Mauritius · Mauritius · Wall
Bambous
Steep walls and rock formations at about 34 m
Area photo: Christopher Brown · CC0
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
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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Good |
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
- Bambous - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Mauritius
Reef
Shallow coral and a multitude of small reef fish
Drift
A drift run deep to 26 m or shallow to 20 m
Cave & cavern
A guided cavern in the reef off Flic en Flac
A 44 m fishing boat on sand at 30 m by Coin de Mire
Wreck
A fishing boat sunk for diving at 35 m, a reef since the 1980s
Wreck
A wreck sunk as an artificial reef at 43 m, rarely dived
Reef
A small rock outcrop on sand, 16 m at its deepest
Reef
The shallow part of L'Eveille, 5 to 19 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Large overhangs on the wall with sleeping stingrays and turtles
Cleaning stations along the top reef of an 8 to 30 m wall
Ridges to the drop-off with resident trevally and barracuda
Wide soft-coral overhangs under table corals along a 4 km back reef