Diving on the west coast of the island with Pro Dive (Mauritius)

Even though we were only in Mauritius for a week, we as enthusiastic divers did not want to miss the underwater world of the island in the Indian Ocean. For our 2 dives on the west coast we had chosen the dive center Pro Dive Mauritius.

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The dive center of Pro Dive Mauritius

The location of the dive center

Pro Dive Mauritius Divecenter is located on Coastal Road in the R Beach Club in Trou-aux-Biches (Mont Choisy) on the north-west coast of the dream island of Mauritius. From our accommodation, the Constance Bella Mare Plage, we were on the road for about an hour, so we had to get up early so we could make it on time by 8 am. But it all worked out wonderfully 🙂

Opening Hours & Amenities

Pro Dive’s diving centre has been located within the grounds of R Beach Club Mont Choisy since June 2018. It is open daily from 7.30 a.m. to 3 p.m., but is closed on Sundays.

The rooms are very clean and new. After checking in at the reception, we first chose our equipment. These include, for example, wetsuits, which are available here in all sizes and in the Shorty and Longsleeve variants; also diving vest, regulator as well as diving mask and fins if necessary. For the diving bottles we could choose between 12 liters of aluminium bottles, 12 liters of steel bottles or even the large 15 liter steel bottles.

In a separate room, which also has a shower (cold and hot water), there is a shelf with different boxes. Here we were able to store our things, which we will not need on the boat, well. We have deposited our valuables (e.g. car keys) at the reception, which were kept there safely until the return. The diving centre offers various PADI diving courses: from taster diving to the Divemaster, all courses can be done here under professional guidance.

We drove with our rental car to the diving school and could park our car in a parking lot directly on the opposite side of the diving school for free. By the way, if you are staying in a hotel close to the diving school, you can use the free pick-up service. This applies to hotels in Trou aux Biches, Mont Choisy, Pointe aux Biches or Pointe aux Cannoniers.

Pro Dive Diving Center in Mauritius

Pro Dive in Mauritius

Wetsuits

Storage & Shower

The prices

Compared to our previous diving destinations, we find the prices for the dives in the Pro Dive Dive Center perfectly in order. So a dive incl. costs. Weights & tank currently 1,600 rupees (about 41 EUR) or 1,800 rupees (about 46 EUR) with all diving equipment. If you want to dive twice, the cost is 3,100 rupees (about 80 euros) or 3,500 rupee (about 90 euros) and the 10-pack 13,000 rupee (about 333 euros) or 15,000 rupee (385 euros). A dive computer is charged an additional 200 rupees (about 5 EUR) per dive.

If you have never dived and want to try diving in Mauritius, you can make a Discover Scuba Dive for 2,600 rupees (about 66 EUR) and just take a sniff at diving. Here you first do a dive in the pool to get used to the equipment and breathing and then a second dive in the sea. We did such a taster dive in 2014 on Borneo (Kapalai) and have since become enthusiastic divers. Meanwhile we have made over 130 dives all over the world as in the Maldives, Indonesia, Australia, Caribbean, Cyprus, Hawaii or the Galapagos Islands.

The different diving areas

The entire area around Trou aux Biches with 25 different dive sitesis submerged, including five wrecks (including the Stella Maru). We find it very nice that the individual diving groups are kept very small. Even if there are several divers on the boat, the diving group is divided. This ensures relaxed dives. By the way, Pro Dive also has great videos of diving in Mauritius on its YouTube channel. It’s worth looking at!

Diving, Mauritius, Diving Areas, Map, Travelreport

The diving areas on the west coast of Mauritius

The dive boat Ekina

The basic dive boat Ekina is one of the largest and most comfortable submersibles on the island. It was built in 1995 and completely renovated and refitted in 2014. We liked the boat very much, because on the one hand there is a large area on which you can store your diving items and from here you can also easily get into the sea and back on board. On the other hand, you can relax indoors between dives without being too cramped – you are even served coffee, tea, water and biscuits. A toilet and fresh water are also available on the boat.

The dive boat Ekina by Pro Dive Mauritius

Diving with Pro Dive Mauritius

The equipment on board

Our first dive at the dive site Three Anchor

A total of 8 divers, 2 snorkelers plus crew were on our dive trip. When everyone had their equipment together in the shop, we walked a few minutes to the offshoot. The boat was already waiting for us there, so that it could start right away.

Our first dive site Three Anchor was only a short drive from the shore. The 8 divers were divided into 3 groups: 2 people did a diving course, 2 people were beginners and therefore got their own guide and in the group of 4 we were – together with 2 divers from Alsace. Since we had a similar diving level in our group of 4, this was a very good fit.

The dive site has stretched at a depth of 12 meters to 20 meters. The name of the dive site comes from the anchors that have been located at this dive site since the 17th century. The highlight of the dive was the many large turtlesthat we saw here. Either they lay calmly and resting on the rock and coral formations or swam leisurely through the water. Again and again a great sight, which makes our diving heart beat faster 🙂 In addition to the turtles, we have also seen moray eels, anemone fish and nude gills. Overall a nice dive, but of course it has to be said that the reef here is very broken and dead and there are hardly any colorful colors. Nevertheless, it is alive underwater as far as wildlife is concerned.

After 54 minutes we reached the surface again. All other divers and snorkelers were already on board, as we were the last group to go into the water. A short time later we went back to the pier, as some had only booked a dive. For this we picked up other divers on land, so that the group size has not changed compared to the first dive. As a rule, the first dive takes place from 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. and the second dive from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Of course, like us and others, you can choose two dives directly, so that you simply stay on the boat in between. Since the paths to the dive sites are not so far, you don’t have to travel long distances for this.

Turtle at the dive site Three Anchor

One of the 3 anchors

Anemone fish at the dive site Three Anchor

Moray eels at the dive site Three Anchor

Turtle at the dive site Three Anchor

The dive boat Ekina

Our second dive at the wreck of the Stella Maru

The wreck of the Japanese fishing boat “Stella Maru” is located at a depth of 15 to 25 meters. The wreckwas sunk in 1987 after 30 years of service to create an artificial reef. Today it is one of the most famous wrecks in the area of Trou aux Biches.

The 44 meter long and 7 meter wide wreck is well suited for beginners, as it is relatively easy to dive. We dived from the bow of the ship to the middle part to the stern and saw all sorts of interesting things: from dense schools of fish in the engine room, to a serene hedgehog fish, a trembling ray to fascinating nude gills. We liked diving at the wreck very much, because it is very varied and there is something new to discover at every corner. On the way back towards the boat we saw another trembling ray, which had hidden very well under a stone block and could only be seen by looking closely.

After 44 minutes of diving we were back on the dive boat and went back to shore with many new impressions.