Scuba Diving in Mauritius

Travel & LeisureOutdoors

  • Author Kevin Cock
  • Published January 6, 2009
  • Word count 508

Mauritius. This tropical Indian Ocean Paradise. "A drop in the ocean" Is only a dot in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Mauritius has a well-developed infrastructure and tourism industry. It hosts visiting tourist from all over the world in luxury hotels, apartments and bungalows. Besides the beautiful long white beaches and crystal clear tropical lagoons, scuba diving is one of the main attractions for tourists.

The excellent sea conditions and beautiful coral reefs make Mauritius a perfect place to learn to dive.

So both beginners and certified divers can be sure to have safe enjoyable dives in these perfect conditions. Especially on the north east coast where the lagoons and sea are protected from the trade winds, the Grand Bay and Trou aux Biches areas host the best tropical fish life and coral reefs. Usually all are boat dives to dive sites outside the barrier reefs. This is because the barrier reefs run almost completely around the Island with breaks or passes in the reef through which boats can pass to get into the open sea. The lagoons inside the barrier reefs are shallow and not suitable for diving. The sites in crystal clear water outside the barrier reef are very specifically located and easily accessible by boat. To get the best out of your diving experience in Mauritius it is advisable to dive with one of the accredited dive centers that will take you to all the best sites and ensure that you have a safe comfortable scuba diving Mauritius experience.

The Tourism Authority in Mauritius controls all registered dive centers and issues licenses to the boat skippers and dive operator that meet the require standards. All internationally recognized diving certifications are accepted and Mauritius has become a training ground for beginner divers because of the extremely easy diving conditions.

Unlike the reefs in Seychelles and the Maledives islands the coral reefs have not been bleached or affected by the warming of the ocean. The crystal clear water, the abundance of fish life and colorful reefs provide magnificent backdrops for underwater photography and filming. In the Trou aux Biches and Grand bay areas artificial reefs have been create by sinking wrecks at specific points. These wrecks, usually old Japanese fishing trawlers host an abundance of fish and coral life creating exciting dive sites and interesting backdrops for underwater photo and film. There are no real wall dives in Mauritius. In most areas the seabed slopes away gradually becoming deeper as you move away from the barrier reefs. Therefore most dive sites have a bottom at a reasonable depth making diving for beginners and experienced diver safer and less stressful. There are however small drops like ledges on some of the sites creating very interesting giant rock structure hosting larger fish life, gorgonian fan coral, some soft corals and in some spots black coral.

All round Mauritius is really a very safe and interesting location for a diving holiday. There is something for everyone.

Looking for quality diving holiday on a "paradise island", come Diving in Mauritius.

Kevin Cock is NAUI INSTRUCTOR, Founder and owner of Prodive Limited a South African with 23 years tourism and diving experience in Mauritius Prodive Limited is a professional scuba diving company at the Casuarinas Hotel at Trou aux Biches, Mauritius. They offer easy diving courses, full certification courses (PADI), diving excursions, private dives and exclusive dive charters. For more info visit http://prodivemauritius.com

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