Snorkelling and diving in the north of Mauritius

Trou aux Biches is the first choice: the lagoon is calm, the coral patches start a hundred metres from the shore and the fish are used to people. Swim out from the public beach towards the reef, where parrotfish, trumpetfish, wrasse and the occasional turtle live. Pereybere has deeper water close in and rocks on both sides of the cove with plenty to see. Mont Choisy itself is sandy and better for swimming than for fish. Go in the morning, when the water is flat and the light goes straight down. A mask of your own fits better than a hired one.

Glass-bottom boats and small outboards leave Trou aux Biches and Grand Baie for the outer reef, the Aquarium off Pointe aux Piments and the coral gardens near Coin de Mire, where visibility is better than inside the lagoon. The catamaran day to Gabriel Island includes snorkelling in the channel between the islands, with sandy bottom at ten metres and fish in numbers. For a child's first time, the lagoon at Trou aux Biches is gentler than any boat trip.

The north is the most diver-friendly coast of Mauritius, with sites for every level within twenty minutes by boat. The Stella Maru, a Japanese trawler sunk in 1987 off Trou aux Biches, lies at about 25 metres and is covered in coral, with moray eels in the hull. The Djabeda, near Coin de Mire, is a deeper wreck at around 30 metres for advanced divers, often with eagle rays. Holt's Rock and Whale Rock are granite boulders between 15 and 25 metres with tunnels, soft coral and sometimes barracuda. Coral Garden and the Aquarium are shallow sites for beginners and refresher dives. Confetti Bay and the Tombant de la Pointe aux Canonniers add drop-offs with bigger fish.

There are PADI and CMAS centres at Trou aux Biches, Mont Choisy, Grand Baie and Pereybere, all five to ten minutes from the villa. They run discovery dives for first-timers from the age of ten, Open Water courses over three or four days, and two-tank morning trips for certified divers. Equipment is included; bring your certification card and logbook. Dives are usually in the morning, when the sea is calmest, leaving the afternoon free. Book a day or two ahead, more in December and January.

Diving is year-round. Visibility is best from October to December and in April and May, often 25 to 30 metres. The water is warmest from January to April, around 28 to 29 degrees, and coolest in August and September at about 23, when a 5 mm suit is comfortable. From June to September the trade winds bring some swell on the north coast and a few boat days are cancelled; the centres decide the evening before. January and February can bring cyclone alerts; the rest of the year the sea is reliable.

The reef around Mauritius has suffered from bleaching and from feet. Do not stand on coral, even dead-looking coral. Use reef-safe sunscreen or a long-sleeved rash vest instead of cream. Do not touch turtles or feed fish. Pick up anything plastic you see in the lagoon. The villa has reef shoes and masks for guests to borrow.