Hai Siang

This dive location - Hai Siang, with its exotic Asian name - is a diving wreck on Réunion Island that is only open to expert divers. The wreck was purposefully sunk in the 1980s, and its name translates to "wild pig" in Taiwanese. It was a gigantic lobster fishing boat that was nearly 50 meters long, but it was surrounded by a teeming population of snappers, scorpion fish, and stingrays. Divers occasionally come across big pelagics. The wreck diver will be captivated by its majestic structure above anything else. Before the massive metal structure is seen, divers descend into the blue to uncover its intimidating mat. On this dive site, the currents can be very powerful.

The Hai Siang shipwreck lies about 200 feet beneath the sea off Reunion Island's western shore. The 196-foot Formosan boat was confiscated and sunk as an artificial reef in 1980 after being used as an illegal fishing vessel. It has now grown teeming with marine life, including eagle rays, mola mola, sea turtles, and both hard and soft corals.

Region: Saint Gilles les Bains
Type of diving: Wreck and drift diving
Location: Opposite Cape Egrets
Recommended dive level: Level 3 confirmed
Depth of the diving spot: 54 meters