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
Sakalav Artificial Reef
Dive site in Nosy Be, Madagascar
A 2017 artificial reef on a 20 m sand plain, now full of shrimps, crabs, nudibranchs and fish.
- Max depth
- 20 m
- Level
- Advanced
- Best months
- Oct–Dec
The story
In 2017 Sakalav Diving placed 20 concrete blocks on a sandy plain at 20 m in Nosy Be bay, holding glass bottles, fitness machines, grids and a cleaned fridge and freezer. After 3 weeks everything was covered in hydroids, and juvenile fish had moved in.
Source: sakalavdiving.com
The dive
A artificial reef and macro dive. Known for crustaceans and nudibranchs.
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.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Artificial reef, Macro
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Crustaceans
- Nudibranchs
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
Wall
down to 40 m
Grand Banc (Shark Point)
Drop-offs facing the Mozambique Channel where grey and whitetip reef sharks are seen, and occasionally hammerheads.
- Advanced
- Grey reef sharks
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
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.