Mauritius - Scuba Diving And Snorkelling

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Having never been affected by industrial pollution, the reefs around Rodrigues offer rewarding scuba diving and snorkelling. Many people believe that the underwater experiences to be had there are superior even to those around the outer Seychelles or Maldives. Furthermore, some insist that divers need not even use scuba gear, because even without it they can see such a stunning array of underwater life.

Snorkelling excursions can be arranged by many of the island’s hotels and cost around Rs200 per person. This includes boat trips to and from the reefs.

The island’s dive sites and dive centres are best suited to qualified divers with a reasonable amount of experience. Rodrigues lacks the shallow, clear, sandy-bottomed sites which beginners need and the instructors at the dive centres tend to focus on leading rather than teaching. However, some of the dive centres do offer resort courses for beginners.

Warning to divers Scorpionfish, lionfish (firefish) and stonefish are all common around Rodrigues and are highly venomous. Striped catfish and banded eels are present too. Wear gloves as protection from anemones on wrecks and watch out for black-spined sea urchins.

Dive centres The dive centres below offer a range of diving options and packages. The following is a rough guide to the prices you can expect to pay:

Single dive Rs920 (qualified)

Beginner’s resort course (pool lesson and sea dive) Rs1,400

Night dives Rs2,000

Five-dive package Rs5,400

These rates include equipment.

Bouba Diving Centre Mourouk Ebony Hotel, Pâté Reynieux; % 832 3351; f 832 3355; e ebony[at]intnet.mu. Run by NAUI instructor Benoît de Baize. Fully equipped to cater for 6 divers at a time.

Cotton Dive Centre Cotton Bay Hotel, Pointe Coton; % 831 8001; f 831 8003; e diverod[at]intnet.mu; closed Jul/Aug. Run by Jacques & Marie-Jose Degremont (CMAS 2-star instructor & CMAS-3 star diver, respectively); both are PADI dive masters. A well-run outfit with well-maintained equipment & good safety awareness. Caters for 8 divers at a time. Prices on request from the dive centre.

Eco-évasion Pointe Monier, Port Mathurin; % 875 8481; e rpayandee[at]hotmail.com; rodrigues-eco-evasion.com. Run by Richard Payandee, a CMAS 2-star instructor & PADI dive master. Offers diving & snorkelling trips, boat trips to the outlying islands & guided nature walks.

Rodriguez Diving Anse aux Anglais; % 831 0957; e rodiving[at]hotmail.com; rodriguez-diving.com

Top dive sites

Grande Paté Near Port Mathurin, this site is outstanding for its coral gardens at depths of 8–28m.

Grand Bassin eyond the waters of the pass, there are some superb sites at around 20–25m with large table corals. Occasional sightings of white-tipped reef sharks, large groupers and jacks are reported. The two islets of Ile aux Sables and Ile aux Cocos lie within an extensive fringing reef and can be visited at high tide. Both offer good diving and snorkelling, but go with skippers familiar with the area or else the chances of being shipwrecked are alarming here.

Pointe Coton t depths of 4–5m the diving is spectacular.

Off Port Sud-est eople dive in the passage near the entrance to the barrier reef. Diving is best along the cliff, at 4–18m.

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