the Mauritius Scuba Diving Association (MSDA), ensuring that both you and the marine life that you’re exploring are kept safe. Professional instructors and divers are licensed and form part of the MSDA and quality monitoring is carried out regularly on the equipment that they use.

A decompression chamber is available at the Victoria Hospital in Candos, next to Quatre-Bornes (tel: +230 427 5131) and can be reached via the Divers Alert Network (DAN) at a cost. Divers requiring care are advised to be accompanied by their instructor or dive leader upon admission to the hospital.

A list of approved diving centres is available on the Mauritius Scuba Diving Association page.