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Anse Intendance

Bel Air · Mahé · Takamaka / Quatre Bornes

Part of Mahé →

wavesadvanced onlylow crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Hazards
- Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

no season named

Months riders and schools name

How windy

12-22 kt

Character: trade

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

waves

29 °C in summerOpen ocean with no protective reef offshore

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Advanced only

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds

Schools

none named here

From the airport

45 min

International Airport (SEZ)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Au Capno page yet
Anse Royaleno page yet
Grand Anse Mahéno page yet
Baie Lazareno page yet
Takamaka / Anse Takamakano page yet

The spot

Anse Intendance is an open-ocean beach on south and southwest Mahé, near Takamaka and Quatre Bornes, with granite headlands, white sand and no reef offshore. It is a surf beach first: an exposed beach break with fairly consistent surf, and the kite references amount to stronger wind and decent waves, nothing that establishes it as a mainstream kite spot.

Conditions and protection

The water gets deep quickly, and the shorebreak, the rips and the undertow come up again and again, at their worst during the May-September southeast trades. Seychelles wind runs southeast trades in May-September and a weaker northwest monsoon in November-March, but which direction locals would actually kite here is unconfirmed. In 2025 the Seychelles Cabinet made this one of five south Mahé seasonal protected areas for hawksbill and green turtle nesting, with protection running October to April, so the signs and the current enforcement need checking before anything gets pumped.

Skill level

This is an advanced, exploratory wave venue at best. Beginners and ordinary intermediates belong at Au Cap, Anse aux Pins, Anse La Mouche or Praslin.

The wind

locals call it Southeast trade winds; northwest monsoon

Direction

cross-on

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

Southeast/East-Southeast in May-September; West-Northwest/Northwest in November-March

Character

trade

Typical strength

Seychelles-wide figures rather than spot figures: 12-22 kt in the May-September southeast trades, 11-19 kt in the November-March northwest monsoon. July southeast winds are also given at 10-25 kt, and February-March northwest winds at 10-20 kt.

Kite-specific quality here is barely documented. Stronger winds and decent waves are reported, and the named Mahé kite spots do not include Anse Intendance.

No dedicated Anse Intendance kite season is confirmed. General Seychelles kite advice points at the May-September southeast trades, but this is a southwest-facing open-ocean beach where those trades mean heavy surf and dangerous swimming. The northwest monsoon lines up better with the exposure, blows weaker, and overlaps the turtle nesting and protected-area season.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan61
Feb73
Mar41
Apr33
May74
Jun96
Jul98
Aug98
Sep99
Oct74
Nov30
Dec54

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

13 ktJan29°
14 ktFeb30°
10 ktMar30°
10 ktApr31°
13 ktMay30°
16 ktJun28°
18 ktJul27°
18 ktAug27°
17 ktSep28°
13 ktOct28°
10 ktNov30°
12 ktDec29°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	61%	12.6 kt	NW	26.6 °C	29.3 °C
Feb	73%	13.6 kt	NNW	27.2 °C	29.6 °C
Mar	41%	10.4 kt	N	27.4 °C	30.4 °C
Apr	33%	9.5 kt	ESE	27.3 °C	30.7 °C
May	74%	13.4 kt	SE	27.5 °C	29.9 °C
Jun	96%	16.3 kt	SE	26.4 °C	28.3 °C
Jul	98%	18.2 kt	SSE	25.1 °C	26.7 °C
Aug	98%	17.8 kt	SE	25.2 °C	26.6 °C
Sep	99%	17.1 kt	SE	25.8 °C	27.8 °C
Oct	74%	13.1 kt	SE	26.3 °C	28.4 °C
Nov	30%	10.1 kt	E	26.7 °C	29.5 °C
Dec	54%	12.3 kt	WNW	26.3 °C	28.9 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

waves

Tides

The surf works at all stages of tide; no kitesurf-specific tide window is confirmed.

Temperature

29 °C summer · 25 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 27–31 °C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts or rash vest year-round; rash vest useful for sun protection.

Currents

Rips, undertow and strong currents are repeatedly reported for Anse Intendance, especially when the southeast trades make the south/southwest coast rough.

Conditions

Open ocean with no protective reef offshore. The bottom drops away close in, and large shorebreak lands on the sand through the May-September southeast trade season. It is an exposed beach break with lefts and rights, best on southwest swell with northeast offshore wind.

Normal tide, high waves and seaweed are reported from June to September.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners herenot for intermediates here

Expert only, if it is kited at all: open-ocean shorebreak, a fast drop-off, rips and undertow, no rescue, and possible seasonal turtle restrictions. Beginners and ordinary intermediates should use the established lagoon spots instead, Au Cap, Anse aux Pins, Anse La Mouche or Praslin.

The scene

What riders come here for

wavessurf-style riding

Wild south Mahé beach used by sightseers, local surfers and bodyboarders, and guests from the accommodation behind it. Even with surf up it rarely gets crowded; expect some visitors rather than a resort beach.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

No school names this spot

Nobody has been recorded teaching or running a boat here.

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

6 spots nearby

All 6 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Launch

Long natural white-sand beach under granite headlands, reached by road from the Quatre Bornes and Takamaka area. There is parking near the beach and a bus stop a few minutes from the sand; beach length is given as about 1 km to 1.2 km.No kite launch is marked, and any launch has to work around shorebreak, beach users, palms and turtle nesting areas.

Hazards riders report 10 reported

Wind

Southeast trade-wind season, roughly May-September, can make swimming dangerous on this beach

Bottom

Granite rocks/headlands at the ends of the bay

Waves and currents

Shorebreak and swell on this exposed beach
Rips, undertow and strong currents

Protected areas and rules

A major Hawksbill sea turtle nesting site (nesting season roughly 1 September–31 March); 2006's Cyclone Bondo destroyed about 90% of nests through erosion, and conservation bodies have pushed for protective measures in the area
Powerful shorebreak and high waves on an exposed beach with no protective reef
Hawksbill and green turtle nesting habitat; avoid nests/tracks and obey any seasonal protected-area controls
A major Hawksbill sea turtle nesting site protected under a 2025 Seychelles seasonal protected-area designation covering roughly October to April; 2006's Cyclone Bondo destroyed about 90% of nests through erosion, and conservation bodies have pushed for protective measures in the area

Other

Water gets deep quickly close to shore
Falling coconuts under the palms.

Rules & access

1 min read

2025: Seychelles Cabinet approved Anse Intendance as one of five south Mahé seasonal protected areas under the Nature Reserves and Conservancy Act 2022, to protect hawksbill and green turtle nesting habitat from October to April; measures include restricting harmful activities and development. Exact 2026 beach-use and kitesurf zoning, signage and enforcement details are not published.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Ask an active Mahé rider or a local kite operator before you rig; the published local spot list does not include Anse Intendance.
Keep clear of turtle nesting zones and visible tracks, and stay off the beach entirely if signs or patrols restrict use during the October-April protected season.
Read wind and swell together: a southeast trade day brings the wave energy people come for and the worst shorebreak and current at the same time.
Bring your own gear and your own self-rescue plan. There is no on-beach school and no rescue service here.
Take lessons and freeride progression to the lagoon spots. Leave Anse Intendance for confident wave riders on a day the conditions and the rules allow it.

Getting there

Airport

Seychelles International Airport (SEZ), Mahé

Route

Drive or take a taxi/private transfer to south Mahé; Anse Intendance has nearby parking and a bus stop a few minutes from the beach. The beach is also reached from the Quatre Bornes police-station junction via the beach access road.

Transfer

45 min

Cost level

high

Staying

Lodging runs from guesthouses and apartments around Takamaka and Anse Forbans to the ultra-luxury Cheval Blanc Seychelles on Anse Intendance, which opened on 1 December 2024. Nearby options include Dovass Apartments, Bougainvillea Apartment and DoubleTree by Hilton Allamanda.

No-wind days

Surf/bodyboard when safe and appropriate, beach photography/sunset, Takamaka Rum Distillery, Le Jardin du Roi spice garden, Port Launay/Ste Anne marine park snorkeling trips, hiking viewpoints, Victoria market, and island trips to Praslin or La Digue.

Photos

FAQ

Is Anse Intendance suitable for beginners?

No, it is treated as expert-only because of open-ocean shorebreak, a quick drop-off, rips and undertow, and no verified rescue service.

What are the main hazards?

Powerful shorebreak, strong currents and deep water close to shore are all reported, plus seasonal turtle-nesting protections.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

The beach is part of a 2025-approved turtle nesting protected area, with seasonal restrictions from October to April.

How do you get there?

It is reached by road from south Mahe near Takamaka and Quatre Bornes, with parking and a nearby bus stop.

The bigger pictureEverything about Mahé

Last updated: August 2026