Nioumachoua Reef - Moheli
Nioumachoua Reef delivers. You drop onto a hard coral plateau, usually seeing a couple of grey reef sharks patrolling the deeper edge right away. Our favourite here is drifting along the wall, keeping an eye out for the smaller stuff – we've spotted the Bristle-toothed Surgeonfish and those tiny, perfectly camouflaged Blotchfin Scorpionfish tucked into the coral. What really makes Nioumachoua special, though, is the sheer density of fish. Not just big schools, but the variety in every crevice. We often find ourselves just hanging out at 15 metres, watching the dusky farmerfish dart in and out, or catching a glimpse of the Point-head Maori wrasse weaving through the bommies. It's an intermediate dive, sometimes with a gentle drift, but nothing too taxing. We'd suggest aiming for a morning dive when the light hits the coral just right and the sharks tend to be more active. You’ll leave feeling like you’ve been somewhere genuinely untouched.
- Location
- Moheli, Comoros, Indian Ocean & East Africa
- Coordinates
- -12.340000, 43.700000
- Type
- reef
- Maximum Depth
- 8-30m
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Marine Protected Area: Parc National de Mohéli
Best Time to Dive in Moheli
The warmest water temperatures in Moheli occur in January, averaging 29.7°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 29.7°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 29.7°C (air: 26.6°C)
- February: 29.7°C (air: 26.6°C)
- March: 29.7°C (air: 26.8°C)
- April: 29.7°C (air: 26.5°C)
- May: 29.7°C (air: 25.7°C)
- June: 29.7°C (air: 24.6°C)
- July: 29.7°C (air: 23.8°C)
- August: 29.7°C (air: 23.6°C)
- September: 29.7°C (air: 23.9°C)
- October: 29.7°C (air: 25.0°C)
- November: 29.7°C (air: 26.2°C)
- December: 29.7°C (air: 26.9°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Moheli
- Moheli Marine Park - 5-25m
Marine Life in Moheli
Home to 306 recorded species including 196 reef fish, 94 hard corals, 4 sharks & rays, 4 whales & dolphins, 2 other, 2 sea snails & nudibranchs.
Notable Species
- Dorado (Coryphaena hippurus) - Reef Fish
- Triggerfish (Aluterus monoceros) - Reef Fish
- Ocean Triggerfish (Canthidermis maculata) - Reef Fish
- Allison's Tuna (Thunnus albacares) - Reef Fish
- Blackspot Surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigrofuscus) - Reef Fish
- Stripy (Katsuwonus pelamis) - Reef Fish
- Six-line wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia) - Reef Fish
- Silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) - Sharks & Rays
- Salmon (Elagatis bipinnulata) - Reef Fish
- Barracuda (Acanthocybium solandri) - Reef Fish
- Flasher (Lobotes surinamensis) - Reef Fish
- Nalolo (Ecsenius nalolo) - Reef Fish
- Dusky Angelfish (Centropyge multispinis) - Reef Fish
- Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) - Reef Fish
- Sea chub (Kyphosus cinerascens) - Reef Fish
- Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) - Reef Fish
- Indian gold-ring bristle-tooth (Ctenochaetus truncatus) - Reef Fish
- Scarlet Soldierfish (Myripristis pralinia) - Reef Fish
- Sunburst Butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii) - Reef Fish
- High Hat Triplefin (Enneapterygius tutuilae) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Nioumachoua Reef
Based on average water temperature of 29.7°C.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 30°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories