Nosy Be · Madagascar · Reef · Coral garden
Banc d'Ankaréa
Coral plateau with fusilier shoals, turtles and passing grey sharks
Area photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Banc d'Ankaréa is a submerged coral plateau in the Mitsio Archipelago lying between 12 and 25 m. Shoals of fusiliers and unicornfish cross the coral, and turtles are seen there. Pelagic fish pass the bank regularly, kingfish, jacks and sharks among them.
Also known as Banc D'Ankaréa.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Nosy Be and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The plateau tops out at 12 m and the dive ranges across coral down to 25 m. Shoals of fusiliers and unicornfish work the reef, turtles are seen, and kingfish, jacks, whitetip and grey sharks pass along it regularly.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Sea turtles
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef sharks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good |
Season follows Nosy Be: Cyclone season (Jan-Mar) shuts down most diving; whale sharks aggregate Oct-Dec and humpback whales pass offshore during the austral winter.
Sources
- Mitsio Archipelago - Diving Cattitude — Diving Cattitude
More dive sites in Nosy Be
Seamount
A 500 m dome where grey reef and leopard sharks patrol the slopes
Wall
Sheer walls where barracuda, mobulas and whitetips pass
Wall
A deep drop-off off Nosy Iranja with a fair chance of big fish
Wall
A tunnel and arches cut through a gorgonian wall below 30 m
Reef
A long soft-coral reef thick with reef fish, kept for the third dive
Pinnacle
Two rock peaks breaking the surface, cut through with arches and caves
Artificial reef
A scuttled trawler at 28.5 m off Nosy Sakatia
Reef
Leopard, grey and whitetip sharks on a hand-shaped reef
Similar dives elsewhere
A banana-shaped reef dived from the surface to 30 m
Swim-throughs behind walls of glassfish, and no current
A no-take reef since 1982, with turtles on nearly every dive
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The protected shallows where Balicasag's turtles are thickest