Sea

SAILING - SEA EXCURSIONS - DOLPHIN & WHALE WATCH - BENNITIER ISLANDS DAY TRIP

Want to discover the South West in style, cruise towards the sunset or sail to your next resort?

The Dream Team offers the South West best day trips in a true tropical ambiance and lifetime Mauritius memories.

DreamTeam - Black River

Website: www.dreamteam-mauritius.com

JP Charter Ltd - Royal Road Black River

Madiana Deluxe Catamaran Cruises
Explorer – Trips around the island
Dolphin swimming

Website: www.blackriver-mauritius.com

Maeva Group-Royal Road Grand Bay

Speed Boat Cruises around Mauritius in one day, Flat Island/Gabrielle, Round Island, Snake Island, Dolphin watches, Iles Aux Cerfs

Website: www.maeva-group.com

Dolphin Venture Ltd - Tamarin

Big game fishing, excursion on catamaran, Swim with dolphins & sunset cruises

Website:www.dolphinventure.jimdo.com

YACHTING CLUBS

Pt d’Esny

Private Yacht Club is home to a very large beach and lagoon. This is a unique point with all year round winds ideal for both kite surfers and wind surfers. Not very crowded because of the access but if you are a client at the yacht club you can use the beach as your launching area and spend the day.

Le Morne Anglers Club

Based in Black River this private club offers great deep sea fishing packages and also host the Marlin World Cup. Many locals and internationals have caught 1000lbs marlin and sharks. Many locals fishing competition is hosted at the LMAC, the fishing depot is next to LMAC and at the end of each day local fishermen sell their fresh catch of the day. visit: www.lemorneanglers.com

Grand Bay Yatch Club

This members club offers northern deep sea fishing and excursions as well as other independent contractors and more reputable company such as Blue Safari for their famous under water excursion or undersea walk. GBYC is a great day out if you fancy a little meal and a cold beer, on the north beach you have a protected bay which offers great swimming and snorkelling. Popular with local kids who usually loves diving off the jetty. GBYC offers the best view of Grand Bay most active lagoon. Daily traffic from excursions, diving boats and catamaran is a must experience.

DIVING & SNORKELLING

Mauritius offers fantastic diving for beginners and advanced divers alike.

Diving can be done all year round, with November through to March being the clearest and best time for diving. Dive centers offer a range of diving trips that make the most of the time of year. The East side of the island offers some of the best dive sites in Mauritius; however, in July and August, it is often too rough to dive there. Some parts in the South do not have any reefs at all and are quite dangerous to dive into due to the large breakers. The West and North have some recent wrecks which were scuttled to promote reef life.

Around 40 diving centers form the MSDA (Mauritian Scuba Diving Association) and offer dive packages in their region. Many have links with local hotels and offer just about everything you need for all types of diving including live aboard trips, day trips, night dives, equipment rental and dive courses.

Divers wanting to ‘do their own thing’, should look at joining the Mauritius Underwater Group. This independent group is a not for profit dive club that organizes dive trips on weekends. Dives are organized by qualified dive leaders and include access to first aid kits and emergency breathing oxygen. With approximately 120 members, it provides the opportunity for tourists to meet other tourists and locals who have significant experience diving in Mauritius. The diving conditions vary around the island. For example, the east is colder than the west both on land and in the water.

Below is a list of dive sites common with Mauritian divers. The "Cathedrale" at Flic-En-Flac is probably the most notorious of dive sites. This is an interesting cliff which drops to 35 metres. At the base you can enter the cave which has a ceiling inside of 10 metres. Light filters in through a small crack at the top of the cave. The cave is often frequented by lobsters and shoals of fish. The "Serpent Rank" at Flic-En-Flac is the place to be. Just about every crack has an eel or moray within, some up to 3 metres in length !!! You will also see numerous scorpion and lion-fish. Beware of the stone-fish that lie on the rocks !!!

An ideal place for snorkeling is in the lagoon at Flic-En-Flac. The water is at chest level in most places. Mind you though, there are some deep spots which drop to 3 meters or more.

DIVING & SNORKELLING SUGGESTIONS

Whale Rock: famous for the huge rocks, huge stone corals, hammerhead sharks and a range of fish species.

Silver Star Wreck: a 40 metre dive where an old fishing boat sank in 1990. Excellent for advanced divers.

Grand Bay: offers about 6 diving sites with depths ranging from 11-18m. When the water is clear it is a very pleasant dive along the reef with plenty of coral and coloured fish to see.

Belle Mare Lagoon: an ideal dive for beginners, this offers a dive of 12 – 30 metres with the opportunity to see beautiful coral, sharks, barracuda, stingrays, tuna fish and kingfish.

The Sirius: a British ship sunk in 1810 during the battle between the British and French navies fighting for Grand Port. The ship ran into a coral reef during battle and later blew up after French raiders set her on fire. Today it offers home to a range of fish and coral.

Cathedrale: A spectacular underwater cave which starts as a cliff near Flic-en-Flac and offers a range of fish, lobster and other crustaceans.

Rempart Serpent: The reef has a comprehensive range of typical tropical fish, lionfish and several species of moray eels. Stone fish are something to be careful of.

DIVING & SNORKELLING FAQs

Is there a re-compression chamber?

Yes, full hyperbaric facilities and medical care are available on the island. However, getting to them is a slow process as there is no helicopter service. Divers with the bends are driven to these centers, usually by their dive buddy, as there is no ambulance service on the island. This can take from 30 minutes up to an hour. As a precaution many divers perform a minute safety stop at 6 meters. In many cases this can easily be achieved by grabbing hold of the dive boat's anchor line!

How much does it cost to dive?

On average, fees per dive are around 1000 rupees (20 Pounds Sterling or 30 USD)

DIVE CLUBS IN MAURITIUS

The Mauritius Underwater Group ( MUG ), is the oldest and probably the most renowned scuba diving club in Mauritius, with its roots dating back to the early 1960's. Its headquarters are at Railway Road in the town of Phoenix. You can't miss the building, an early 19th century cannon and anchor mark the entrance. Almost every diver in Mauritius knows the place. Just ask your dive masters and they will tell you how to find it.

The club meets every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. All visiting divers are welcome to attend. Summer evenings are usually very entertaining with a barbecue where members bring meat marinated in their own recipes. The club forms part of BSAC. Dives are conducted on Saturdays and Sundays during the daytime. Thursdays are usually reserved for night dives. To participate one needs to be a BSAC sports diver, PADI open water diver, or CMAS 2 star. You will need a form of transport, as the club conducts dives all around the island. I recommend you hire a Suzuki jeep which is available at the car rental firms. Once you have registered and become a temporary member, you may hire equipment. The MUG has several sets of regulators, buoyancy control devices, and air cylinders. You must have your own wetsuit. Equipment rental rates are fairly inexpensive.

Some members of the MUG have formed the Mauritian Marine Conservation Society which has scuttled several vessels off the coast to form artificial reefs.

Can I be trained to become a diver in Mauritius?

Most hotels have diving centers where u can learn how to dive in the confort of their swimming pools and then in the Indian Ocean Island . Prices vary US$200-$1000. Diving courses are available to beginners from PADI and CMAS. Just contact them prior and make sure their can help with your request.

DEEP SEA FISHING

Deep sea fishing is an all year round sport in Mauritius. Mauritius is also host to a range of international competitions held by the various anglers clubs around the island.

The types of fish you can expect to catch include:

Tuna: Shoals of Yellow-fin tuna can be found in March and April.

Wahoo: reputed to be the fastest running fish, the Wahoo start in September.

Sailfish: sails through the air when hooked.

Bonito: A smaller species of tuna, sometimes known as Skipjack Tuna.

Sharks: can include Blue, Hammer-head, Mako, Tiger, Black fin and White fin.

Marlin: both blue and black marlins can be found from October to April.

SOUTH WEST REGION

Albacor Fishing Team

Black River finest fishing brother team. Jerome Moonsamy also known by many as "Bull" and his brother "Toto" are the best in the business when it comes to Big Game Fishing. They have between them a small fleet of 2 fishing vessel, "Ma Maitresse" & "Albacore2". They are both great at finding and catching the famous Blue Marlin, Dorado and Yellow Fin Tuna. You will embark on his fully renovated Fishing Vessel "The Albacor2" equipped with shower, toilet, rooftop control room, it sleeps 3 comfortably. Bull is a veteran fisherman and participated in many local fishing competition, currently holds the world record of skipjack tuna. His local knowledge of the South West and East is remarkable. A true fisherman with a "Heart of Gold". He is your man and your captain for the day.

(Mon-Sun) High Season. (Prices varies on combination of activities)

Full Day 7-4pm 1/2, day 7-1pm

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

NORTH WEST REGION

Maeva Group - Top Shot Sport Fishing - Grand bay

Deep Sea Fishing, Full day, Night Fishing, Shark fishing, 1/2 & BBQ Island

Website: www.maeva-group.com

Royal Big Game Fishing - Touessrok Hotel, Trou d'Eau Douce

Royal big fishing is one of the best and most prestigious big game fishing companies in Mauritius. Over the years, our crew has learnt how to deliver world-class services, always ensuring that Guests are delighted with their fishing experience. Our boats are “Posh”, always spotlessly clean, even with the number of fishes that are caught and landed on them. You want to spend an amazing day on one of the most luxurious and well-known fleets of our Paradise Island, in our Paradise Ocean.