Rodrigues · Mauritius · Pinnacle
Le Sec des Tortues
An offshore coral seamount with turtles in the tunnels
Area photo: Ludovic Lubeigt from Taiwan · CC BY-SA 2.0
One of the coral seamounts that rise off the continental shelf in the far south of the island, dived to 31 m. The rock is cut with caves and tunnels, and the green and loggerhead turtles that use them are what the site is named for. Batfish, grey sweetlips and outsized parrotfish work the flanks, and the French guide rates it for Niveau II to IV divers.
Also known as Sec des Tortues.
Where it is and how deep
19.7600° S, 63.4600° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is one of the several hauts-fonds — coral heads standing up off the continental shelf — scattered through the open water in the far south of Rodrigues. The dive reaches 31 m on the seamount itself, and the French guide that covers it rates the site for divers from Niveau II to IV, which puts it at the deeper end of what is dived here.
The structure is cut with caves and tunnels, and the turtles are the reason for the name: green turtles and loggerheads both use the shelter. Batfish hang off the flanks, tropical grey sweetlips shoal along the rock, and there are enormous parrotfish over the coral. Small sharks are listed as a possibility here rather than a fixture.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Reef sharks
| 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.
Sources
- Les sites de plongée de Rodrigues — Spots d'Évasion
In The Logbook
- Where to dive with sea turtlesBig animals · 15 min read
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
Granite canyons in the channel between Praslin and La Digue
Big granite passages, 20 minutes out from Praslin
Turtles and whitetips resting under a quiet 10 m pinnacle
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Open-water descent to 30 m, then circle the thila upward