Rodrigues · Mauritius · Cave & cavern · Reef
Le Canyon
A canyon that passes right under the barrier reef
Area photo: Ludovic Lubeigt from Taiwan · CC BY-SA 2.0
A canyon that starts inside the lagoon and runs under the barrier reef, opening into caves, chimneys and chambers on the way through, all within about 17 m. It is a route dive rather than a reef swim, with a fixed rope on one section, and it finishes in a coral garden on the far side.
Where it is and how deep
19.7000° S, 63.5060° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive begins in the lagoon, in shallow water inside the reef, and follows a canyon that cuts underneath the barrier itself. The maximum is about 17 m, so the profile is undemanding — the interest is entirely in the shape of the ground, and the route is fixed by where the passage goes rather than by what you decide to swim.
Inside, the canyon opens out into caves, chimneys and chambers before narrowing again. One section is negotiated on a fixed rope, which visiting divers tend to remember as the defining part of the dive. The last stretch of the passage leads out the far side into a coral garden, and that is where the dive finishes.
Groupers sit in the shaded parts of the gullies and moray eels are common in the cracks, with lobsters tucked back under the overhangs for anyone prepared to look. The encounter the guides tell you not to miss is with the giant trevally, which they put at 1.70 m and 68 kg.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Fair |
Season follows Rodrigues: May–Jul and Oct–Nov are the calmest windows; Jan–Mar brings cyclone risk and August can be windy.
Know before you go
- A fixed rope is used to get through part of the canyon; take the line rather than finning against the constriction, and keep clear of the diver ahead of you.
Sources
- Les sites de plongée de Rodrigues — Spots d'Évasion
- Smart Travels: Scuba Diving in Rodrigues — Smart Travels blog
- Top 8 des plus beaux sites de plongée de l'île Rodrigues — Tropicalement Vôtre
More dive sites in Rodrigues
Reef
Named after a grouper that changes colour on the spot
Pelagic & blue water
A blue descent with no reference onto a shelf at 25 m
Drift
A natural aquarium at 10 m, or a 50-minute tidal drift
Reef
Coral totems and valleys between two reef blocks
Reef
Coral drop-offs at 21 m under a ceiling of fusiliers
Coral garden
A sheltered lagoon pool at 7 m for first dives
Cave & cavern
Chimneys through the barrier reef that flood with daylight
Drift
A kilometre of channel drifted on the outgoing tide
Similar dives elsewhere
A collapsed reef cavern with easy galleries at 3 to 17 m
A cavern that surfaces in a chamber open to the sky
A ten-metre arch cresting at 20 m, its feet on the bottom at 42 m
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Two swim-through caverns, at 18-20 m and 28-30 m