Water Sports in Mauritius

Mauritius suits first-time divers because the reef does the work: you descend into a lagoon rather than open ocean, so there is no swell and little current. Certified divers head to the wall dives off Blue Bay in the south, where Roche Zozo drops away in a single pillar, and to the wrecks sunk off the west coast as artificial reefs. If you have never dived, every resort coast runs a shallow introductory dive with an instructor holding your buoyancy for you, and no swimming ability is needed. November to April gives the best visibility.

Snorkelling is the cheapest way into the Mauritian lagoon and the one that needs no booking at all. Blue Bay Marine Park in the southeast is the standout, a protected reef in water shallow enough that you can stand, with coral heads a few metres from the boat. Trou aux Biches and Flic en Flac work straight off the beach. Take your own mask if you have one, hire is easy but sizing is not. Best from November to April.

The sea walk is the one activity here that non-swimmers consistently rate highest. You wear a weighted glass helmet fed with air from the surface and walk on the sand floor about four metres down, upright and breathing normally, with your head and hair completely dry. Spectacles stay on. It runs off Trou d’Eau Douce on the east coast and lasts around twenty-five minutes underwater. Minimum ages apply and vary by operator, so check when booking.

Parasailing is the quickest way to see how the reef sits around the island: from a couple of hundred feet up the lagoon reads as a band of pale green with dark blue beyond the break. You are winched off and back onto the boat deck, so you need not get wet at all. It runs from Grand Baie in the north, from Ile aux Cerfs and from Trou d’Eau Douce on the east. Flights last about ten to fifteen minutes and tandem is standard.

Le Morne in the southwest is one of the recognised kitesurfing spots in the Indian Ocean, and it is busy from May to September when the southeast trade winds run steadily across the lagoon. The inner lagoon is flat and waist deep, which is where schools teach; One Eye, the wave off the reef pass, is for experienced riders only. Lessons are widely available and most schools will take an outright beginner over three or four sessions.

Windsurfing works on the same wind and the same water as kitesurfing but is easier to start on, because the board floats under you while you learn. Le Morne and the lagoon off Belle Mare on the east coast are the reliable spots, both flat and shallow. The wind is strongest from May to September; in the summer months it drops enough that beginners often prefer it. Most beach hotels include boards for guests.

Mauritius is not a beginner’s surf destination, and it is worth saying so plainly. The reef that makes everything else calm also means the waves break over shallow coral. Tamarin Bay on the west coast is the known break and works best from June to August on the winter swell, with One Eye at Le Morne harder again. If you have never surfed, take a lesson on the sheltered inside sections rather than paddling out at Tamarin.

Boats leave early from Tamarin and Black River on the west coast to meet the resident spinner and bottlenose dolphins, which come into the bay at first light. Trips run year round. Sperm whales pass the same coast and humpbacks are seen between roughly July and October. Choose an operator that keeps its distance and does not chase; the good ones cut the engine and let the pod come. Leave by six in the morning.

A genuine submarine runs off Trou aux Biches on the northwest coast, descending to roughly 35 metres past reef and a wrecked hull. You stay dry, seated, at surface pressure and looking through a porthole, which makes it the one option that works for grandparents, small children and anyone who does not want to put their face in the water. Trips take about two hours including the boat transfer out. Book ahead, capacity is small.

The underwater scooter is a small two-seater with a clear dome over your head, driven along the sand floor of the lagoon about three metres down. Air is fed from the surface, your head stays dry, and there is no swimming and no certification. It runs from Grand Baie in the north and from Trou aux Biches. It is slower and gentler than it looks in photographs, which is the point. Sessions run around thirty minutes.

Water skiing is one of the things the Mauritian lagoon is genuinely made for: the water inside the reef is flat as a pond, so there is no chop to fall on while you learn. Trou d’Eau Douce on the east and Grand Baie in the north both run it from the beach. Most people get up on the second or third attempt. You need to be a reasonable swimmer and comfortable in a buoyancy aid for this one.

The paddle worth doing is along the west coast between Pointe aux Sables and the cliffs at Albion, where the shoreline is black basalt cut into sea caves rather than sand. Guided trips go into the caves at low tide. This is the most physical activity on the list, two to three hours of arm work with no engine, and it suits reasonably fit adults rather than families. Mornings are calmest.

A seaplane takes off and lands on the lagoon itself, which is the only way to see the reef and the underwater waterfall illusion off Le Morne from directly above. Flights run from the northern coast near Grand Gaube and last around fifteen to thirty minutes. It is not a water sport in the strict sense, but it goes on this list because it is the one option for travellers who get seasick on boats. Weather-dependent, so build in a spare day.