Scuba Diving in Mauritius

Do you want to go diving in Mauritius during your holidays?

Great idea!

Scuba diving is one of the top activities to do on the island and there are many diving centers all along the coast.

The island and its rich marine ecosystem populated by rare and endemic species promises to amaze you.

Whether you are a seasoned diver or want to do your first dive in Mauritius, you will be able to enjoy an ideal experience in warm and translucent waters!

To help you choose the best place to dive in Mauritius and organize your underwater exploration session , I have prepared this comprehensive article that will answer all your questions:

What are the best diving spots in Mauritius?
What to see in the Mauritian seabed?
When is the best time to dive in Mauritius?
What are the best diving clubs in Mauritius?
And many more!

Do not miss the interactive map that allows you to view and locate all the dive centers in Mauritius at a glance .

So, ready to explore the Mauritian seabed?

Let’s go!

Where to dive in Mauritius?

No matter where you are staying in Mauritius, you will necessarily find a place to dive nearby.

The island is surrounded by an ocean rich in flora and fauna and the seabed is truly magnificent to explore.

The underwater landscapes of Mauritius are composed of caves, canyons, passes, faults and even wrecks .

The marine territory of Mauritius is full of hundreds of different dive sites, along the coasts of the main island but also near the small islets that surround it.

You can discover a wide variety of animals, corals and aquatic plants that are still well preserved.

By diving in Mauritius you will also benefit from excellent underwater visibility , up to 20m or even 50m in some places!

Difficult to be able to list all the sites where to dive in Mauritius. Below I still give you the list of the most essential spots, which you really must not miss if you plan to dive in Mauritius.

The best diving spots in Mauritius

If you are wondering where to see fish in Mauritius and where to have the best diving experience, here are the dive sites I recommend.

Scuba diving in Blue Bay (Southeast)

Diving in Blue Bay in the South East of Mauritius is paradise for lovers of aquatic fauna.

The Blue Bay Marine Park is richly populated: corals, reefs teeming with life and a multitude of colorful fish await you there. It is not necessary to go very far from the coast to be able to observe them.

The water at Blue Bay is crystal clear and offers great visibility.

It is really one of the most preserved dive sites in the country, and I really recommend this place if you want to do your first dive in Mauritius!

The Blue Bay Diving Center offers introductory diving sessions in the Blue Bay Marine Park for beginners. You can already reserve your place by clicking here.

diving site in Mauritius — Diving in Mauritius

Diving in Grand Bay (North)

Among the best diving spots in Mauritius, Grand Baie is also one of the must-sees.

In the very north of the country, this very touristy seaside resort is renowned for its shallow diving sites populated by multicolored fish.

And if you’re wondering where to swim with turtles in Mauritius, it’s here in the north that you’re most likely to see them.

Around Grand Bay there are magnificent diving spots, both in the lagoon and further out on the high seas. The site around the Coin de Mire islet is one of the most beautiful to explore.

From Grand Bay you can also explore wrecks that have become artificial reefs, such as those of the Star Hope or the Water Lily.

Tips for you Mauritius Itinerary

For a discovery dive in Mauritius that you are not ready to forget, I recommend the Sunset Diving dive center that I was able to test and which is really great!

You will be able to learn to dive with a super friendly team , in breathtakingly beautiful underwater sites and in impeccable safety conditions.

Book your first dive in Grand Baie with Sunset Diving directly by clicking here.

And for experienced divers who want to explore more deeply the most beautiful dive sites in the North of Mauritius, Sunset Diving also offers diving sessions in more than 30 different sites, from only 47€/person!

To find out more and book, just click here.

Diving in Mauritius in Flic-en-Flac (West)

If you are looking for an easily accessible diving spot in Mauritius , where you can meet a wide variety of fish in optimal conditions, you will find what you are looking for in Flic-en-Flac!

Flic-en-Flac is the essential seaside resort on the west coast, where a large number of diving centers are concentrated .

The underwater environment in this area is full of landforms, with caverns , canyons and arches rich in corals. Most of the dives are done beyond the coral reef about 15min by boat from the coast.

Tips for you Mauritius Itinerary

The dive site called “the Aquarium” located off Flic-en-Flac is one of the liveliest and most beautiful on the whole island! You can meet groupers, butterflyfish, mullets, scorpionfish, stonefish and even moray eels!

diving in Mauritius — The Rascasse, one of the fish that inhabit the waters of Mauritius

On the west coast, you can also choose to dive from Tamarin Bay, another spot rich in corals, reef fish, rays and sea turtles. It is even common to come across dolphins and whales!

I particularly recommend the Tamarin Oceanpro Diving center , which offers initiation and exploration sessions in various spots between Flic-en-Flac and Ile aux Bénitiers:

To book your half-day exploration dive, click here.
To do your first dive in Tamarin Bay, it’s this way.

Scuba diving in Bellemare (east coast)

Another iconic dive site in Mauritius: the East Coast!

You can discover the Belle mare pass which includes 5 dive sites and is home to abundant aquatic fauna.

On this side of the island, it is also possible to visit underwater wrecks, today transformed into fascinating marine ecosystems.

If you want to discover diving in Bellemare, I advise you to do your first dive with the Blue World Explorer Adventures center .

Supervised by an expert PADI instructor, you will be introduced to scuba diving in one of the most beautiful diving sites in Mauritius.

To find out more and book your first dive in Bellemare, just click here.

diving spot in Mauritius — A wide variety of fish to observe while diving in Mauritius

Dive centers in Mauritius

To help you find the ideal dive center according to your itinerary in Mauritius, you can use this fun map which allows you to view at a glance the location of the main dive centers in Mauritius. ‘island:

Diving in Mauritius: the different options

Make your diving baptism in Mauritius

If you have never dived before, your holidays in Mauritius are a great opportunity to learn about this practice in optimal conditions.

What could be better than taking advantage of the warm, translucent waters of the Indian Ocean populated by multicolored fish to do your first dive?

Your baptism of diving in Mauritius can be done in different places according to your itinerary and your preferences: in Grand Bay in the North, in Tamarin or Flic-en-Flac in the West, in Bellemare in the East or even at Blue Bay in the South, as mentioned in the previous paragraph

I give you the links for each dive site below, you just have to click on it to have all the details and book your scuba diving baptism:

Baptism in the Blue Bay marine park: the best in my opinion, there are so many fish!
Learn to dive on the shore of Grand Baie, with the super team of the Sunset Diving Center
Learn to dive in Tamarin Bay, where it is not uncommon to come across marine mammals!
First dive Mauritius in Bellemare, one of the most beautiful dive sites on the island!

Exploration Diving in Mauritius

Do you already have scuba diving experience?

Then you can plan an exploration dive during your stay in Mauritius.

Most dive centers in Mauritius are linked to PADI certification and offer sessions adapted to different levels.

If you have level 1, for example , you can dive in Mauritius up to 18m deep alongside an instructor.

The center will offer you different sites to explore: reefs, canyons, wrecks or even shark pits! (Yes yes!).

Note that if you haven’t dived for a while, most diving clubs in Mauritius offer you a “refresh” session in the pool before heading out to sea.

Tips for you Mauritius Itinerary

Save time and book your exploration dive now by clicking on one of the links below:

Diving around a wreck in Mauritius

Around Mauritius, there are several wrecks transformed into artificial reefs that can be explored.

The Stella Maru wreck in the North West is one of the best known. This former Japanese ship sunk in 1987 is now an essential dive site in Mauritius.

It’s an easy dive, about 20m deep, offered by the dive centers in the North (Grand Baie, Trou aux Biches).

You can observe a very rich and diversified fauna there: butterflyfish, coachmen and surgeonfish, scorpion fish, moray eels and many other marvels!

Other wrecks to visit while diving in Mauritius: the Silver Star (more than 20-30m), the Djabeda (30m), the Tug II (20m) or the Sirius (10-20m) sunk in 1810 in the Mahebourg pass.

top diving site in Mauritius — Diving on a wreck in Mauritius

Diving with sharks in Mauritius

If you like to shiver and are looking for an extraordinary diving experience, you may dare to dive into the Shark Pit!

This exceptional dive site in Mauritius is located in the North, near the Coin de Mire islet.

It is a real underwater pit where many gray reef sharks (locally called Mam’zelle Sharks) regularly meet and can be observed up close.

Rest assured, these sharks are not fond of humans and accept the presence of divers without worries (there are still safety instructions to follow of course).

This dive to swim with sharks in Mauritius is organized by the diving clubs of the North and West of the island.

Sharks in Mauritius?

If you are wondering what sharks are found in Mauritius, you should already know that it is quite rare to come across them and that they generally stay away from the lagoon.

The main species that frequent the areas off the coast of Mauritius are:

gray blacktip shark
gray reef shark
the hammerhead shark

Diving with dolphins in Mauritius

Do you dream of diving with dolphins in Mauritius?

Well rejoice because the dolphins are very present along the west coast of Mauritius, especially between the bay of Tamarin and the island of Benitiers, and it is possible to go and meet them.

It’s not really scuba diving here, but rather snorkeling and swimming alongside wild dolphins on organized boat trips.

I particularly recommend this speedboat outing to meet the dolphins departing from Rivière Noire, which will give you an incredible experience while making it a point of honor to respect these marine mammals.

I also advise you to book it as soon as possible because it is a very popular activity. It is also certified GetYourGuide, that is to say that it is satisfied or reimbursed!

To reserve your place without delay, click here.

Do a diving course in Mauritius

Scuba diving enthusiasts can also take advantage of their stay in Mauritius to improve their skills and pass levels by participating in a training course.

These courses generally take place over several half-days. To participate, you must already have obtained the PADI Open Water Diver certification .

Snorkeling in Mauritius

In the depths, you don’t feel like a fish in water at all ? But you still want to take advantage of your stay in Mauritius to discover the underwater world?

What I recommend is to go snorkeling!

Snorkeling is the activity of observing the seabed while remaining on the surface with a mask, a snorkel and possibly flippers.

What is great in Mauritius is that you can do it almost anywhere and without straying from the beach because you can find fish really close to the coast and the water is super translucent!

If like me you are not very comfortable in scuba diving, this is the ideal alternative.

I give you below a small list of my favorite snorkeling spots :

Blue Bay, where rich and colorful wildlife and unspoilt coral gardens can be seen just a few meters from the beach!
Pointe d’Esny beach with several small reefs close to the edge and very populated
La Cuvette beach , near Grand Bay: on the rocky side, you will have plenty of wonders to observe!
Flic-en-Flac, on the north side where the beach is less crowded and the lagoon much livelier
Trou d’Eau Douce, on the way to Ile aux Cerfs there is a wonderful shallow snorkeling spot.

Tips for you Mauritius Itinerary

You can now book your cruise to Ile aux Cerfs including a snorkeling stop in the reefs of Trou d’Eau Douce by clicking here.

This catamaran cruise is an essential activity in Mauritius and it is very popular so I advise you not to delay to take your places!Don’t hesitate to tell me in the comments if you found other interesting snorkeling spots during your stay!

Scuba diving in Mauritius: practical information

When to dive in Mauritius?

In Mauritius it is possible to dive all year round as the conditions are quite stable from January to December.

The water remains at a more than pleasant temperature throughout the year. And it of course warmer during the austral summer, which extends from November to May.

From May onwards, the water cools down a little and the winds increase slightly, but the conditions are still very favorable for scuba diving and swimming in general.

If there is a period to avoid, it would be between January and the beginning of March, which corresponds to the hurricane season during which the sea is rougher.

To sum up, the best time to dive in Mauritius is between November and May. And if you want to go on vacation specifically to dive in Mauritius, avoid the beginning of the year (January to March).

Tips for you Mauritius Itinerary

In terms of wetsuits for diving in Mauritius, I recommend a wet or semi-waterproof wetsuit since, as I said, Mauritian waters are warm.

Depending on the depth of the site, a shorty wetsuit may be quite suitable. On the other hand, if the dive lasts more than 45 minutes and you are quite chilly, I still recommend a long suit to avoid getting cold.

Diving in Mauritius: prices

The prices for diving sessions in Mauritius vary according to the dive centers and the duration of the sessions.

In general, count around 70-90€ for a first dive, including the preparation phase in the pool and a dive of about 1 hour at sea.

For exploration dives level 1 or more, I can’t really give you a price order since the prices really depend on the type of dive (simple exploration, wreck, shark pit or other) and the duration of the dive. session.

What animals to see while diving in Mauritius?

Here is a small list (far from being exhaustive) of the most common fish and marine animals that you will be able to encounter during your diving in Mauritius:

surgeon fish
tick fish
picasso ballistae
yellow-headed triggerfish (also called titan triggerfish)
moray eel
rascasse
green turtle
stingray
snake eel
grouper
stone fish
trunk fish
unicorn fish
trumpet fish
and many more!

Tell me in comments below the article what you saw that is not in this list!

Is it possible to do a diving holiday in Mauritius?

As the island is very small, there are no organized diving trips in Mauritius with expeditions over several days, as is the case in larger countries.

On the other hand, you can leave for a full day on the boat and experience several successive dive sites.

For this, I advise you to organize yourself with the diving center in Mauritius that you have chosen and which can offer you different formulas.

And that’s it for this article dedicated to scuba diving in Mauritius! I hope that I have answered all your questions and that this guide will allow you to organize your first dive or your exploration dive during your vacation!

And you, where have you planned to go diving in Mauritius?

Organize your trip to Mauritius easily

Here are all my other travel guides to Mauritius: Just click on the links below to read the articles.

22 Best things to do in Mauritius – The complete guide, with all the most beautiful places and the best activities!

Routes

Itinerary: 5 days in Mauritius – Ideal for organizing a short stay in Mauritius
Itinerary: a week in Mauritius – My detailed itinerary to discover Mauritius in 7-8 days
Itinerary: 10 days in Mauritius – The best 9-10 day tour in Mauritius + My tips
Itinerary: 2 weeks in Mauritius – How to visit Mauritius in 14-15 days?
Itinerary: 3 weeks in Mauritius – Complete guide for a 20-21 day stay in Mauritius

Best Diving Sites in Mauritius: Our Complete Guide

Scuba Diving in Mauritius