Water Sports in Mauritius

Wherever you are spending your holiday in Mauritius, we can recommend trustworthy operators and even arrange for your first experience of big game fishing (blue marlins etc) or group sailing trips on board large catamarans or private picnics on outer islands. Whatever your holiday location, ask us for advice of what there is to do.

Most beachside resort hotels provide water sport facilities free of charge to their guests. This usually includes water-skiing and windsurfing, as well as kayaks, pedallos and snorkelling. Some have glass-bottom boats and also dinghy sailing. If you're not staying in a beach hotel there is a boathouse, on the Ile aux Cerfs, where equipment can be hired.

Most of the large hotels include diving on their list of sports activities. Diving instruction is also available. Marvellous coral gardens are found at a depth of 25 metres. The waters around Mauritius are home to over a thousand different species of fish. Spear fishing and the collection of shells, corals, and fish are strictly prohibited.

With a coral reef that extends right around the island and water that is both warm and crystal clear, Mauritius is a place of enchantment for divers from around the world. The majority of those who dive in Mauritius are first timers attracted to the sport by the safe and near perfect conditions that exist on and around the reef, secure in the knowledge that there is expert tuition on hand for the novice.

Most large hotels in Mauritius have approved instructors on site, many of them members of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) who can assist beginners with the rudiments of the sport. There is usually some early morning tuition in the hotel swimming pool before novices are allowed to dive in the sea.

All trips are accompanied by experienced divers and there are courses and dives for the more experienced, including (lives on to shipwrecks off the Mauritian coast.

Look for the familiar red and white PADI symbol and check that diving schools are members of the Mauritian Scuba Diving Association (MSDA) based in Beau Bassin, which comprises around 30 centres.

For those not drawn to the pleasures of diving, there are two alternatives. Most large hotels operate a glass-bottomed boat that allows guests to view the marine life on the coastal reef - or visitors can opt for an underwater walk in Grand Baie.

This is like diving except that you walk along the bottom wearing something akin to an old diver's helmet over your head and with the oxygen fed by a hose line from the boat.

The popularity of windsurfing and the ideal conditions for it have resulted in many competitions, including World Championships, being held in Mauritius. Windsurfing instruction is available and equipment can be hired at beachside boathouses. Water skiing in the sheltered waters of the reef-protected lagoons is also available with instruction for beginners. For surfing, the Bay of Tamarin is said to be the best spot to drop in, and the season lasts from around June to August.

Conditions for sailing are usually excellent. The major beach resorts have small sailing dinghies which guests can use within the waters of the lagoon. Yachts can also be chartered for excursions into the open sea. Some outings combine sailing with shore excursions to otherwise inaccessible spots. An individual can join a group at a fraction of the cost of a private yacht charter. Sailing regattas are held annually. Grand Baie is the main centre for yachting and the Grand Baie Yacht Club has a temporary membership scheme for visitors. Sailing cruises are available on the schooner Isla Mauritia, a 19th-century 32m-long tallship, the last existing vessel of her class, operated by Yacht Charters Ltd.

Discover the beautiful islands surrounding Mauritius and be seduced by the crystal clear lagoon, the wonderful tropical underwater scenery, multicoloured flora, fauna and sandy stretches. Packages are available for groups, sunset cruise, weddings or individual charters.