The Cathedral
Rodrigues Island · Mauritius
The Cathedral is a vast underwater cavern on Rodrigues Island's northern reef where shafts of filtered sunlight pierce the entry cracks and illuminate a cathedral-like interior draped in multicoloured sponges. Outside the main cavern the reef drops steeply to a sandy plain visited regularly by resident spotted eagle rays and green turtles. The combination of the cave experience and open reef makes this an outstanding two-part dive that showcases the full range of Rodrigues' marine biodiversity.
Conditions
Depth
8 to 30 m
Open water and up
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
20 to 30 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
23 to 30°C
5mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 |
| Vis (m) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 15 |
| Current | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Still | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Brown Noddy
Last confirmed Apr 20, 2026 · 6 records
Very likely
Most dives
Red Fody
Last confirmed Nov 19, 2025 · 4 records
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Rodrigues Fody
Last confirmed Nov 18, 2025 · 2 records
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Indian Garden Lizard
Last confirmed Apr 20, 2026 · 2 records
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
White-Tailed Tropicbird
Last confirmed Dec 22, 2024 · 1 records
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Spotted Eagle Ray
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Green Sea Turtle
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear