Scuba Diving Reunion Island: Underwater Photography

October 04, 2016

Scuba Diving in Reunion Island:

Underwater Photography

Still a secret to most Americans, the hidden gem of Reunion Island lies off the east coast of Africa in the warm Indian Ocean. Tropical coral reefs surround the island, attaching to the old and recent lava flows from the shield volcanoes that make up this island. The island is also known for surf, so keeping an eyes on the size of the swell is a must if you are planning a dive vacation there.

Stingray and Lion fish under a ledge in Reunion

Reunion Island stays a bit under the radar while the Seychelles claim much of the diving fame in this part of the world, but uncrowded reefs followed by delicious French pastries can be a real treat for those adventurous enough to make the long journey. We chose Reunion after looking into different diving options leaving from South Africa including Mozambique, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Madagascar. It turns out the 4hr plane ticket to Reunion was cheaper than all the rest, and even though the money here is the Euro (being a part of France), after find an airbnb it was way cheaper than we could find in Seychelles or any of the other destinations.

Reunion Scuba Diving

Unlike dive shops in the U.S., the normal diving day consist of 1 dive in the morning and possibly 1 dive in the afternoon. Night dives are possible. Dives plus equipments go for a rate of 45-50 Euros per dive. We found a great dive shop (and English speaking) at Reunion Plongee. I also got in touch with Blue Marine who had English speaking divemasters. Otherwise you had better bone up on your French because English is not widely spoken here. But the true nature of the island runs deep in the locals who are some of the nicest people I have ever met. They were all very kind, even when I was bumbling my way through ordering from the local boulangerie in very broken French.

Graceful Green Sea Turtle

5ft Moray Eel

The underwater animals to put on your photographing list for wide angle include spinner dolphins, sea turtles, big moray eels, stingrays, eagle rays, lionfish, tuna, and trevally. It is possible to swim with Humpback Whales here in Reunion but the numbers of whales visiting the island has been dwindling. Only 27 individuals were ID'ed this year and all were gone by late September when we arrived. I did see some amazing underwater pictures from encounters in July and August.

Wild new nudibranch species

Another new species for me

For macro underwater photography there are endless animals to find among the reefs from smaller moray eels, reclusive dart fish, anemone fish hiding in their beautiful anemones, mantis shrimp, and of course my favorite, nudibranchs! And being such an isolated island you are almost guaranteed to find some nudibranch species that you have never seen before.

Most of the diving is done out of the west side of the island from St Gilles to St Lue. The dive shops are very laid back and relaxed. I noticed many people from France getting their first taste of tropical diving here. The water visibility can range from 10-30meters. I always try and ask about the dive site before hand to determine whether I take the wide angle or the macro since I can't change it underwater. Visibility is a great question to ask about, since macro photography can be great even in low viz. Usually here in Reunion it is a toss-up because each dive has the chance for great big stuff and cool little things to see.

Here are some underwater shots and scenes from a few of Reunion's classic dive spots.

If you want to see more photos check out my photo page here. Or follow me on instagram @daimartamarack