Stella Maru Wreck

The Stella Maru Wreck is one of Mauritius's most famous dive sites, a Japanese fishing vessel that sank off Trou aux Biches in the 1980s and has since been transformed into one of the most spectacular artificial reefs in the Indian Ocean. Located in the waters between Grand Bay and Trou aux Biches, this wreck attracts advanced divers from around the world who come to experience the remarkable marriage of maritime archaeology and tropical marine colonization that makes the Stella Maru such a unique underwater attraction. The descent to the Stella Maru drops through warm, clear water to reveal the wreck sitting upright on a sandy seabed, her outline immediately recognizable as a fishing vessel despite decades of marine growth. The masts and rigging, still partially intact, rise from the wreck like underwater trees, their structures colonized by soft corals and gorgonians that transform industrial hardware into organic sculptures. The clarity of the northern Mauritian waters means the entire wreck is often visible from the moment the descent begins, creating an impression of a ghost ship surrounded by a halo of tropical fish. The Stella Maru's exterior is a masterclass in tropical reef succession. Every surface tells the story of marine colonization — hard corals have established on the flat surfaces, soft corals drape from projecting structures, and sponges fill the gaps in a competition for space that makes the wreck appear to be dissolving into the reef. The fish community is extraordinary in both diversity and density. Massive schools of snappers and fusiliers envelop the wreck, lionfish spread their ornamental fins near every overhang, and groupers of impressive size patrol their territories with slow confidence. The interior of the Stella Maru is accessible through several openings, and exploring the compartments of the former fishing vessel provides atmospheric diving of genuine quality. The hold, bridge, and engine spaces each offer different experiences, and the marine life that has colonized these enclosed spaces includes species rarely seen in open water. Cardinal fish fill the darker compartments, large lobsters occupy the deeper recesses, and the walls are covered in a dense growth of organisms that transforms every corridor into an underwater gallery. The Stella Maru is a wreck that has transcended its origins to become something greater — a genuine underwater ecosystem that honors the vessel's history while creating new life in remarkable abundance. For advanced divers visiting northern Mauritius, this iconic wreck is an essential experience that showcases the Indian Ocean's extraordinary capacity for biological renewal.