Diving Reunion Island

On the west side of the Indian Ocean, 700 km to the east of Madagascar, lies the island of 'La Réunion'. It stands, tall and lush, right next to Mauritius and is a very important part of the Mascarene archipelago. Like Mayotte, to the north west in the Comores, Réunion Island is a French department. The island is mainly renowned for the quality of its hiking and other mountain activities but the marine life, underwater topography and shipwrecks are quite unique. The marine reserve created in 2007 protects a large part of the fringing reef to the west of the island. Réunion Island offers very accessible, family friendly diving for all levels, specially on the west coast (Saint Gilles and Saint Leu) and on the south side (Saint Pierre), where you'll find most of the dive centres. The main dive spots are around Saint Leu's Bay, 'La Pointe au Sel' to the south and 'La Pointe des Chateaux' to the north (Salt and Castles Spits). Both of them will have you dive on the barrier reef with the best visibility around! The must-dive sites are the drop-off from La Pointe au Sel and 'Le Sec Jaune', or Yellow Pinnacle. For the more advanced divers, exploring the deep sites around Sainte Rose and diving fresh underwater lava flow will be unforgettable experiences.