Discover Scuba Diving in Mauritius
per person
Mauritius is an island of unique beauty located in the Indian Ocean. Its home to some of the world’s most spectacular coral reefs and marine life. Scuba diving in Mauritius allows you to explore the world of underwater wonders and explore coral reefs, shipwrecks dating back to the 18th century, colourful marine life and artificial reefs. The change in ocean temperatures hasn’t affected the coral reefs in Mauritius, unlike other parts of the world. As a result, abundant marine life, like fish and vibrant reefs, provides a magnificent backdrop for taking pictures or underwater filming. The island has some of the world’s most beautiful marine fish like the damsel fish, Box fish, the clown, which is very playful, the Mauritian scorpion with its unique orange colour and the Trumpet. Depending on the dive time, you will most likely see marine life, including parrot fish, wrasses, sweet-lips, groupers, angelfish, trumpet and sergeant majors
The great thing about Mauritius is that we have clear water all year round. Most of the time, the sea is quiet. Consequently, it is the ideal place to come and get certified here while enjoying your holiday. The island is very diverse. We have many different species of fish and corals in addition to dolphins, whales, turtles, rays and some nice wrecks.
The first time you go scuba diving, you must undergo a scuba baptism which is a dive no deeper than 10 metres and always with the company of an instructor.
You have to sign some disclaimer forms mainly related to your health status.
Bert and Ernie, a tourist couple in Mauritius, experienced their first dive in one of our partner diving centres. They started by trying the scuba suits and fins to find the right one while the instructors were busy prepping the gears. They noticed that it was perfectly normal for the suit to be tight.
Normally, one does the first initiation in a swimming pool. However, if the facility is unavailable, the instructors prefer doing it in the lagoon. In this case, the beginner must already be at ease with the sea.
For Ernie, holding the oxygen canister on her back for the first time felt heavy. But once she was in the water, it became lighter.
The exercise in the sea is to get acquainted with the process, understand the different functionalities, and breathe underwater.
For first-timers, if you are afraid of deep waters, it helps if you get a mask and a tuba to get familiar with breathing underwater the days before you have to learn diving.
Once the couple went through the initiation process, they hopped to the sea for their first dive. They got some more briefing and learnt how to clean your mask. They were scared of the unknown but excited for the first diving experience.
The way to go into the water is by rolling back into the water, which can be one of the most magical moments of your life. You see the sky and, just after that, the countless bubbles of water as you get inside the water.
Once in the water, you learn the hand signals and gestures you are doing. For example, if everything is ok or if things need to be going better!
The underwater experience is just amazing.
You might concentrate on your breathing & mask or if you are still getting air to breathe. Consequently, you may panic but rest assured, the instructor is always by your side. The first dive may last for one hour and 30 minutes.
The price varies if you are local or a foreigner. Logically, foreigners are charged more.
Bert and Ernie got their first open water licence. It was so much fun for them, but they also sensed a good vibe with the team.
Theories & Skills You Need to Know when Scuba Diving
If you are a beginner in scuba diving, you need to know 2 theories and 3 skills that are vital during every dive you take.
Theories
- Never hold your breath
The first thing you need to know underwater is never to hold your breath. If you are not taking air in, you always put air out in streams of the bubble when you don’t have the regulator in the mouth. When you have a regulator in your mouth, breathe normally and continuously.
- Equalize early & often
When you are descending, equalize early and often. To do that, block your nose & blow gently into your nose. You will feel both sides of your eustachian tube pop while you are pushing air into your eustachian tube.
Skills
- know how to clear your mask
Know how to clear your mask if in case you get a little amount of water into your mask. Hold your mask in both hands, lift your face, and exhale through your nose.
- Learn to clear your regulator
To be able to clear your regulator. During the dive, your mouth can get a little bit drier. So, remove the regulator from your mask, take a little bit of water into your mouth to wet your pallets, and put back your regulator & clear your regulator.
- Neutralize Your Buoyancy
At the surface of the water, you have your bcd inflated, and you will float to the surface. When you release air out of your bcd, you begin to descend. When you start to descend, you add some air on so that you can neutralize your buoyancy and stay neutrally buoyance, floating just above the reef.
Dive equipment
- Scuba tank filled with pure air
- The jacket is also called BCD (Buoyancy Control Device)
- Regulators
- Primary regulator
- A secondary regulator is an alternative air source
- Inflator Hose (found on the left-hand side of your BCD & has 2 control buttons on it)
- Pressure Gauge (situated again on the left-hand side & tells you how much air you have in your scuba tank)
- Dive mask
- Dive suit
- Fins, but make sure that you have the right size of fins
- Weight belt that helps you to keep under the water for scuba diving
Diving Activities
Night Diving
Diving during the night is not only mysterious and alluring, but it drops you into a whole new world. But it drops you into a whole new world. There is a change of scenes as nocturnal organisms emerge as daytime creatures retire. It teaches you to focus on what you can see in your light’s beam and pay attention to detail.
Sharks Diving
As a tourist planning a visit to Mauritius, shark diving is one of the most exciting, unique, and thrilling diving experiences. There are various diving venues where you are guaranteed the unique highlight of seeing the Grey reef sharks, bull sharks, sea turtles, or the huge Vara Vara.
Deep Sea Diving
Deep sea diving is a very favoured dive in Mauritius. The reason is the presence of deep wreck dive spots that harbour a huge variety of marine organisms. These underwater places are full of colourful fishes because of the habitat that the sunk vessel structures provide.
Wreck Diving
Wreck Diving at Stella Maru
There are many wreck dives that you can take in Mauritius. Some are listed below.
- Tug II is one of the first wrecks to be sunk in Mauritius. It was placed on a sandy bottom at 20 meters to see whether it could create an artificial reef. The area had nothing around but sand. A few decades later, it has become an oasis for underwater life.
- It is one of the best dive sites for underwater photographers. It is recommended for all levels of dive as from your open water.
- Hoi Shiong was sunk deliberately in 2003, and now it is a sanctuary of underwater life.
- Stella Maru, north of the island, max depth 26m
- Djabeda wreck, Coin de Mire Island, max depth 35m
- Silverstar, max depth 39m
- Emily and Waterlily, max depth 26m
Drift Diving
Drift dives are mainly practised near water channels with lots of ocean currents. The south of Mauritius has ideal sites for such dives because of the strong water current in these areas. The activity is thrilling & the diver goes with the current. The south ecosystem is very pristine with an abundance of corals, fish & shark species.
Mauritius Best Diving Spots
Shark Pit
Shark pit is situated in the north of Mauritius near Trou aux Biches. The species of shark found here are the whale shark, grey and blacktip reef shark, and whales & dolphins.
Cathedral Flic en Flac
The cathedral’s sheer drop-off combines huge boulders to create an amazing topography of arches and caves. Lobsters can scuttle on the rock while reef fish zig-zag over you. This area is almost 30m deep. You can explore the cathedral-like cavern lit by the sun beaming through its surface. The favorite dive spot on the island’s west coast is near Flic-en-Flac.
Confetti Bay & The Wall
Confetti Bay is a favourite diving site because it is known for its crystal clear water, sheltered by Coin de Mire Island in Mauritius. You can start diving from Confetti Bay Diving Site to finish at The wall Diving Site. The sea might at times be a little bit rough, but the weather is most of the time perfect.
Turtle Rock
As the name suggests, you will likely see giant turtles here, though not in huge quantities. The two species in Mauritius waters are the green turtle, Chelonia mydas and the hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata.
Shamenta
Shamenta is full of colourful shoals of fish like lionfish, damsel fish, angel fish, sweetlips, and crabs, without forgetting the giant moray eel. The noise of the reef a Shamenta is extraordinary, coming from fish & other creatures.
Merville Patches
Merville Patches dive site is a wonderful underwater spot in Mauritius. Here you have the likes of the poisonous but not deadly scorpionfish of different species. You can spot clownfish living in symbiosis with anemone, pacific cleaner shrimp, ribbon eel, turkey or white moth moray, longfin bannerfish, which is commonly harvested for the aquarium trade, blue tang that was famous for ‘Finding Nemo’ movie, mantis shrimp, flowery flounder that have both eyes on the same part of the body, robust ghost pipefish,
Belle Mare
Diving at Belle Mare is wonderful, with immense areas of natural corals and exploding sea life. The visibility is outstanding with clear waters, thus, making the spot excellent for novice divers. The experienced divers can head directly to the Canyon, which has astounding caverns and cliffs. The best time to dive here is from November to May, though it is an evergreen diving spot.
Diving Courses and Packages
Beginners and certified divers have a lot to enjoy from the variety of diving packages, courses, and safari expeditions we offer. Certified divers can choose from Wreck or Cave diving as they require skill and experience. If you have no prior diving experience as you tour Mauritius, worry not, as we have ideal packages for beginners that let you try and experience scuba diving for the first time. You learn scuba diving from qualified instructors in safe and controlled conditions. You can choose either the basic or the complete diving program.
Scuba Diving Rates
The prices for scuba diving vary based on many factors. These include:
- The time of day, whether night or day and if you have your pieces of equipment or you are renting except for tank and weights for some diving operators.
- The number of dives you want to do for qualified and non-qualified divers.
- Individual or family dives with rental or own equipment will also determine the price.
- The seasons for scuba diving, as both low and high seasons have varying prices.
TO TAKE PART IN THESE DIVES, YOU ARE TO FULFILL AT LEAST ONE OF THESE CONDITIONS:
- Have a diving certificate from either PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), CMAS (Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques) or SSI (Scuba School International)
- If you have no diving certificate or license, you will provide a logbook that should have proof of your diving experience with a minimum of 5 dives documented in the log book.
- If you have no diving certificate and no logbook, you must successfully pass a diving skill test before you dive.
FAQ’s
Should I know how to swim before scuba diving?
You can learn from swimming to scuba diving.
Do I get the equipment or buy it?
Yes, equipment is included in the price.
What boat is being used & what is the distance between land and the dive site?
We give you the distance when you book a dive with us. We propose the dive sites nearest the shore if you are vulnerable to sea sickness.
Does your diving centre have an underwater camera?
Only some diving centres have a camera. If you have an underwater camera, you should bring it with you. Else we will direct you to our diving centre that has a camera.
Does your centre have a medical kit for decompression sickness?
Yes, all of our centres have this facility.
What is the duration of diving?
Depends- we offer 30, 40, 50 minutes or longer dives, depending on your preference.
Does your centre have insurance coverage?
It depends on the centres. You can also buy insurance coverage with the centre.
Welcome to the remarkable world of diving and discover a huge variety of scuba diving sites in Mauritius that offer an opportunity to search for rare fish species, explore spectacular caves, engage your senses and much more.a7pm