La Passe St. Francois

Best months: Nov–Jan

Protected Area

Ile Aux Sables

Why dive here

With 258+ marine species recorded in the area - including barracuda, blue sharks, giant moray eels, sperm whales and tiger sharks - La Passe St. Francois offers some of Rodrigues Island's richest reef diving. Water ranges 24-28°C, warmest January, February, March.

Best timeNov–Jan

WetsuitA 3mm shorty or thin full wetsuit

Marine lifeBarracuda, Blue Sharks, Giant Moray Eels, Sperm Whales and Tiger Sharks · 258+ species recorded

Water24-28°C · warmest January, February, March

CharacterReef dive · max 10-30m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

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.