Reefwander
An elevated view of Rodrigues's turquoise lagoon and the pale barrier reef line running along the coast.

Rodrigues · Mauritius · Drift · Lagoon

Couzoupa

A natural aquarium at 10 m, or a 50-minute tidal drift

Area photo: Ludovic Lubeigt from Taiwan · CC BY-SA 2.0

The most popular site on the island, and one that works snorkelled as well as dived: a natural aquarium in 10 to 15 m of lagoon water. Out at the mouth of the pass, the same name also covers a fifty-minute tidal drift between 15 and 20 m, so it is either a gentle reef swim or a current dive.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Couzoupa: typical dive 10–20 m (33–66 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit10 m20 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

19.7350° S, 63.4620° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Inside the lagoon, Couzoupa is shallow — a maximum of 10 to 15 m — and the diving is a slow tour of coral ground with the fish concentrated enough that the operator calls it a natural aquarium. Anemones and their clownfish, parrotfish, trumpetfish, leaf scorpionfish and scorpionfish are all on the same short stretch of reef.

At the exit of the pass, the same site is dived as a drift. You go in on the tide and run with it for about fifty minutes between 15 and 20 m, which turns a shallow reef swim into a current dive without changing the cast much: moray eels back in the coral, octopus out over the open ground, and turtles passing through.

It is snorkelled from the surface as well, and the guides list it as the island's most popular site for divers and snorkellers alike. The two ways of diving it — the shallow lagoon tour and the drift out of the pass — share the same coral ground and much of the same cast, so which one you get depends on the tide the boat is working.

Marine life and season

  • Octopus & cuttlefish
  • Sea turtles
Month-by-month season rating for Couzoupa
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodPrimePrimeFair

Season follows Rodrigues: May–Jul and Oct–Nov are the calmest windows; Jan–Mar brings cyclone risk and August can be windy.

Sources

  1. Les sites de plongée de Bouba Diving — Bouba Diving Center
  2. Top 8 des plus beaux sites de plongée de l'île Rodrigues — Tropicalement Vôtre

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