Cap La Houssaye
Réunion Island · France
The reef and wall system at Cap La Houssaye on Reunion's northwest coast is the island's most photogenic shallow dive — a lava shelf at 5 to 12 metres gives way to a moderate wall draped in soft coral and wire coral, where lionfish hover in the shadows and trumpet fish hang vertically in plain sight. The protected bay sees calmer conditions than the exposed south coast sites, making it ideal for night dives when octopus, squid, and sleeping turtles are visible in the torch beam. Reef whitetip sharks rest on the sandy bottom during the day.
Conditions
Depth
5 to 30 m
Open water and up
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
22 to 35 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
22 to 29°C
5mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| Vis (m) | 18 | 18 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 18 |
| Current | Still | Still | Gentle | Still | Still | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Still | Still | Still |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Reef Octopus
Last confirmed May 15, 2026 · 30 records
Very likely
Most dives
Green Sea Turtle
Last confirmed Mar 7, 2026 · 49 records
Very likely
Most dives
Humpback Whale
Last confirmed Feb 19, 2026 · 27 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Red Lionfish
Last confirmed Jan 13, 2024 · 2 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Yellowmargin Moray
Last confirmed Dec 10, 2025 · 4 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Last confirmed Mar 7, 2026 · 11 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Reef Whitetip Shark
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Trumpetfish
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear