Réunion, the area around Bénitier Japonicus

Réunion · France · Reef · Wall

Bénitier Japonicus

A coral flat to 20 m, then a wall from 20 down to 40 m

Area photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0

A stretch of coral barrier south of Saint-Pierre that benefits from a lot of water movement, which shows in what grows and what passes. The flat down to 20 m carries brain, branching, black and soft corals; below it a wall runs from 20 to 40 m for divers with more experience. The same dive suits an introduction and a deep drop-off.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Bénitier Japonicus: typical dive 0–40 m (0–130 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit0 m40 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 50 m (164 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

21.3722° S, 55.5569° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Down to 20 m the site is a rich flat carrying several kinds of coral at once — brain corals, branching colonies, black coral and soft coral — which is unusual enough on this coast to be the reason the site is listed. It is shallow ground and it is where less experienced divers spend the whole dive, working slowly across the coral rather than heading anywhere.

Divers with more experience start instead along the drop-off that runs from 20 to 40 m below the flat. The site benefits from a large circulation of water, and that is what pulls the fish in: the directory describes a chain of life running from the small coral fish up to the big predators — snappers and big-eye red mullet over the coral, shoals of dorado, and tuna and swordfish out in the moving water off the edge.

Marine life and season

  • Tuna
Month-by-month season rating for Bénitier Japonicus
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFair

Season follows Réunion: May–Oct is the dry season with the calmest water and humpbacks Jul–Oct; Jan–Mar is cyclone season.

Know before you go

  • The site works because water moves across it, so expect current: agree the drift direction and the pickup with the boat before you drop.

Sources

  1. Bénitier Japonicus — Carte de La Réunion

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