Rodrigues, the area around Le Jardin

Rodrigues · Mauritius · Reef

Le Jardin

A gentle slope to 34 m with arches and overhangs

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

One of the sites the southern operator groups together at the pass off Port Sud Est: a gently sloping reef running down to 34 m, broken by arches, overhangs and big coral heads. Coral covers the slope in profusion, with stingrays out on the sand, angelfish over the reef and trevally coming through above it.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Le Jardin: typical dive to 34 m (to 112 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit34 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

19.7360° S, 63.4630° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Le Jardin is one of the sites the Bouba Diving Center works as a group around the pass off Port Sud Est, and it is reached by boat from that end of the island. The ground is a gently inclined slope that carries on down to 34 m, so the dive is planned around the bottom time that depth allows rather than around the distance covered.

The slope is not plain ground. Arches and overhangs cut into it and large coral heads stand off it, and coral covers the site in profusion, which is what the name is about. Angelfish work the coral, lobsters sit back in the holes for anyone who knows where to look, stingrays rest out on the sand, and trevally come through above.

Marine life and season

  • Stingrays
  • Trevally & jacks
Month-by-month season rating for Le Jardin
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

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