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Blue triggerfish with maze-like yellow markings hovering over pale coral rubble — Nosy Be

Nosy Be · Madagascar · Wall

Gaby Rock

A deep drop-off off Nosy Iranja with a fair chance of big fish

Area photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

Gaby Rock is a deep drop-off in the Nosy Iranja area, dived between 40 and 70 m and kept for experienced divers. The draw is the chance of big fish off the wall, while a shallower site nearby offers sharks for divers who stay out of the deep water.

Also known as Roch Gaby.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Gaby Rock: typical dive 40–70 m (130–230 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit40 m70 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 80 m (262 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

13.5917° S, 47.8162° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The main dive follows the drop-off itself, which runs from 40 m down to 70 m, and is offered to experienced divers only. Time on the wall is spent watching the blue for big fish.

Divers who do not want that depth can take the shallower site instead. Its coral reef has been destroyed, but sharks are seen there regularly, so the shallow option is a shark dive rather than a coral one.

Marine life and season

  • Reef sharks
Month-by-month season rating for Gaby Rock
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Off-seasonOff-seasonFairGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodPrimePrimeGood

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.

Questions divers ask

Who can dive Gaby Rock?+

The drop-off at Gaby Rock lies between 40 and 70 m and is for experienced divers only; a shallower site nearby, with sharks but a destroyed reef, is the alternative.

Sources

  1. Dive sites in the Nosy Iranja area — Scuba Nosy Be
  2. Diving trip to Nosy Iranja — Scuba Nosy Be
  3. Nosy Iranja — OpenStreetMap

More dive sites in Nosy Be

Reef

Banc d'Ankaréa

Coral plateau with fusilier shoals, turtles and passing grey sharks

12–25 mintermediate

Seamount

Banc du Petit Castor

A 500 m dome where grey reef and leopard sharks patrol the slopes

9–60 madvanced

Wall

Four Brothers

Sheer walls where barracuda, mobulas and whitetips pass

0–30 mintermediate

Wall

Greg's Wall

A tunnel and arches cut through a gorgonian wall below 30 m

13–38 m · max 70 madvanced

Reef

Kassimo

A long soft-coral reef thick with reef fish, kept for the third dive

5–15 mintermediate

Pinnacle

Les Tétons

Two rock peaks breaking the surface, cut through with arches and caves

5–20 mintermediate

Artificial reef

Mahaveluma

A scuttled trawler at 28.5 m off Nosy Sakatia

to 28.5 madvanced

Reef

South Canyon

Leopard, grey and whitetip sharks on a hand-shaped reef

to 26 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

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An overhung wall to 40 m with grey reef and silvertip sharks

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Ridges to the drop-off with resident trevally and barracuda

to 25 madvanced

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Sea fans and a cave at 40 m under a reef top anyone can dive

to 20 m · max 40 mintermediate