Réunion · France · Wall · Pelagic & blue water
Poséïdon
A cliff that begins at 37 m and falls to 60 m in the blue
Area photo: Cynomana · CC BY-SA 4.0
Poséïdon is a deep wall off L'Étang-Salé les Bains. The descent lands on a rock spur out in the blue that turns into a cliff at 37 m and falls away to 60 m, steep and heavily grown. The site's resident giant grouper is what divers come hoping to meet. Nothing here is shallow: the dive starts below 37 m and ends on the ascent.
Also known as Poseidon.
Where it is and how deep
21.2638° S, 55.3336° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
You drop into open water and the first thing that resolves out of the blue is a rock spur running out from the coast. Follow it down and at 37 m it stops being a slope and becomes a cliff, dropping to 60 m. That transition is the site: everything worth seeing is on or just off the face, and the profile is fixed by it, which is why the directory quotes the dive as 37 to 60 m.
The relief is steep and the fauna on it dense, so the wall holds a lot of coral fish for its depth and blue triggerfish work the face. Pelagics come past off the edge. With luck you meet the animal the site is known for, an enormous grouper that holds this ground. Plan the turn before you go: bottom time at these depths is short and the ascent is the longest part of the dive.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
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 wall runs from 37 m to 60 m, past recreational limits at its foot: fix a turn depth on the surface and watch gas and narcosis.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Poséïdon dive site?+
The rock spur becomes a cliff at 37 m and the wall falls to 60 m. The directory quotes the site as a 37 to 60 m dive, with French level 2 as the minimum level.
Sources
- Poséïdon — Carte de La Réunion
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