The best snorkeling spots in Mauritius to see fish and turtles

The island of Mauritius is located in the middle of the most beautiful ocean on Earth – the Indian Ocean. The underwater world of the Indian Ocean around Mauritius is very diverse, thanks to its near-perfect water temperature. Corals, fish, algae, anemones, turtles – all this can be seen even from the shore, without diving equipment. I love snorkeling and, in this article, I want to share with you a list of beaches where I enjoyed snorkeling from the shore the most. All photos in this article were taken by me while snorkeling from the shore.

• 5 beaches for snorkeling in Mauritius, where you can see fish from the shore
• Where to swim with dolphins in Mauritius
• Is snorkeling in Mauritius dangerous?

5 beaches for snorkeling in Mauritius, where you can see fish from the shore

All of the beaches listed below are easily accessible by bus or car. You will have to walk from the bus stop to some beaches (for example, Balaclava Beach). Free parking is available near all beaches.

• How to rent a car in Mauritius →
• How to travel by bus around the island →

On all these beaches you can see fish right on the shore or just a little bit off the shore.

#1. Flic en Flac – the best beach for snorkeling from the shore

Flic en Flac Beach is without exaggeration the best beach on the island if you want to snorkel off the coast. The reef is literally right next to the shore. If you go knee-deep into the water and lower the camera into the water, you can take photos like these:

Underwater world near the coast

This is what the reef looks like off the coast of Flic en Flac

Here are my photos of the coral reef and fish at Flic en Flac Beach:

There are a lot of sea urchins at the Flic en Flac Beach

Flic en Flac has a beautiful reef with coral fish

Watch your step! The sand on Flick-n-Flack Beach has a lot of coral pieces, and there are a lot of sea urchins in the water near the shore.

#2. Trou aux Biches – a beach where you can see sea turtles

Trou aux Biches Beach has a beautiful coral reef located a little further from the coast than the one on Flic en Flac Beach. But since there is not much depth near the beach, anyone can dive from the shore. You only need to swim a little further from the shore. This is what the reef at Trou aux Biches looks like:

As much as the Mauritian authorities try to keep the coastal strip clean, there is litter

The snorkeling spot is located on the left side of the beach where boats park. This is a little inconvenient, because you need to be on the lookout when you swim to the reef. They don’t drive over the point where the reef itself is located.

Reef fish

A fish that is almost invisible on the bottom

Trou aux Biches is also home of sea turtles. Enterprising Mauritians offer to take you to see the turtles through a glass bottom of a boat for 10-15 Euros. But you can swim there yourself from the shore.

The first time I went there by boat, because the boatman told me that it will take a 20-minute boat ride to get there. It turned out that the turtles don’t live that far from the shore. The second time I swam from the shore to see them.

#3. Blue Bay Beach and Blue Bay Marine Park

Blue Bay Beach is located in Blue Bay Marine Park. This is another place in Mauritius where you can swim with turtles. True, it is better to sail to the turtles by boat, and not swim from the shore due to the strong current.

Be careful! There is a strong current in Blue Bay Marine Park.

#4. Balaclava Beach – one of my favorite snorkeling spots

Balaclava Beach is probably my favorite spot in Mauritius for snorkeling from the shore. Here is the most beautiful, diverse and large coral reef with lots of fish and other marine creatures – stars, clams, etc. In addition, Balaclava beach is located near Turtle Bay, where you can also see sea turtles.

Here are some photos I took while snorkeling at Balaclava Beach:

Here are some interesting green anemones

Coral reef at Balaklava Beach is the richest on the north coast

This beautiful starfish is poisonous. It is better not to touch it.

Caution: There is some current on Balaclava beach. It can pull you away.

#5. Pereybere Beach

Pereybere Beach doesn’t have a reef. The reef is located to the right of the beach, where there are rocks and kayak and SUP board rentals. On the other side, there are several rocks with amazingly beautiful carpets of sea anemones. If you swim away from these stones further towards the deeper water (reference point – dark patches on the water), you will see a small reef with flocks of fish.

Here are some of my photos of the underwater world near the Pereybere Beach:

Boxfish (Ostracion cubicum)

Multicolored anemone carpets

Small Clownfish often live in sea anemones

Some fish swim curiously to look at you, and some hide like this

These beautiful fish are called Angelfish. They are often kept in aquariums.

Where to swim with dolphins in Mauritius

In Mauritius, there are several tours on large catamarans or boats offering swimming with dolphins or whale watching:

• Black River Dolphins — a short 3-hour excursion. It is guaranteed that you will definitely see some dolphins. If you don’t, the second tour will be free for you. Prices starts from 46€ per person.
• Swimming with dolphins and barbecue – whole day boat trip on a catamaran. Barbecue lunch included.
• Dolphins + whales — a tour during which you will not just swim with dolphins, but also see whales. The price is 92€ per person.

Is snorkeling in Mauritius dangerous?

No, if you follow the precautions and simple rules. There are just few of them:

1. Do not touch anything under water with your hands – starfish, corals or passing fish.
2. Do not try to get shells, pebbles, stars or bottles from the bottom. Some sea creatures live in shells (in bottles too), and starfish can be poisonous.
3. Enter the water and swim with flippers or rubber slippers and try not to step on sea urchins.

Finally, the answer to the main tourist question: no, there are no sharks in Mauritius, unlike the Seychelles, where sharks swim right up to the shore.

Hello!
My name is Tatiana, and I am glad to see you in my Mauritius travel guide.
For more than 12 years I have been traveling and creating travel guides to different countries. For the first time I got to Mauritius in 2018. I got inspired by the island so much that I decided to create this guide.
I personally visited all the places described on this site. Photos and texts are also taken and written by me. I update articles regularly to keep them up to date.
I hope you’ll forgive any errors or awkward phrasing, as I am not a native English speaker.

Websites to help organize your trip to Mauritius:

• Find the best flight to Mauritius – Trip.com.
• Score a sweet deal on a hotel – Booking.com
• Hire a car – Localrent.
• Book a taxi from / to the airport – GetTransfer or KiwiTaxi.
• Find interesting or unique tours & activities – GetYourGuide.