Is Mauritius ripe for dive tourism?

Despite being a developing country, Mauritius is one of the fastest rising diving destinations in the world. Nowadays, scuba diving is one of the many activities that attract thousands of tourists every year. Generally, divers are always in search of sustainable and unique diving destinations with proper safety measures. As such, they prefer Mauritius over most of the diving destinations in the world. Here is everything you need to know about dive tourism around the island of Mauritius.

Product Description

Woman swimming underwater with yellow fins in blue ocean. Freediving in Mauritius

Dive tourism in Mauritius includes a wide variety of recreational diving activities. One of the things that make Mauritius an attractive destination for dive tourism is its high quality of the diving environment. Mauritius has a very healthy marine environment with plenty of wildlife and excellent visibility. Like most tropical destinations, it has fantastic warm water. There is also a wide variety of diving sites such as ranging from wreck sites and wall sites to coral reefs. While the country remains an evergreen diving destination throughout the year, November to March (summer months) is considered the best time for diving. During this season, the warm waters attract an abundance of fish and marine life. Dive tourists can easily catch sight of exotic marine life such as the parrot fish, sweet lips, angelfish, groupers, wrasses, sergeant majors, moray eels, crayfish, trumpet and clown fish, along with a varied number of corals, sea anemones, and sponges.

2. Traveler Profile

Of all the dive tourists who come to Mauritius, 97 per cent come from European countries. The United Kingdom and France are the island country’s two top dive tourism markets followed by Reunion Island, Germany, and South Africa. The average dive travelers are males between the ages of 33 and 55 years old. However, women dive travelers are slowly beginning to catch up. The average length stay of dive tourist is about 15 days.

3. The trends that offer opportunities for Mauritius dive tourism

Mauritius diving tourism was traditionally dominated by Diving in the Mauritius waters. However, tourists who visit now have very different needs and are always looking for unique opportunities. To adapt to the dive tourists’ more sophisticated demands, Mauritius has diversified its offerings. It has achieved through developing a variety of entertainment opportunities besides the usual traditional beach tourism. For example, the island country now offers its dive tourists activities such as water-skiing, scuba diving, parasailing, deep-sea fishing, and catamaran sailing. These activities have proved to not only attract more dive tourists but also retain them for longer.

4. Mauritius dive resorts/centres certifications

Since dive tourism involves a relatively high level of risk, safety and reliability become very important. Most dive centres in the developing countries often have to fulfil the local minimum requirements or preferably those of the international dive organizations. Mauritius prides itself as one of the few dive destinations whose dive centres are managed by CMAS or PADI international diving instructors. Consequently, divers who are still beginners can easily take a course, and the experienced ones upgrade their certification. According to statistics, over 15,000 divers get registered every year in about ten diving centres. 5. What are the end-market prices for Mauritius dive tourism products? While dive tourism is a relatively pricey tourist activity, the wide variety of dive sites in Mauritius makes it quite affordable. With over 27 dive sites, you can pay as little as 55 Euro for a single dive. However, the prices also depend on various factors such as the dive site, modes of transport, the period of travel, number of travellers, length of stay, type of accommodation, and activities included. Therefore, it is vital to shop around to get the best price.

Final verdict

Overall, Mauritius is home to beautiful beaches that are home to some of the best diving activities in the world. It is an underwater haven full of beautiful sights of shipwrecks from the 18th century, 430 different marine animals, and over 200 types of corals. Whether you’re a diving expert or have never tried scuba diving before, this is an excellent place to experience it all. The best part is that you will find the best Diving anywhere and everywhere throughout the island.