Reef
down to 40 m
Banc des Licornes
Coral plateaux at 13-19 m described as one of the finest coral fields, with corals 'like new' and undamaged.
- Advanced
Advanced≤30 m
Grand Banc (Shark Point)
Dive site in Nosy Be, Madagascar
Drop-offs facing the Mozambique Channel where grey and whitetip reef sharks are seen, and occasionally hammerheads.
- Max depth
- 40 m
- Level
- Advanced
- Best months
- Oct–Dec
- Entry
- By boat
- Current
- Strong
The dive
A wall dive from a boat. Known for grey reef sharks, hammerhead sharks and whitetip reef sharks.
Who it's for
Advanced≤30 mSource: sakalavdiving.com
Recommended minimum: Advanced (PADI Advanced Open Water, N2).
- DepthThe usual dive goes deeper than lower certifications allow.
- CurrentCurrent can be strong; you need good air management and buoyancy.
- DriftYou move with the current and surface away from where you started.
- Strong current: dive with a local guide and carry a surface marker buoy.
- The site goes deeper than 30 m: Advanced divers stay above 30 m.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Wall
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Grey reef sharks
- Hammerhead sharks
- Whitetip reef sharks
Season in Nosy Be
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: Oct–Dec.
Source: sakalavdiving.comWhere is Nosy Be?
The point shows the Nosy Be area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Nosy Be
Reef
down to 20 m
Nosy Tanikely
A marine reserve reef where small whitetip reef sharks visit among the corals and fish schools, and many sea turtles can be seen.
- Advanced
- Whitetip reef sharks
Rock formations
down to 50 m
Atnam
Named for 'manta' spelt backwards, an offshore reef reached by a negative descent to 38 m and dived as a drift.
- Technical
Reef
down to 40 m
Banc Rosario
A coral plateau that is one of the favoured places to swim alongside whale sharks in October and November, with ribbon morays.
- Advanced
- Whale sharks
Wall
down to 45 m
Canyon
A deep outer-wall dive between 30 and 45 m with occasional leopard and whitetip shark encounters.
- Technical
- Leopard (zebra) sharks
Macro
down to 23 m
Sakatia Bay (between Nosy Be and Nosy Sakatia)
Wave- and current-free bay reefs between Nosy Be and Nosy Sakatia, known for seahorses, frogfish, ghost pipefish and nudibranchs.
- Advanced
- Turtles
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.