Most scuba divers we’ve met on the trip so far said pretty much the same thing: you’re doing your trip in the wrong order, from best (Maldives) to meh. Apparently the scuba in Mauritius and Reunion really isn’t anything to write home about.

Ooops.

But… after a few days of diving I had never seen so many of my favourite fish (the juvenile emperor angel fish, at the top of this post); also we saw the very cool leaf fish (almost frequently) for the first time, so clearly not too shabby, far from it, and that was just the beginning.

Thus, after over a week of scuba around the north western shore of Mauritius I beg to differ with the naysayers, we had many fantastic dives. I can’t speak for the whole island, but the area around Trou aux Biches has some wonderful sites. True, this is not the place for the big stuff, we saw only one eagle ray in eleven dives and zero sharks, but otherwise there’s something for everyone. Dives are rarely in excess of 25 meters/75 feet, the water temperature hovers around 28 C/82 F, and the visibility was very good on all dives but two (because weather happens). The coral is in pretty good shape, there are some very cool wrecks, and I’ve never seen so many frog and leaf fishes EVER. There’s even a site where, if you are lucky, you may see a stargazer. This is a place that rewards the attentive divers, or the ones that pay close attention to their DM’s. 

DM’s (and instructors) that in my opinion were all first class, leaving you alone or paying closer attention as needed, willing to search for the specific critter you really want to see, and just out to look after you. In fact I was super happy with our very fortuitous choice of dive shop. I think that by sheer luck, we found one of the best operations on the island. I don’t “review” dive shops, I’m not sure I’m qualified to do it and I find it very subjective, but unlike some other places we have seen recently, I would not hesitate to recommend (heartfelt quid pro quo free plug ahead) PRO DIVE MAURITIUS without any caveats at all to anyone.

We had a great time…

… and surprisingly good diving all around considering what we had been told, don’t miss it.

Off to Reunion island in a few hours. Talk to you soon.