The view of the turquoise lagoon and its lush shore greeted us every morning as we drew the curtains of our seafront room in Mahebourg, never failing to captivate us. Since day one of our two-month stay in Mauritius, we ruled that we ought to do at least one kayaking trip before leaving. Although there were plenty of options for guided sea or river kayaking tours throughout the country, we preferred to explore independently.
Renting a kayak in the area was much harder than one would expect. The only place we found in Blue Bay was a hotel renting battered, low-end kayaks for something like €30 per hour. Case Nautique Shop, around the corner from our lodge in Mahebourg (location), saved the day. They provided a very decent touring tandem kayak with an anchor for €20 per day.
Our original idea was to use the kayak to visit Île aux Aigrettes. However, we then found out that we weren’t allowed to set foot on the island without joining an organized tour. So, we decided to go to Blue Bay instead.
On a bright, calm morning, lathered with copious amounts of sunscreen, we put the kayak in the water and began paddling. The wind was still; the sea glassy and slightly less transparent than the air. Given the low tide, we had to steer clear of the coast to avoid grazing the reef. The paddling distance from Mahebourg to Blue Bay was roughly 6 km. With the current against us for the most part, it took us just under two hours to complete.
It was still early, and only a few tourist boats had arrived. We anchored on the sand beside the main reef in the middle of the bay, put on our masks, and dove in. We had already snorkeled several times by the promontory at the end of Blue Bay Public Beach. That was great, but this spot was even better. We saw gobs of colorful fish gliding around the coral jungle. The current was powerful, and before we knew it, we’d drifted to the other side of the bay. It took some effort to swim back.
We replenished our calories with Sophie’s famous packed lunch and began the return trip. With the current on our side, we now cruised. Off Pointe d’Esny Beach, we veered toward the open sea to check out a shipwreck grounded there. We didn’t approach it as much as we intended because the wave break was getting dangerously close and we had electronics. After a dip near Île aux Aigrettes, we let the current carry us back home to Mahebourg by early afternoon.
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