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Belle Mare, wild and unspoiled, is one of the most beautiful beaches in Mauritius. Relatively uncrowded, its lagoon offers nice and safe snorkeling. If shore snorkeling is possible, you can also organize a boat trip to reach the more remote coral areas, where the underwater life is more interesting.

Pipefish in Belle Mare
A pipefish encountered on the lagoon sandy beds.

How to get to Belle Mare snorkeling spot?

Belle Mare is a town on the east coast of Mauritius, located a few kilometers north of Palmar and Trou d’Eau Douce. Part of Belle Mare beach is public and the other part is lined by resorts, including the LUX Belle Mare Resort & Villas and The Residence Hotel.

It is easy to reach this spot by car, taxi, or bus. If you want to explore the coral areas (zone 2 on the map), it is better to reach them by boat. You will find in Belle Mare several guides or fishermen who will take you to the reef for a few hundred rupees.

Belle Mare public beach snorkeling map

Water entrance for snorkeling Belle Mare

To explore the areas close to the beach (zone 1 on the map above), you can enter the water from the shore. It is around the black rocks north of the beach, on which a Hindu temple has been built, that the underwater life is most interesting.

To explore the reef, which starts about 500m from the beach (zone 2 on the map), it is advisable to enter the water from a boat. Swimming from the shore is not recommended, because of the many boats and jet skis traffic in the lagoon.

Underwater statues in Belle Mare.
Many Hindu statues are found on the sea bottom near the temple.

Belle Mare Beach snorkeling exploration tips

You can snorkel all over the Belle Mare lagoon. Two areas can however be distinguished:

  • The sandy and rocky areas near the beach (zone 1 on the map, beach access). Here, the seabed is pretty poor, with stretches of sand, rocks, and rare corals (↕2-6ft/0.5-1.5m). It is around the rocks near the temple that you’ll see more fish, such as surgeonfish, damselfish, and butterflyfish. Close to the temple, you may find underwater many small Hindu statues.
Green birdmouth wrasse
A male green birdmouth wrasse found in the lagoon.
  • The coral reef, which begins about 500m from the beach (zone 2 on the map, boat access). Here, the seabed is covered with corals, but these are in overall poor condition. In some areas, pretty tabular coral and branching coral can be found. A few giant clams are also hiding on the reef. Numerous scissortail sergeants swim below the surface of the water, while green birdmouth wrasse, trumpetfish, surgeonfish, and yellowfin goatfish shelter around the coral.
Blackspotted puffer in Belle Mare
The blackspotted puffer is pretty common at this location.

The east coast of Mauritius is more exposed to the wind, particularly during the southern winter. Get to another location if the lagoon is rough.

Restaurants and accommodation nearby

There are several small restaurants and food trucks along the public beach. If you are staying at LUX Belle Mare Resort & Villas or The Residence Hotel, you will be right in front of the spot.

 

  • Level required Beginner
  • Maximum depth10ft/3m
  • Water entranceFrom a sandy beach (or a boat)
  • Potential DangersBoat/jetski traffic
  • LifeguardNo
  • Visitor numbersLow
  • Access costsFree
  • Restaurants nearbyYes

MAP Spot

These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life.

This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.