Ifaty & Mangily · Madagascar · Drift · Wall · Channel & pass
Grotte Juliette
A drift through the South pass along a coral wall
Grotte Juliette is a drift dive through the South pass of the Ifaty barrier reef. On the lagoon side divers follow a coral wall down to 23 m, and towards the outside the reef turns to canyons, arches and swim-throughs.
Also known as Juliette cave.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Ifaty & Mangily and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The dive begins in the lagoon and drifts along the north wall of the South pass, a coral wall with big coral and schools of fish that descends to 23 m. It then drops to the Juliette cave, named for a big moray that once lived there; glassfish and a big grouper live there now. Towards the outside of the reef the topography changes to canyons, arches and swim-throughs, where humphead wrasse, groupers, stingrays, eagle rays and jacks are seen, and the dive ends far out on the outer lagoon.
Marine life and season
- Napoleon wrasse
- Groupers
- Stingrays
- Eagle rays
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Ifaty & Mangily: Diving runs all year with no peak month; weather can turn bad quickly at any time, most of all in the rainy season of January and February.
Know before you go
- The South pass drift is run for experienced divers when conditions are right.
Sources
- Ifaty Scuba — Dive Sites — Ifaty Scuba
- Atimoo — Diving in Ifaty — Atimoo
More dive sites in Ifaty & Mangily
Wall
A wall from 17 m to sand at 26 m with a resident school of bannerfish
Reef
Napoleon wrasse escorting divers through canyon-like reef
Cave & cavern
Tunnels, swim-throughs and arches in the middle of the North pass
Reef
A patch reef on the outer lagoon dived from 15 m to 23 m
Coral garden
A healthy patch reef inside a community-managed reserve since 2019
Similar dives elsewhere
A drift from a 4 m bay onto a steep wall, mantas Jan–Apr
Whitetip reef sharks resting on the sand below the reef
Overhangs and cavities from 10 m to beyond 30 m on the channel's south side
Drift
L'Ilot
Seychelles · Seychelles
Drift a 200 m passage where eagle rays school