We’ll let you into a little secret today: Even though we love beaches, Vid and I are not the best swimmers and are always a little apprehensive around deep waters. So when we found out that it is possible to go deep into the sea and walk on the sea bed, with no one but fish for company, we resisted…errr…NOT. Who doesn’t love a good challenge? Here’s the lowdown on our epic undersea walk:
Undoubtedly one of the best things to do in Mauritius, the undersea walk is offered by quite a few operators. We booked our undersea walk with Solar Sea Walk with great excitement. Early one morning, we arrived at Grand Baie, Mauritius to partake in this madness and willingly surrender ourselves to the sea – aah!
We were put into a boat and taken to a diving platform in the middle of nowhere. Let me tell you something – the feeling of being surrounded by water for miles can be exciting and scary when you know you are to be submerged under that water in the moments to come.
A short briefing later, we were ready to be accompanied to the bottom of the sea by professional divers. Giant visors were fitted onto our heads to ensure constant supply of oxygen. Before we knew it, we were being thrust down a ladder to the bottom of the sea.
I won’t lie – at this point I had a serious case of goosebumps and my heart was in my mouth. Unwilling to get go of the last step of the ladder, I even thought of backing out. Moments later, Vid’s smile and a friendly school of neon-coloured fish put my momentary doubts to rest.
Once both of us had found our footing, we began to look around at the corals, dozens of patterned fish, and other gorgeous sea creatures. The crystal-clear waters of Mauritius ensure excellent visibility, so there’s never a dearth of spectacular visuals. We couldn’t hear any sounds inside the giant visors except the sound of our own rhythmic breathing. Thus distanced from the world, we felt lightheaded. It was almost as if we were floating, high on happiness and excitement. Both of us remember being awestruck by the fascinating marine life on display.
The next 20 minutes seemed to pass within seconds. Soon the instructor was signalling us to go up the ladder to the ‘real’ world. But we didn’t want to leave this magical world behind.
That day travel taught us something important – sometimes it is important to take that leap of faith and plunge headlong into whatever scares you the most. You never know, you just might fall in love with it π
Want to know what it felt like? Here’s a short video from down under – Notice the complete lack of worldly noise, the aggressive waters, and watch Vid feed fish in Mauritius
Fact File
- You don’t need to know how to swim to experience the Undersea Walk
- The Undersea Walk is aided by specially designed helmets that receive a constant supply of fresh air from the surface
- There is always one trained diver with the participants
- Solar Sea Walk’s diving equipment is operated using solar power – Nice!
- The Undersea Walk costs aprox. GBP 20 (as of September 2013)
- More information and photos on Solar Sea Walk’s websiteΒ
diving helmet which receives a constant supply of fresh air from the surface, y
Planning a trip to Mauritius? We have all Mauritius related information you could possibly need π
What’s the craziest thing that you have done to face your fears? Tell us – we won’t judge you π
FURTHER READING
- Don’t forget to read our Guide to the Street Food of Mauritius for some seriously scrumptious eats
- For more information, have a look at all our experiences in Mauritius.
- Looking for a lovely place to stay? Check out our unforgettable stay at Lux* Belle Mare.
- Need help packing? Check out our guide to Packing for Mauritius
We were guests of Air Mauritius andΒ Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA)Β in Mauritius. We are two extremely opinionated ninjas β so all views (good and bad) are entirely our own. Click on to read our fullΒ Disclosure Policy
This is so cool π π
Whee – it was π
That astronaut-like underwater helmet is ridiculous! And yet, you guys managed to look so cute in them LOL. I’d love to walk under water one day — looks like fun!
You’re too kind Kieu – that helmet was the pits and we looked absolutely ridiculous π
wooah..thats one helluva thing to do..but I am scared of water:(:( i hope in 2014 i can overcome this fear π
Priyadarshini there’s a simple way to do that – go for an Undersea Walk in Mauritius π
amazing pictures and your commentary is great. i’m not a great swimmer either but i would definitely try this. thank you for sharing your adventures!
Andrea good to see someone is in the same (wonky?) boat as we are. Here’s to being weak swimmers π
This sounds like an awesome experience, Mauritius is such a picture perfect destination too.
I must agree – I love Mauritius. Penning an article on Things to do in Mauritius actually made me nostalgic π
Oh my goodness – this looks amazing. What a fantastic exterience!
The Undersea Walk in Mauritius was a crazy experience Vicky π
looks like you had an amazing time wow x
Hey Lisa – this was definitely a lot of fun π
What a fantastic experience. I used to dive a lot and there is nothing more exciting than being under the sea surrounded by beautiful fish!
I must agree with you Erika π
My husband and I are off to Mauritius in July this year staying at the Heritage Awali. Is this available near there or is it on the other side of the island? It looks absolutely amazing! Well done in doing it guys.
Jean,
If I’m not mistaken, Heritage Awali is in the south, isn’t it? This particular walk was in the North (Grand Bay). I’m not sure if there are any in the south, but do know that there is one in the East (Belle Mare).
You could probably combine this with a trip to Port Louis /day trip to the North π
Are you renting a car?
Cheers
what is the best time to visit Mauritius for this undersea walking
Hi Jasleen,
As far as we know, the undersea walk in Mauritius can be enjoyed throughout the year. Just pray that the day is sunny because that improves the visibility. We did it when it was cloudy but still managed to see everything clearly π
Do you need to know swimming for the under sea walk?
Hey Aparna – no you don’t need to know how to swim. Please check the ‘Fact File’ section in the article above for more information π
Hi guys, got 16 days to go until i visit Belle Mare woop for our first visit to Mauritius! Love your articles, is it something we can book through our holiday reps or just through local salesman etc when we are there?
Hey Matt – so glad you found our posts useful. You can definitely book the undersea walk on getting to Mauritius. However we would suggest going to the actual booth in Belle Mare and booking it. Holiday reps usually charge a premium for being the middlemen π
Thank you really appreciate it! Keep up the good work π
Hi Savi,
Thank you for the wonderful post. We are planning our honeymoon in Mauritius in December. I was very sceptical about the under sea walk thing but your post has motivated me enough to try it out ! π
Thanks Isha – hope you guys have an amazing time in Mauritius. You’ll definitely love the undersea walk π
Definitely want to try this when we go to Mauritius, we would love to capture this moment to, Did you have your own under water camera or did they film the experience for you and you had to pay for it?
Hey Milla – they do film the entire experience but we had our GoPro camera with us π
Thanks for this story, which has inspired me to take the Undersea walk for sure in my upcoming trip next week to Mauritius. My wife doesn’t know how to swim, but I will take her along and I am sure she will love it. We are going to celebrate our Silver Jubilee together there.
Thanks for all the information and photo.
Hey Vinod that’s awesome. We’re SO happy to hear that. Happy Anniversary to you – do send us photos from your undersea walk, we’d love to share them with our readers π
Woaaahh This looks amazing…We are planning to go Mauritius for our honeymoon…Would love to try the Undersea Walk..!!!
You should give it a go Shikha – it’s a lot of fun π
Hi..we are planning to go Mauritius…how many days required?
4-7 days should be enough for Mauritius Brijesh π
How much does it cost for the under sea walk ? For trip to Mauritius with Kids is it better to rent a care or go through a travel company ?
Hi Jyoti,
From what we can remember it was around 35 USD but best to check the latest prices with the company directly. We’d always suggest renting a car π