Scuba diving and snorkeling Mauritius

This reliable and quality club is affiliated to CMAS and PADI and offers a wide variety of training and services, including for children. At the helm is the friendly Vellin Bhurtun, a former resuscitation nurse and great traveller, with more than thirty years of experience in the discipline. Vellin agrees to go out to sea for one person and never takes more than six divers per outing. Baptisms, island dives and night dives, with or without nitrox, are therefore carried out in complete safety, without it being "the factory". A good address.

Friends divers, here is a mythical club created by the very popular Hugues Vitry, diving virtuoso and specialist in underwater photography, who, in addition to the classics, can concoct tailor-made trips, in particular to meet morays or sperm whales. To supervise you, several instructors, including Hugues when he is there, a CMAS 3-star instructor also affiliated to the French diving federation (FFESSM). Dives for all levels from 8 years old, training up to level IV, exploration of technical sites, safaris (2 dives and lunch), freediving, etc.

Created in 2008, this excellent center advocates flexibility and safety above all. Established in the immediate vicinity of a large variety of sites (caves, drop offs, wrecks...), it is managed by a team of experienced and passionate instructors, who provide PADI courses and training of all levels (from Bubblemaker and baptism to PADI Divemaster). Lessons are given in French, English and German and children are accepted from 10 years old. On the program: exploration dives to discover wrecks, underwater cavities, shark sites, etc., trips to iconic sites such as Cathedral (famous for its caves, its light shows, its high density of fish) or Silvana (for its sea turtles), night dives...

The club also offers a range of exclusive outings for a minimum of 4 people (family, friends): safaris combining 1 or 2 adventure dives and a barbecue on an islet; a discovery of the mythical Passe Saint Jacques and its stingrays; multi-activity packages for intense and varied fields days combining diving, surfing, kayaking with a lunch break at the Veranda hotel. A la carte rates on request.

More unusual: night snorkeling open to non-divers and preceded by a boat ride at sunset. Or the underwater wedding proposal at a "romantic" location chosen according to the diving level of both partners. Rates on request.

This company specializes in unique and/or exclusive (i.e. privatized and upmarket) sea excursions.

Well-known in Mauritius for its submarine excursions, it is the only company in the Indian Ocean - and one of the very few in the world - to market this extraordinary atypical activity, offering the opportunity to realize a Jules Verne fantasy! Duration of the expedition: just over an hour, not including the 15-minute boat ride to a large trawler from which the captain and crew help future passengers into the boat: a 10-person submarine with one porthole per participant. Then begins the incredible 40-minute dive out of this world, the sensations of which we won't reveal, to leave everyone the pleasure of discovery. Three sites are usually visited at depths of over 30 meters: a coral mass rich in fish, an authentic wreck as in our explorers' dreams, and a mercy anchor probably dating from the ^17th century. A magical experience!

Another unique activity in the world, invented by Blue Safari, which has exclusive rights to it: the underwater scooter. Although original, the concept is simple: an aquatic scooter covered by a large, transparent, panoramic dome under which you can breathe freely without a passenger. Steering is via a simple steering wheel and accelerator pedal. The machines, certified by safety classification societies, can each accommodate 2 people seated one behind the other, for rides in groups of 5 scooters under the watchful eye of 2 diver-accompanist guides. As with our submarine excursions, the activity begins with a boat transfer to the operating barge from which the immersion takes place. The depth is less than 3 metres, which is more than enough to see fish in Mauritius, especially as the experience of the scooter itself and the wildly unprecedented nature of the machine are just as attractive as the marine beauties!

More classically, but with the same concern for quality and service, Blue Safari also offers exclusive, fully à la carte outings (quotations on request) by motorboat or monohull for up to 6 people (ideally 2 or 4 on the sailboat). The company also has a superb catamaran that can be privatized for up to 22 people - day, sunset, dinner and even overnight stay(s) on request for a few people (4 fully-equipped cabins, skipper, cook).

This excellent independent club is run by a no less excellent professional of this sport: Christophe Pelicier, son of an underwater fauna specialist having identified several rare or endemic local specimens. You will dive here with great connoisseurs, in small groups, in a spirit of sharing and proximity. Quality services: day and night dives, first dives, dives for children or disabled divers, CMAS training. Two trips per day at 8am and 11:30am. Excellent teaching methods.

A special mention for this Scubapro center, a pioneer of its kind in Mauritius, created in 1977 by the great Pierre Szalay, a French 3-star CMAS instructor and founder and president for many years of the Mauritian Diving Federation (MSDA). Although Pascal Ava and his team have taken over, their professionalism and high standards continue to make the club one of the best on the island. On offer: a wide range of underwater explorations for beginners to advanced divers, CMAS training up to level 4, PADI up to Dive Master, Nitrox diving... Recommended!

Popular in Mauritius, underwater walking consists of walking in the lagoon at a depth of 3 meters with a diving suit on your shoulders. Even if you are wet to the neck, you can breathe freely, wear your goggles and admire the small reef fishes in their natural environment without fear of creasing your hair. As the guides bring bread, the tête à tête with the fishes is guaranteed, as well as some good laughs given the slightly crazy side of the activity! To be done as much for the experience as for the funds explored.

From the company that developed the concept in Mauritius comes one of the island's most unusual activities: underwater walking, or a 3-meter-deep stroll in a diving helmet. Accessible to all, the activity is as much about fun (Instagram photos galore) as it is about discovering the seabed, especially as the fish, regularly fed, arrive by the dozens! The excursion lasts around 60 to 80 minutes, 30 of which are spent underwater after a gentle dip from an offshore platform.

Three large diving families: dives from the wide (10 sites, depth 30 to 60 meters for experienced divers), coral dives, easy access and varied (15 sites, depth 10 to 25 meters), interior dives of the lagoon, in passes, canyons and other faults, to meet the pants of the pill elagic (6 sites, depth 5 to 30 meters). The staff were very helpful and helpful. The club offers baptisms, explorations and CMAS and PADI formations.

This very good center is run by Mukesh Buldewa who manages several other clubs around the island. Open to PADI and CMAS divers, it offers serious training in these two schools, as well as explorations on all the surrounding sites. Children are welcome from 7 years old. For freediving enthusiasts, the club also offers snorkelling lessons. Another branch in the area, at the Peninsula Bay Resort in Blue Bay, under the name of Blue World Explorer Mauritius - www.blueworldexplorer.com

A special mention for this excellent club based at Constance Belle Mare Plage but open to all, and with branches in 4 luxury establishments which is a guarantee of quality. Even if he no longer gives courses, it is Jean-Michel Langlois, a great name in Mauritius diving, who supervises the centre. Several outings and training courses are offered: first dives, exploration dives, wreck dives, exclusive dives around the island, CMAS-PADI courses, etc. Prices are a little more expensive than elsewhere, but this is justified by the quality of the service: 4 clients per instructor maximum.

Created by a couple of French divers, this center is managed in a European way. Certified Scubapro, it benefits from new equipment renewed every two years. All the PADI and SSI training courses are offered and the club is also affiliated to the French diving federation. In addition to morning and afternoon trips, the center organizes day safaris with snorkeling sessions for non-divers.

The center also offers accommodation + diving packages, and private cruises on a luxury catamaran with 4 cabins.

It's the only diving club in this part of Mauritius, open to all, including hotels in the area. Well-equipped, it offers all PADI, SSI and CMAS courses from age 7, as well as first dives, day and night dives and snorkeling courses. Instructors are highly qualified and well-informed. Other branches of the same group (same rates, same services) in the west at Flic en Flac at the Hotel Anelia and in the east at Solana Beach.

The bay itself is already beautiful. In calm weather, if you are a good swimmer, you can reach the site by swimming directly to the middle of the bay. There, not far from the coral reef (be careful with the currents some days), is a beautiful natural aquarium with corals still in good condition attracting a lot of colorful fish. To get there by boat, go through Frederic (mob : 5 798 2896) or through the local service providers who offer the trip.

Located in the heart of the Maritim hotel and its huge range of activities, this fine club, open to all, offers various types of diving (including wreck diving), the full PADI course curriculum and packages for all levels, from beginner to advanced. Services are of the highest quality (with the emphasis on safety), Scubapro equipment is regularly renewed, and a shuttle bus takes divers within a 5 km radius. In general, 2 dives are offered per day: one at 9am, the other at 1pm. Training courses are also available for children and the disabled.

Founded in 1997, this serious and friendly club is located in the Rodrigues Marine Park. It has always been run by Benoît de Baize, a NAUI instructor who knows Rodrigues' underwater waters like the back of his hand and has even cleared a few spots that he reserves exclusively for his divers. A must in the area: exploration of the Grande Passe, one of the longest channels in the Indian Ocean, located almost opposite the club. Groups are small and safe, with a maximum of 6 divers per supervisor (4 for Level 1). Reservations recommended.

Supervised by Mukesh Buldewa, one of the great divers of Mauritius, this club is open to all and also has a branch in the nearby Long Beach Hotel. Well equipped, it offers all the classic PADI and CMAS courses, as well as first dives, exploration dives by day and night, and even snorkelling courses for those who don't want to pass their level but are attracted by the beauty of the underwater world. Children are welcome from 7 years old. Instructors are pedagogical and very professional.

Renowned among divers and fans of underwater life, Couzoupa is the pearl of the Rodrigues Marine Park or Marine Biodiversity Conservation Project, a 35 km2 protected area in the heart of the lagoon of Port Sud-Est. Accessible by boat, it is the most beautiful natural aquarium of Rodrigues. Shallow, it abounds in corals, molluscs and reef fish, including rare species. From the silky lips of the clams to the massive Acropora, passing through fields of multicoloured corals foraged by swarms of sergeant majors, the spectacle is everywhere

This French diving school is renowned for the quality of its services and the diversity of its formulas and training courses (CMAS, FFESSM, PADI, SSI, etc.). From snorkeling in the lagoon to shark safaris or dives in very deep waters (TEK technical training), the experienced and highly professional team adapts to everyone's needs, favoring small groups for a more personalized service and maximum safety. All levels are catered for: from beginner to professional, and the center also trains children aged 8 and over. Equipment supplied.