La Passe St. Francois - Rodrigues Island
La Passe St. Francois is a rush, pure and simple. We love a good channel dive, and this one delivers. You drop in and immediately feel the push of the outgoing tide, a proper conveyor belt ride. It’s a drift, obviously, so just go with it. We’ve had incredible luck here with grey reef sharks, often patrolling the deeper edges, just cruising. Keep an eye out into the blue for eagle rays; they glide past with such elegance, totally unfazed. The coral isn’t the star of the show here – it’s more about the pelagics and the sheer thrill of the current. We’d suggest timing your dive with the outgoing tide; that’s when the action really picks up. It’s an advanced dive, no doubt, given the currents, but for those comfortable with a bit of a push, it’s exhilarating. You’ll feel the surge, hear the water moving around you, and sometimes the light just glints off a school of barracuda hanging in the flow. It’s raw, wild Rodrigues diving, and we absolutely rate it.
- Location
- Rodrigues Island, Mauritius, Indian Ocean & East Africa
- Coordinates
- -19.740000, 63.440000
- Type
- reef
- Maximum Depth
- 10-30m
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Marine Protected Area: Ile Aux Sables
Best Time to Dive in Rodrigues Island
The warmest water temperatures in Rodrigues Island occur in January, averaging 28.6°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 28.6°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 28.6°C (air: 25.4°C)
- February: 28.6°C (air: 25.4°C)
- March: 28.6°C (air: 25.4°C)
- April: 28.6°C (air: 24.9°C)
- May: 28.6°C (air: 23.7°C)
- June: 28.6°C (air: 22.1°C)
- July: 28.6°C (air: 21.2°C)
- August: 28.6°C (air: 20.7°C)
- September: 28.6°C (air: 21.0°C)
- October: 28.6°C (air: 22.0°C)
- November: 28.6°C (air: 23.2°C)
- December: 28.6°C (air: 24.3°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Rodrigues Island
- Aquarium Rodrigues - 3-12m (reef)
- eco-evasion
- Rodrigues Diving
- TRAVELLER - 0m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to La Passe St. Francois
Marine Life in Rodrigues Island
Home to 259 recorded species including 200 reef fish, 46 hard corals, 4 sharks & rays, 4 sea snails & nudibranchs, 2 clams & mussels, 1 whales & dolphins.
Notable Species
- Silvertip shark (Carcharhinus albimarginatus) - Sharks & Rays
- Blackspot Surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigrofuscus) - Reef Fish
- Honeycomb Grouper (Epinephelus merra) - Reef Fish
- Coral Blenny (Istiblennius edentulus) - Reef Fish
- Red-streaked Blenny (Cirripectes stigmaticus) - Reef Fish
- Blackspotted Rockskipper (Entomacrodus striatus) - Reef Fish
- Undulated moray (Gymnothorax undulatus) - Reef Fish
- Epaulette Soldierfish (Myripristis kuntee) - Reef Fish
- Red Squirrelfish (Sargocentron diadema) - Reef Fish
- Longtail Silverbiddy (Gerres longirostris) - Reef Fish
- Gorgeous Gussy (Chaetodon guttatissimus) - Reef Fish
- Bluestripe Pipefish (Doryrhamphus excisus) - Reef Fish
- Blue-dashed Rockskipper (Blenniella periophthalmus) - Reef Fish
- Dusky Wrasse (Halichoeres marginatus) - Reef Fish
- Floral wrasse (Cheilinus chlorourus) - Reef Fish
- Two-tone wrasse (Thalassoma amblycephalum) - Reef Fish
- Silver-streaked rainbowfish (Stethojulis strigiventer) - Reef Fish
- Lineated Butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Common Lyre-tail Cod (Variola louti) - Reef Fish
- Humphead Unicornfish (Naso unicornis) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for La Passe St. Francois
Based on average water temperature of 28.6°C.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 29°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