Cap La Houssaye

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.