MAURITIUS
MAURITIUS – general skills and wave sailing.
With it’s extraordinary waist deep lagoon, outer reefs throwing up waves of various sizes AND a classy 4 star, low rise hotel on the beach, Mauritius has to be the favourite to win ‘Best all round windsurfing spot in the World’ award!
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I first turned up at Le Morne in 2005. A 20 knot breeze was blowing across the bluest, flattest lagoon. Further out I could see perfect waves peeling off various reefs. And that’s how it was every day for my stay.
I suggested to the Club Ion manager that perhaps I had happened upon the best week ever. But he said that from July to December the wind is very consistent. I’ve done 16 years on the trot now, and he’s right!
Like anywhere in the world you can get light wind days – but with incredible surfing, SUPing and WindSUPing on the various reefs, these can be the most fun days of all. .
Conditions
The wind is typically a dreamy 18-25 knots sideshore. The attraction of the place has to be that it caters so well for couples of varying ability. She can be ripping the waves on the reef while he cracks the watertstart in the lagoon – and yet they are in the same sailing area. Talking of waves, you have 2 options. 200 metres out Little Reef offers friendly (usually) waist to head high waves perfect for jumping and first time riding. One km further out lies Manawa reef, where swells bend in around a horseshoe reef and peel as they do in the movies. They can be big but actually are pretty easy to handle by anyone with a little open water experience.
Accommodation
Formerly known as the Indian Resort, the refurbished and renamed ‘Riu Le Morne’ nestles unobtrusively within the swaying palms. Talk about convenience – in one of the rooms I was staying it was exactly 25 steps from bedroom to board and fully planing
It’s all-inclusive so you can eat and drink at will. The hotel offers everything a 4 star should – beautiful pool, spa, activities, unlimited loungers etc. For non windy partners, the hotel is the perfect chill zone.
The clinic
There is no better place for coaching and improving. The wind blows right into the beach so it’s easy to come in change kit, adjust things and get instant feedback.
Every day conditions permitting, I’ll run sessions on the flat water and in the waves.
Kit
You rent from the ever efficient and friendly Club Ion with their comprehensive range of Fantatic boards and SUPs and North rigs.
What else to do?
Amazing surfing and SUPing; excellent snorkeling and diving; big game fishing, golf (expensive!); wild life parks; sightseeing around a fascinating island shaped by various colonial influences.
Suggested standard
For the lagoon: Planing in the harness on a sub 120 ltr board
For the waves: waterstarting and planing in straps and harness on a sub 100 ltr board. Confident swimming in, around and under breaking waves.
I suggest 120L as a maximum board size because the lagoon is quite shallow. The bigger boards, therefore, tend to be a little under-finned.
Check out the glory of Mauritius windsurfing by watching:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpaaByeFYn0