Mayotte · France · Channel & pass · Drift
Passe Bouéni
Two dives in one pass: 40 m lagoon side, 60 m ocean side
Area photo: Jerome Paillet (IFREMER) · CC BY 4.0
Passe Bouéni is a cut through the reef in the south of Mayotte, off the commune it takes its name from, and it is offered as two experiences rather than one dive. The south side faces the lagoon: very bright, clear over coral and fish, with a descent to 40 metres. The north side faces the open ocean, drops to 60 metres, and is where sharks are not a rare sight.
Where it is and how deep
12.9107° S, 45.0801° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Passe Bouéni Sud is the lagoon side of the cut and the shallower of the two, with a descent to 40 metres. It is the bright one: the pass is described as very luminous, clear enough over the coral and the fish that it is like looking at them without a mask in the way. What that side offers is the reef structure of the pass itself and the fish holding on it, rather than time spent watching open water.
Passe Bouéni Nord is the ocean side, and it goes to 60 metres where the pass opens to the sea. It is not rare to see sharks here alongside the coral and fish — they come into the pass to feed — which is what puts the north side on the list when a group wants something in the blue. No species is published for them, and the 60 metres is the depth of the descent rather than a profile to plan to.
Inside the pass sits the Patate Barracuda, a coral head named for the carnivorous fish that regularly come by it, and one that is regularly worked by the currents running into and out of the lagoon. That exchange is what the dive is built around on either side: the direction the water is moving decides how the pass is dived and when. Beyond that, nothing site-specific is published for visibility, water temperature or season, and the current rating here is the one carried by the Mayotte area record.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Mayotte: Dry season (May-Oct) brings calm seas and the clearest water, coinciding with the Jul-Sep humpback whale season; the wet season (Nov-Apr) raises cyclone risk.
Know before you go
- The lagoon side goes to 40 metres and the ocean side to 60, both deep enough that gas and narcosis drive the plan — agree a turn depth and a time before entering the water.
- The pass is regularly worked by currents running into and out of the lagoon, so the direction of the water decides how the dive is run; misjudging it means working against the flow at depth.
Questions divers ask
Can beginners dive Passe Bouéni?+
No. The lagoon side descends to 40 metres and the ocean side to 60, both past beginner limits, and the pass is regularly worked by currents running in and out of the lagoon. It is an advanced dive on either side.
Are there sharks at Passe Bouéni?+
Sharks are not a rare sight on the ocean side — the north half of the pass — where they come in to feed alongside the coral and fish. No species is named in the published description, and the lagoon side is described in terms of coral and reef fish rather than sharks.
Sources
- 10 plus beaux spots de plongée à Mayotte — Mayotte Tourisme
- Bouéni, Mayotte (OSM) — OpenStreetMap
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