Scuba Diving in Mauritius – 2010

Being at sea for months, we finally stop on a small island, over 1200 miles (2000 km) from any mainland. The stay will not be a long one, just enough to fuel up and set sail again. I don’t have much time, I have to find something to do, and quick!

Let’s Sail Around the World!

In 2010, I sailed around the world. Sadly (for me) I didn’t sail around the world on a small sail boat, but on a small cruise ship. As a sophomore in college I participated in the study abroad program, Semester at Sea. When you’re sailing, you’re taking classes. When you make port (reach land), you get to spend time traveling around that country/city. But being on land wasn’t all fun and games.

Depending on your classes, you would have different assignments to complete while on land. Sometimes you would have to visit a specific location, you would have to talk about your time there. Whatever the assignment, it usually ended in some sort of report or project. (It’s a lot more fun than it sounds. I always like learning new things and going new places. But maybe I just like school.)

Island Time

Today’s stop, Mauritius! A small island located off the south east coast of Africa, just to the east of Madagascar. It is one of the smallest countries, with a total area of 787 sq miles (2,040 sq km). (Looking up the size of Mauritius turned into a rabbit hole of me looking up the smallest countries. I didn’t know how many very small countries there are. Mauritius isn’t even in the smallest 25 countries!) There are 55 countries that are smaller, by area, than Mauritius.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/QC5CDFDTdBXnsjKaA – google maps link to Mauritius.

The Dive I Turned Down

Mauritius sits in the middle of some tropical clear waters, with a lot of colorful creatures and coral reefs. I couldn’t wait to scuba dive there. Some friends on the ship had booked a dive trip that included multiple dives, going nearly 80 ft deep and doing a night dive. They invited me to go.  

At this time, I was only Open Water Certified, which means that I wasn’t certified to go down that deep, or dive at night. (Nor had I ever done dives that deep or dove at night. Some people break the rules, but not me! Well, I don’t break the rules when diabetes and scuba diving are concerned.) I did think about joining their trip, because I really wanted to do it. But I choose the safe path, and didn’t join them.

The Dive I Did

Another friend from the ship and I booked a different dive trip, a day-time shallower dive. We booked a boat dive with a local company. Before we left on this trip, I told my friend about my diabetes. (She already knew that I had it, but I told her more specifics about diabetes. What to look out for specifically when being my dive buddy). As we learned in my diabetes and scuba diving blog post, you always want to have a non-diabetic dive buddy with you. Check ☑

She knew what to look out for, she knew to remind me (if I didn’t remember) to check my blood sugar before and after the dive. I showed her where I was keeping my glucose in case of an emergency. Looking back on it now, I probably could have emphasized the importance of all of this. I honestly can’t remember how she took it, but she understood that it was important.

Tropical Diving is the Best

This dive has probably been the best dive I have ever done. The beginning was a big shaky, but only because it had been at least six months since I had been diving, so I was nervous. Once I got to the bottom, all of my nervousness evaporated. All I could do was look at everything – it was spectacular!

We were in a decent sized group, and the water was so clear, it was very easy to keep track of everyone. I’m used to murky water with a visibility of 10 feet. This dive we could see for at least 50 feet. I was in diver heaven!

The description in my dive log is as follows, “Mauritius is so beautiful. Warm water, great visibility. Saw 2 large octopuses and a mantis shrimp.”

What a Great Trip – No Diabetic Complications

After the dive, my friend and I were so happy. We had such a great time. And to top it all off, my blood sugar number after the dive was good. No hypoglycemic event for me!

Thinking back on this dive makes me want to do some more tropical scuba diving. I was only on Mauritius for about two days. One dive was the best I could do. One was more than enough, and yet, I want more.

Being in Mauritius was such a great experience. I was able to dive safely, with no diabetic complications. It’s all I could ask for.

If you’re a diabetic and want to start scuba diving please talk with your doctor. Read my disclaimer.