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Mauritius

© iStock/GoodOlga

Explore Mauritius

The quiet beauty of Mauritius and its fortunate position in the heart of the Indian Ocean makes it a haven for divers and nature lovers in general. Almost the entire island is fringed by coral reefs providing a vibrant and rich home for marine life and endless possibilities for divers. The Mauritian government has also sunk ships as artificial reefs, these have been slowly taken over by corals and marine life which includes an excellent variety of reef fish, sharks and plentiful turtle species.

Visibility is, to put it lightly, excellent with 20-30 meters average but up to 40 meters in places. Weather conditions are usually very calm and the water warm enough for short wetsuit diving. The conditions on the reefs and lagoons are ideal for dive courses with plenty of deeper shark and wreck dives for more advanced divers. There are a number of dive resorts on the island which offer luxurious accommodation and diving packages. The main towns also have independent dive centers which often offer interesting dive courses such as shark diving and wreck speciality courses.

Power Plug Type
C, G
Payment Method
VISA, MC, AMEX, Cir, Plus
Tipping
5–10% / Service Staff & Hotel Staff / Tipping is appreciated but not mandatory; amount may vary based on service quality
Currency
MUR
Dial Code
+230
Electricity
230 V / 50 Hz
Time
UTC+4

Courses and Events

Dive Centers

Dive Sites

Top Wildlife Sightings in Mauritius

The reefs and lagoons of Mauritius offer a safe haven and a feeding ground for a rich variety of marine life in the middle of an expansive ocean. Sharks are frequent visitors so expect to see both grey and white-tippedeef sharks as well as the bigger bull shark on the reefs. Shark diving courses are quite popular on the island with many dive centers having their own shark experts available to teach divers all about the different species found near the island. Barracuda, turtles and tuna are also among the bigger life and can be spotted on the reefs or shipwrecks around the coast. Eagle rays are also commonly seen gliding over the reefs on currents these beautiful creatures are often seen in groups around the coast of Mauritius. On the reefs the biodiversity is truly stunning, shrimps, porcupine and unicorn fish create a rainbow of colour.

Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 200

Moray Eel

4.9k Sightings
J
306
F
386
M
473
A
376
M
433
J
270
J
394
A
430
S
430
O
410
N
530
D
426

Green Turtle

2.2k Sightings
J
105
F
127
M
134
A
177
M
156
J
144
J
219
A
271
S
229
O
194
N
214
D
195

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 25

Eagle Ray

1.6k Sightings
J
77
F
89
M
87
A
76
M
119
J
90
J
137
A
151
S
182
O
206
N
178
D
195

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 300

Octopus

695 Sightings
J
47
F
86
M
109
A
133
M
75
J
54
J
39
A
44
S
39
O
5
N
30
D
34

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 600

Wrasse

612 Sightings
J
13
F
59
M
15
A
71
M
32
J
38
J
73
A
30
S
78
O
86
N
84
D
33

Hawksbill Turtle

610 Sightings
J
26
F
33
M
64
A
37
M
40
J
28
J
65
A
71
S
62
O
50
N
68
D
66

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 27

Barracuda

289 Sightings
J
15
F
27
M
15
A
13
M
16
J
22
J
14
A
25
S
33
O
45
N
43
D
21

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 90

Angelfish

4.1k Sightings
J
220
F
294
M
343
A
310
M
277
J
210
J
404
A
396
S
463
O
378
N
403
D
367

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 130

Butterfly Fish

4k Sightings
J
205
F
313
M
326
A
294
M
272
J
201
J
381
A
403
S
439
O
375
N
394
D
358

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 8

Bannerfish

3.8k Sightings
J
185
F
319
M
313
A
258
M
295
J
197
J
339
A
353
S
412
O
352
N
384
D
352

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 12

Lionfish

3.7k Sightings
J
193
F
347
M
347
A
297
M
320
J
210
J
320
A
305
S
336
O
314
N
419
D
325

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 28

Clownfish

3.6k Sightings
J
198
F
271
M
314
A
276
M
325
J
192
J
302
A
327
S
377
O
322
N
349
D
344

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 40

Triggerfish

3.5k Sightings
J
202
F
322
M
334
A
280
M
248
J
179
J
292
A
317
S
378
O
323
N
307
D
306

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 100

Parrotfish

3.3k Sightings
J
178
F
271
M
278
A
271
M
257
J
159
J
293
A
283
S
359
O
295
N
336
D
330

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 60

Soldierfish

3.3k Sightings
J
154
F
278
M
280
A
228
M
256
J
149
J
282
A
311
S
394
O
299
N
337
D
290

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 3

Trumpetfish

3k Sightings
J
159
F
288
M
317
A
234
M
229
J
143
J
205
A
268
S
334
O
309
N
286
D
257

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 90

Goatfish

2.6k Sightings
J
109
F
225
M
212
A
176
M
242
J
122
J
217
A
238
S
294
O
233
N
253
D
247

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 150

Sweetlips and Grunts

2.5k Sightings
J
113
F
173
M
187
A
162
M
207
J
110
J
241
A
248
S
295
O
242
N
228
D
249

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 130

Pufferfish

2.4k Sightings
J
114
F
215
M
238
A
196
M
231
J
139
J
175
A
217
S
224
O
233
N
258
D
180

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 25

Boxfish

2.2k Sightings
J
94
F
209
M
182
A
171
M
200
J
123
J
193
A
176
S
235
O
188
N
210
D
193

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 350

Damselfish

2.2k Sightings
J
117
F
151
M
171
A
170
M
202
J
108
J
214
A
186
S
239
O
185
N
202
D
224

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 85

Surgeonfish

1.7k Sightings
J
58
F
160
M
168
A
123
M
70
J
106
J
153
A
167
S
253
O
168
N
152
D
119

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 250

Scorpionfish

1.4k Sightings
J
83
F
153
M
139
A
108
M
118
J
70
J
125
A
145
S
117
O
93
N
150
D
113

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 20

Porcupinefish

1.4k Sightings
J
61
F
82
M
157
A
106
M
122
J
59
J
108
A
151
S
145
O
136
N
140
D
138

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 30

Stonefish

1.2k Sightings
J
56
F
146
M
132
A
92
M
100
J
34
J
92
A
87
S
113
O
82
N
139
D
94

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 3000

Nudibranch

1.1k Sightings
J
42
F
93
M
131
A
86
M
120
J
46
J
64
A
61
S
118
O
76
N
118
D
112

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 80

Stingrays

933 Sightings
J
105
F
93
M
119
A
84
M
55
J
58
J
82
A
36
S
55
O
59
N
90
D
97

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 250

Grouper/Basslets

861 Sightings
J
24
F
80
M
18
A
72
M
59
J
42
J
144
A
112
S
126
O
58
N
71
D
55

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 60

Squirrelfish

793 Sightings
J
56
F
79
M
28
A
78
M
68
J
14
J
58
A
97
S
142
O
47
N
47
D
79

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 3400

Shrimp

689 Sightings
J
72
F
46
M
121
A
66
M
58
J
34
J
54
A
24
S
51
O
20
N
60
D
83

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 110

Snapper

681 Sightings
J
20
F
47
M
47
A
59
M
37
J
51
J
90
A
46
S
90
O
57
N
87
D
50

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 40

Jackfish

596 Sightings
J
30
F
73
M
44
A
61
M
31
J
21
J
54
A
71
S
59
O
43
N
55
D
54

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 7000

Crab

535 Sightings
J
57
F
66
M
81
A
40
M
68
J
16
J
15
A
11
S
41
O
21
N
50
D
69

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 30

Sand Eel

482 Sightings
J
37
F
23
M
43
A
69
M
53
J
43
J
62
A
36
S
46
O
7
N
37
D
26

Leaf Scorpionfish

393 Sightings
J
28
F
41
M
53
A
44
M
46
J
20
J
25
A
28
S
19
O
22
N
40
D
27

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 3

Cornetfish

379 Sightings
J
7
F
43
M
28
A
34
M
29
J
12
J
59
A
36
S
24
O
49
N
22
D
36

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 130

Pipefish

329 Sightings
J
35
F
43
M
42
A
21
M
46
J
13
J
14
A
9
S
18
O
18
N
36
D
34

The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.

Total number of species approx.: 120

Flounder

272 Sightings
J
27
F
46
M
31
A
15
M
23
J
13
J
11
A
13
S
24
O
8
N
39
D
22