Reef
down to 40 m
Chira Lepoe
A shallow anemone garden off Mayotte's south coast, used for try dives, home to clownfish and porcelain crabs.
- Open Water
- Clownfish
Mayotte
10 documented dive sites, 1 of them for Open Water divers. Known for manta rays, blacktip reef sharks and grey reef sharks.
- Best months
- Apr–Nov
- Water
- 24–28 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
- Nearest airport
- DZA
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Mayotte in October
Best season- Air
- 28 °C
- 23 °C at night
- Rain
- 80 mm
- average for the year
- Wind
- 8 km/h
- on average
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Diving is possible all year, ideally Apr–Nov; humpback whales Jul–Oct and hammerheads in the cool season. Cyclone Chido (December 2024) killed 26–88% of the coral depending on the site, and recovery is expected to take years.
Dive sites in Mayotte
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m1 siteFor Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m6 sitesWreck
down to 21 m
Épave de Yohann
A 14 m sailboat wreck in N'Gouja Bay, colonised by corals and nudibranchs, dived by day and night.
- Advanced
- Nudibranchs
Wall
down to 40 m
Passe Sada Nord
Cliffs with overhangs and faults, and wide gorgonian fields between 20 and 40 m.
- Advanced
- Turtles
Reef
down to 30 m
Chira Rani (Patate Bleue)
- Advanced
- Dolphins
Reef
down to 40 m
Chira Rocchi (Rochi)
- Advanced
- Batfish
Reef
down to 40 m
Passe Bouéni Sud
- Advanced
- Whitetip reef sharks
For experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m3 sitesDrift
down to 50 m
Passe Bateaux Sud
A tidal wall dive from about 20 m where blacktip and sometimes grey reef sharks patrol.
- Experienced
- Blacktip reef sharks
Wall
down to 50 m
Passe Bateaux Nord
- Experienced
- Sharks
Pinnacle
down to 40 m
Patate Barra (Passe Bouéni Nord)
- Experienced
- Barracuda
Marine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humpback whalesSource: us.france.fr | ||||||||||||
| Manta raysSource: france.fr | ||||||||||||
| DolphinsSource: us.france.fr |
- Peak season
- Seen
Humpback whales: Jul–Oct. Manta rays: Apr–Jun. Dolphins: All year
Also reported here, season not documented yet:
- Blacktip reef sharks
- Grey reef sharks
- Whitetip reef sharks
- Turtles
- Eagle rays
- Barracuda
- Trevally
- Bumphead parrotfish
- Hammerhead sharks
- Dugong
- Tuna
Where is Mayotte?
- Nearest airport
- DZA
Mayotte: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Mayotte?
- The best months to dive Mayotte are Apr–Nov. Diving is possible all year, ideally Apr–Nov; humpback whales Jul–Oct and hammerheads in the cool season. Cyclone Chido (December 2024) killed 26–88% of the coral depending on the site, and recovery is expected to take years.
- Is Mayotte good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 1 of the 10 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Chira Lepoe. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Mayotte?
- The water is usually between 24 °C and 28 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Mayotte?
- Divers regularly see humpback whales (Jul–Oct), manta rays (Apr–Jun), blacktip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks and dolphins (all year).
- How do you dive Mayotte?
- The nearest airport is DZA.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash