DIVING IN MAURITIUS

Mauritius is a small island lying in the Indian Ocean about 620 miles
east of Madagascar.  It is about 40 miles long by 20 miles wide with
coastline which is mostly surrounded by a coral reef a few hundred
meters offshore.  The water is clear (30m viz is normal), the coral
comes in brilliant forms and colours whilst the beaches are of white
sand and usually backed by rows of palm trees.  The underwater life
contains a large variety of fish and other species. Many wrecks are
scattered round the island, some having been deliberately scuttled
there by divers.

Several Mauritian hotels play host to one of the many diving
organisations that abound on the island.  These organisations are
often geared to the needs of the hotel clientele (sometimes
exclusively) and can provide all the standard diving equipment,
including DVs, Stabs etc..  Many cater for the absolute beginner,
offering basic training and shallow dives (10-15m).  Beginners are
encouraged to buy a 10 dive package but the more experienced diver
should shop around, picking and choosing dives from several different
organisations.  This way, a wider variety of dives sites can be
selected, perhaps from different parts of the island.

Diving is most popular on the west coast.  The south coast and several
parts of the east coast can be dangerous because of strong currents
and exposure to the south easterly trade winds which are a common
feature of the weather pattern.  The capital, Port Louis, divides the
west coast into two distinct parts. In the southwest diving activity
is centred round the Beachcomber Meridien resort at Le Morne and at
the several hotels at Flic-en-Flac.  On the north west coast a large
number of different dive sites are situated within an easy boat ride
from one of the many hotels at Trou-aux-Biches, Grand Baie and
Pereybere. A few miles north of Mauritius are a couple of smaller
islands providing further sites. Several hotels on the east coast
provide diving at a number of carefully selected sheltered sites.

The main diving season is from October through to May when the water
is usually calmer and clearer than during the winter months.  However,
occasional cyclones can halt diving for a few days during December to
March.  The water temperature ranges from 22 degrees centigrade in
winter to 26 degrees C in summer (Jan/Feb).  Even so it is usual to
wear a thin wet suit as protection against the coral.  Mauritius is
within the tropics and so the sun can be directly overhead in summer -
therefore it is wise to maintain some protection against sunburn.

During my dives I found it impossible to remember, let alone count,
the number of different species of fish seen.  On almost every dive I
would see Moray eel, Lion fish, several varieties of Butterfly fish,
Banana fish, Parrot fish, Sturgeon fish, Anemone fish, Pipe fish,
Angel fish, Stone fish, Sea perch, various wrasse - to name but a few.
Mauritian waters contain two hundred species of coral making it even
more difficult to record everything seen.

Dive costs were between UKPound16 and UKPound20 per dive - this included
the free use of standard equipment whether needed or not (Stabs, DVs, wet
suits, fins, masks....).  Torches, knives, watches, underwater cameras
and dive computers should be taken to the island as they are not
supplied and can be difficult to obtain locally.  I did, however, find
that the clarity of the water was such that a torch was not a great
deal of help for daylight diving.  Several of the diving organisations
also offer to make a 20 minute video of your dive for about œ50-œ60.

Dives are usually undertaken from small open hardboats or catamaran
just outside the reef in depths up to 30m.  Diving tended to be fairly
conservative, never extending into forced decompression stops.  It is
comforting to know that there is now a recompression chamber on
Mauritius, even if it is sited in one of the highest towns on the
island a few hundred meters above sea level. Usually we dived in a
pack following the dive leader but with no defined buddy.  The dive
leader would point out things of interest, perhaps feeding a Moray eel
or a shoal of fish. Descent and ascent were often via the anchor warp,
but one useful technique was to suspend weight belts over the stern of
the boat such that they hung 2m above the coral. Divers could then
ascend  and wait at 6m whilst the rest of the pack were boarding the
boat.

Those contemplating a diving trip to Mauritius will find the first
half of Al Venter's book "Underwater Mauritius", published in 1989 by
Ashanti Publishing Ltd, Gibraltar, ISBN 0-620-11449 5 very useful.

Alan Murphy