Ave Maria Rocks

Between Praslin and La Digue, Ave Maria's little granite crown continues underwater as a maze of rounded boulders, and the resident life makes it the inter-island favorite: hawksbill turtles at close quarters on nearly every dive, whitetip reef sharks dozing under the slabs, eagle rays banking through the gaps. The rock faces carry sponge and cup-coral color where hard coral is patchy, and the sand channels between boulders hold blue-spotted rays and the occasional octopus mid-costume-change. Shallow, pretty, and generous — the dive most Praslin visitors remember first.

اللحظة التي جئت من أجلها: Reliable turtles and resting whitetips in granite gullies

التضاريس: Granite islet whose boulders tumble underwater into gullies and swim-throughs

التيار: Sheltered between Praslin and La Digue on most winds; occasional tidal push through the gap.

المخاطر: Light surge in the shallows on windy days.

الحفاظ على البيئة البحرية: Turtles here are habituated to divers — keep the no-touch rule ironclad.