Volcanic cliff
Lava layers.
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Coin de Mire, known in English as Gunner's Quoin, is a 65-hectare islet 8 km off the north coast of Mauritius, clearly visible from the mainland thanks to its distinctive sloping profile. It lies about 8 km northeast of Grand Baie in a straight line. The islet is a protected nature reserve that shelters many birds and cannot be visited, and its shores offer few places to anchor. It holds remains of a sugar plantation set up by Dutch settlers and lies near Flat Island. The French naturalist Bory de Saint-Vincent wrote in 1801 that of all the scattered rocks here, Coin de Mire most deserved a geologist's attention. From the east the islet looks like an ordinary hill, but from the north or south it shows a sheer cliff of stacked lava layers tilted steeply, revealing it as the remains of an ancient crater. Green vegetation covers its top, and deep blue water surrounds it. Visitors view the islet from north-coast beaches such as Cap Malheureux, or approach it on boat and catamaran trips without landing, and some snorkel in the surrounding waters. The northern sea can be choppy, so check the weather before a trip.
Lava layers.
Without landing.
Cap Malheureux.
Off the north coast of Mauritius, near Cap Malheureux
No, it is a nature reserve.
North-coast beaches or by boat.