Geodivegirl
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Any helpful info please regarding diving next May. in Mauritius. Good weather? Worth booking ahead of time? Advanced dives? water temp? etc etc.....
THank you!
THank you!
Mauritius Diving in May
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gus055
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May is not the best time to dive. October, November are usually the driest months and fall outside the the normal cyclone season. The westside of the island has the calmer water. The eastside of the island is very windy and rough seas, but not undiveable most of the time.
You might try to get a book called The Dive Sites of Mauritius. This book was a big help to me. This book can be found on EBAY sold by HELIX Camera Located in Chicago IL. USA
You might try to get a book called The Dive Sites of Mauritius. This book was a big help to me. This book can be found on EBAY sold by HELIX Camera Located in Chicago IL. USA
penti
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yes. a little cooler than the summer months (expect temps in the 25-30 °C range) but water still 26°C. As Gus said the sea might get rough -and probably undivable- on the esatern side, but diving conditions'll still be good on the western side (Flic en Flac, Trou aux Biches, Grand Baie)
No. Just show up.
I know a couple of dive ops in Trou aux Biches where you can do deep deco dives (down to 60 meters deep) if that is what you mean.
If you have more questions do ask me, I just live in the "neighbouring" island, Reunion.
penti
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Not a bad choice, probably the best compromise. The Morne area is good for windsurfing and kitesurfing (nice wind and awesome land and seascape).
You can also dive there, the "Passe Saint jacques" opposite the Morne Brabant is a good spot tio see big stuff (sharks are common there).
I've never dived there but friends of mine have and I know there is is a dive center in the hotel. It may be the only one around, I'm not sure you have much of a choice there.
Alternatively a 20 minutes taxi ride or a 30 minutes bus ride will take you to Flic en Flac, further north, where you will find quieter sea if it's too windy to dive down south. lots of dive ops there.
penti
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You're welcome
I haven't dived in the Passe Saint Jacques so I can't honestly say which is best, but friends of mine have so I can tell you what I've heard of it...
I've heard Passe St jacques is a sensational, sporty dive with quite some current in the channel and the possibility to see big stuff, including sharks (grey reef, silvertip, bull sharks) and rays. It may not be for beginners, though, and very weather- and tide-dependent, conditions can be rough and the viz can be bad in channels, but there's always a good amount of fish action.
Further north, dives are much quieter at Flic en Flac with nice sites too. I recommend Cathedral (nice seascape with caves, swim throughs, quite scenic), Rempart Serpent (or "Snake reef"), excellent for macro lovers and photographers with a lot of moray eels, scorpion and stone fish everywhere, lots of small stuff (shrimps, nudis) too. There's also a nice small wreck, Tug 2, where you could see the rare rhinopias frondosa (weedy scorpionfish) at the time I was there, and various sites with coral gardens or rocky dive sites, most of them shallow (10-30m) and easy diving.
The place I know best in Mauritius is still further north, in Trou aux Biches. I go there every year because I've found the ideal dive center there (Dive Dream Diving) and the dives are very varied : deep dives (40-65m), wrecks, long and shallow dives in nice coral gardens, in short very varied sites for any taste or any time of the day.
May be doable from the Morne area in a day trip, would take about 40 minutes by car though (Mauritius is a small island). if you have time and want to see varied things I'd definitely recommand you to all of these places and dive in the south, west and north. But it depends on how long you've got there, and as you also want to windsurf I guess you'll have to make choices.
feel free if you have other questions about Mauritius.
I haven't dived in the Passe Saint Jacques so I can't honestly say which is best, but friends of mine have so I can tell you what I've heard of it...
I've heard Passe St jacques is a sensational, sporty dive with quite some current in the channel and the possibility to see big stuff, including sharks (grey reef, silvertip, bull sharks) and rays. It may not be for beginners, though, and very weather- and tide-dependent, conditions can be rough and the viz can be bad in channels, but there's always a good amount of fish action.
Further north, dives are much quieter at Flic en Flac with nice sites too. I recommend Cathedral (nice seascape with caves, swim throughs, quite scenic), Rempart Serpent (or "Snake reef"), excellent for macro lovers and photographers with a lot of moray eels, scorpion and stone fish everywhere, lots of small stuff (shrimps, nudis) too. There's also a nice small wreck, Tug 2, where you could see the rare rhinopias frondosa (weedy scorpionfish) at the time I was there, and various sites with coral gardens or rocky dive sites, most of them shallow (10-30m) and easy diving.
The place I know best in Mauritius is still further north, in Trou aux Biches. I go there every year because I've found the ideal dive center there (Dive Dream Diving) and the dives are very varied : deep dives (40-65m), wrecks, long and shallow dives in nice coral gardens, in short very varied sites for any taste or any time of the day.
May be doable from the Morne area in a day trip, would take about 40 minutes by car though (Mauritius is a small island). if you have time and want to see varied things I'd definitely recommand you to all of these places and dive in the south, west and north. But it depends on how long you've got there, and as you also want to windsurf I guess you'll have to make choices.
feel free if you have other questions about Mauritius.
ScubaSteve
Wow.....what a DB
I have a friend from Mauritius and she has offered up her family's hospitality if we ever wanted to visit. Diving is part of every vacation I ever plan and now I might just have to plan a trip to Mauritius. THANKS!!!
What time of year would you say is the BEST time to go for a mis of topside weather and water conditions?
What time of year would you say is the BEST time to go for a mis of topside weather and water conditions?
penti
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Hi,
We basically have two seasons here (I live 200km away from Mauritius) :
Summer from December to March is hotter (29-35° C) , rainier (you often get late afternoon showers), with warmer water ( 27-29°C). Avoid coming between mid-February and late March because it's the best season for hurricanes, or tropical depressions. We don't have them every year but they can really ruin a week's holiday.
Winter from June to September is a little cooler (24-28°C), drier, with "cooler" water (23-26°C). It's a good time for visiting the island, hiking without sweating, and not that bad for diving if you're not "tropicalized" as we locals are (my friends dive in 3 mil. shorties when they visit me in the winter, but I feel chilly in a 5mm with hood, gloves and booties
)The best time, combining advantages of both seasons is what we call the "inter-seasons", April-May and October-November, when you get warm air, warm water, hardly any rain. These are the months I would eventually recommand, but basically except during a hurricane any time is good, so anytime between April and February will be good.
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