Reefwander
A camouflaged reef stonefish resting on the sandy seabed off Mauritius

Mauritius · Mauritius · Wall

Bambous

Steep walls and rock formations at about 34 m

Area photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

Bambous is a deep site off Flic en Flac where steep walls and rock formations drop to about 34 metres. Depth is what defines it: the site is described as one for advanced divers holding a Deep Diver specialty rather than a general reef trip, and the rock structure rather than coral is what there is to look at.

Also known as Colin Bambous.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Bambous: typical dive to 34 m (to 112 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit34 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

20.2830° S, 57.3560° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

You go in from a boat and descend on the wall. Nothing is published about where the top of the wall sits, so the depth you start at comes from the briefing rather than from the site description. What is on record is the terrain — steep walls and rock formations — and the approximately 34 metre working depth that the deep-specialty requirement is built on.

At 34 metres no-decompression time is short, so the dive is governed by a turn time agreed before the descent rather than by how much of the wall is left to see. Nothing published records a route, a resident species list or a seasonal pattern here, so ask the centre what they have been finding lately. This is a site chosen for the structure and the depth, not for a guaranteed encounter.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Bambous
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairGoodPrimePrimeGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodPrimeGood

Season follows Mauritius: Cyclone season (Jan-Mar) can disrupt trips and cloud visibility; the trade-wind months of Apr-Nov give steadier, clearer conditions.

Know before you go

  • At approximately 34 metres no-decompression time runs out quickly and narcosis is a real factor: agree a hard bottom time before descending and turn the dive on it.

Questions divers ask

What certification do I need for Bambous?+

It is described as a site for advanced divers with a Deep Diver specialty, because the profile works at approximately 34 metres.

Sources

  1. Bambous - Scubago — Scubago

More dive sites in Mauritius

A small rock outcrop on sand, 16 m at its deepest

to 16 mbeginner

Two pieces of reef split by a sand bank, 17 m deep

to 17 mbeginner

Wreck

A Port Louis harbour tug in 19 m of water

to 19 mintermediate

A 14 to 25 m drop-off, and a drift when the current runs

14–25 mintermediate

The shallow part of L'Eveille, 5 to 19 m

5–19 mbeginner

The coast's newest wreck, scuttled in 2015 at 45 m

to 45 madvanced

A wreck sunk as an artificial reef at 43 m, rarely dived

to 43 madvanced

Artificial reef

One of Mauritius's best-regarded wrecks, in 25 m

to 25 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

Wall

Bevato

Ifaty & Mangily · Madagascar

A wall from 17 m to sand at 26 m with a resident school of bannerfish

17–26 mintermediate

Wall

Aquarium

Daymaniyat Islands · Oman

Coral-covered boulders above a wall that runs both ways

8–27 mintermediate

Wall

Four Brothers

Nosy Be · Madagascar

Sheer walls where barracuda, mobulas and whitetips pass

0–30 mintermediate

Wall

Rasdhoo Madivaru

Ari & Rasdhoo Atolls · Maldives

An early-morning drop into the blue for hammerheads

to 30 madvanced