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Sainte Marie and Ile aux Nattes

Reefs, island-day boats and responsible humpback watching off Madagascar's east coast

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Destination Guide Sources For Sainte Marie and Ile aux Nattes

Reference links used to build and maintain this guide.

37 sources • Updated Oct 29, 2026

Written by DiveJourney. Built from public sources and local operator knowledge. Last updated Oct 29, 2026.

Madagascar National Tourism Office - Sainte-Marie - Destination geography, whale season, villages, lagoons, history, nature and coastal excursion leads.
Madagascar National Tourism Office - Ile aux Nattes - Nosy Nato identity, island walks, lighthouse, beaches, pirogue access and snorkeling.
Madagascar National Tourism Office - Diving - Sainte-Marie as a distinct dive region; reefs, wrecks and qualification cautions.
Madagascar National Tourism Office - Snorkeling - Sainte-Marie and Ile aux Nattes reefs and a national April-November snorkeling recommendation.
Bora Dive and Kite - Home - Ravoraha operator, day-boat diving, activities, whale-watching partnership and local operating footprint.
Bora Dive and Kite - Top Spots - Primary operator descriptions and depths for specific local reefs, pinnacles and wrecks; operator claims need daily confirmation.
Bora Dive and Kite - Dive Training and Rates - Published scuba courses, minimum ages, sample prices and included rental gear.
Bora Dive and Kite - Activities and Transfers - Nosy Nato boat transfer, Ilots aux Sables, Ampanihy pirogue excursions and published excursion prices.
Bora Dive and Kite - Whale Watching - Cetamada partnership, guide standards and published whale-safari rates.
Bora Dive and Kite - Kitesurf - Operator-described southeast trade wind and kitesurf season May to October.
PADI - Bora Dive and Research Listing - Independent training-directory listing of the Ravoraha base and PADI scuba offerings.
PADI - Diving Sainte-Marie - Island-specific dive destination, approximate water-temperature range and seasonal whale song context.
Cetamada - Responsible Marine Megafauna Ecotourism - Primary conservation organization on training and Madagascar megafauna observation charters, including 2023 regulations.
Cetamada - Organization and Contacts - Association office and direct contact, based in Sainte-Marie.
Cetamada - 2022 Humpback Season Recap - Humpbacks present in Madagascar June to October for the described season; not a guarantee for each year.
WMO World Weather Information Service - Sainte Marie - Madagascar meteorological service 1981-2010 monthly rain and air-temperature climatology; not a dive forecast.
Madagascar Meteorological Service - Extended Outlooks - Authoritative weather-warning and intraseasonal update resource; specific forecasts expire quickly.
Madagascar Airlines - Sainte-Marie - Carrier Sainte-Marie airport connections from Antananarivo and Toamasina; frequencies may change.
Madagascar Airlines - Flight Status - Operational route-status lookup including Sainte-Marie airport code SMS; not a guaranteed timetable.
Office du Tourisme de Sainte-Marie - Getting There - Local tourism-board route leads via Soanierana Ivongo and Mahambo and marine weather restrictions; current timetable unverified.
Office du Tourisme de Sainte-Marie - Practical Info - Banking and ATMs in Ambodifotatra, and entry guidance; detailed visa info should be rechecked.
Office du Tourisme de Sainte-Marie - Tourist Sites - Pirate cemetery, historic church and island attractions.
UK FCDO - Madagascar Entry Requirements - British-passport-specific visa, passport validity, health-screening and entry information; conflicts with eVisa rate listing.
Madagascar eVisa Informational Site - About - Published eVisa explanatory information and fee table. Site explicitly points applicants to evisamada.gov.mg as only official application domain; verify before payment.
UK FCDO - Madagascar Safety and Security - Explicit risk of accidents on ferry routes to Sainte-Marie and November-April cyclone exposure.
UK FCDO - Madagascar Health - Limited healthcare, travel-vaccine and mosquito-borne disease precautions.
UK FCDO - Madagascar Getting Help - Officially published 17/117 emergency response, 19/119 police and 18/118 fire numbers.
US State Department - Madagascar Travel Advisory - Medical limitations, evacuation necessity, practical payment/security concerns and emergency number differences.
Divers Alert Network - Chamber Availability Guidance - Hospital/medical assessment first, treatment and chamber availability must be confirmed dynamically.
CDC - Malaria Prophylaxis by Country - Madagascar malaria risk and prevention recommendations including coastal areas.
Embassy of Madagascar in France - Practical Information - 220 V electricity, French-style sockets and power-outage preparedness.
Wise - Madagascar Electrical Plug Standards - Types C and E, nominal 220 V / 50 Hz.
Office du Tourisme de Sainte-Marie - Contact - Local tourism-office address and phone for verification of suppliers, site access and community contacts.
Analatsara, Ile aux Nattes - Access - Accommodation operator reports no cars and intermittent generator/solar-powered electricity on Ile aux Nattes; property-specific exceptions.
Midi Madagasikara - Festival des Baleines 2026 - Report confirming 2026 whale festival dates 11-19 July, not a future annual schedule.
Destination hero photo by Pwilcox10 (historical) - Beach on Ile aux Nattes, south of Sainte Marie. Photo: Pwilcox10 / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0. Cropped and resized. Cropped image retains the same license.
Destination hero photo by Ony Tiana Olive RAZAFIMAHARAVO - Small boat off the Sainte-Marie coast. Unsplash License (https://unsplash.com/license). Photographer: https://unsplash.com/@onytianaolive. Cropped and resized for the cover.