MapMauritiusNorth Coast (near Cap Malheureux)Anse La RaieNorth Coast (near Cap Malheureux)

Anse La Raie

Rivière du Rempart District · North Coast (near Cap Malheureux) · Calodyne / Cap Malheureux; Grand Baie is the nearest major tourist town

also known as Union Ribet

Part of North Coast (near Cap Malheureux) →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlylow crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Jun–Nov

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-25 knots

Character: trade

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

26–27 °C in summerInner bay is flat/shallow and used for lessons

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds · busy Jul Aug

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

75-90 min

International Airport (MRU)

On the clock

10:00

On the clock

11:00 · 16:00

Usually picks up around 10:00 and holds to sunset. The cleanest window is roughly 11:00 to 16:00, with mornings light because the land is still holding the wind back. Forecasts here are often wrong. Look at the water.

The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

Butte a l'Herbeno page yet
Bain Boeufno page yet
Grand Gaubeno page yet
Melvilleno page yet
Roches Noiresno page yet
Le Morne

The spot

Anse La Raie is a north-coast Mauritius spot at the public beach known as Union Ribet, between Calodyne and Cap Malheureux. The inner bay is shallow and mostly flat and it is where the schools teach, but the standing depth swings with the tide and the way out to clean water runs through rocks.

Water conditions

Clear the small bay and the lagoon opens up wide, flat to slightly choppy; the outer reef is far offshore and only makes sense with support or a solid self-rescue. The north is more sheltered than the south, so the wind is lighter and less dependable than at Le Morne.

Season and requirements

June to September is the local season, with the trades useful more broadly from May-November. This is not a walk-on sandy beginner beach: rocks, the filaos, a wind shadow at the bottom of the bay and the state of the tide all decide whether the session happens. It rewards a rider who is progressing, through a school or on their own once the entry and the reef are understood.

The wind

locals call it South-east trade wind

Direction

cross-onSE on average. E

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

SE on average. E, ENE and ESE are the directions that actually work for this bay; a true SE arrives more across the beach than into it.

Kite sizes

78910111213141516

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider, 9-12 m covers the May-October trade season and 12-14 m the lighter November-April months. A kite that relaunches easily in light wind earns its place, because the bottom of the bay sits in a shadow and you can end up parked.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

Around 14-15 knots on the monthly average from June to September, 11-13 knots outside those months.

Typical strength

15-25 knots through the May-October trades and 10-20 knots in the November-April warm season. June to September regularly holds above 20 knots.

More sheltered and less reliable than the south of the island. The bottom of the bay sits in a wind shadow; get clear of the rocks and it steadies up.

June-September is the main season; useful trade-wind months more broadly extend to May-November or June-November, with July-August often stronger.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

riding season from the spot record · no wind series here is trusted enough to name a season

No month-by-month share of windy days is held for this spot. The months riders and schools name are Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov.

About these figuresno series

Nothing usable has been measured or modelled for this place. The months come from what riders say, or from nothing at all.

Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Knee- to waist-deep in the inner teaching bay depending on tide, reached by a short walk upwind through a gap in the rocks. Depth figures conflict: 1-2 m across the beginner zone and 2-4 m further out is also given, and parts of the lagoon are simply too deep to stand, which is why some lessons run off a boat.Treat dependable standing water as the inner bay around mid tide and ask before assuming you can touch bottom.

Tides

A rising tide is the window to aim for: more room, less current near the reef and the rocky edge covered. At extreme low water there is not enough depth to teach and the rock patches show themselves. Very high water makes footing awkward in the inner bay.

Temperature

26–27 °C summer · 22–24 °C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts or lycra in the warmer months; a shorty, or up to a 3 mm full suit, through the May-October winter trades. Reef shoes either way, for the rocks and the reef.

Currents

Normally no current inside the bay. Near the reef the tidal flow is weak but present. Outside the small bay it is unconfirmed, and possible current is one of the reasons the spot is often pitched at intermediates rather than first-timers.

Conditions

Inner bay is flat/shallow and used for lessons; outside the small bay the lagoon opens into a much larger freeride area with slight chop, and waves can break on the outer reef far offshore. Foil riders need deeper water outside the small bay.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Schools sell lessons here and the inner lagoon works for a first week, but the rocks, the tide limits, the wind shadow and the distance out to the lagoon and the reef are all real. Complete beginners should use a school. Independent riders should already ride upwind and self-rescue before they leave the inner bay.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat waterfreestylelight wave missions on the outer reefdownwinders with support

Who it suitslessons

Quieter, smaller, and more local/intimate than Le Morne; still has tourists, locals, and schools on windy days.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

5 spots nearby

All 5 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

No public rescue service. A medical centre, a rescue service and kite repair are reportedly available nearby, but nothing verifiable is run for non-customers: schools look after their own students and any boat cover is a private arrangement.

ION Club no longer lists a centre here, its Mauritius operation being Le Morne only, so do not plan on it. Riding independently means you should be able to self-rescue and body-drag back through the rock gap on your own.

Launch

Rig on the grass/sand by Anse La Raie Public Beach/Union Ribet, commonly under the filaos near the road bridge and before Paradise Cove/Cove Paradise; the water entry is through a rocky edge and a short walk upwind through a path before clear riding.

Hazards riders report 12 reported

Wind

wind shadow at the bottom of the bay

Crowds and zones

swimmers and other water users in the inner bay

Bottom

rocks around the bay and at water entry
outer reef is far from shore and should be treated as a supported advanced mission

Waves and currents

shallow rocky patches at low tide
very shallow water at extreme low tide

Protected areas and rules

part of a shared lagoon with boat traffic near Cap Malheureux
reef and rocks in the lagoon
boats in the lagoon
depth changes fast between the inner bay and the open lagoon, so a walk back is not always an option

Other

trees/filaos close to launch
no rescue cover for independent riders

Rules & access

1 min read

2015: the Tourism Authority (Kite Surfing) Regulations are the national instrument for kitesurfing, but the text is not published among the Tourism Authority's downloadable legislation, so what actually binds a rider on the water is the school and Beach Authority briefing.

Proposed amendments

2017: the Beach Authority announced amendments to designate three authorised kite areas nationally, Union Ribet (Anse la Raie) among them, alongside Trou Chenille and Pointe Sud Ouest at Le Morne. The package would stop all kitesurfing one hour before sunset, require every operator to hold a life-saving certificate, let Beach Enforcement Officers cap the number of kiters on a beach, and require Beach Authority clearance before the Tourism Authority issues an operator licence. The draft went to the State Law Office and no gazetted version has been confirmed since.

Closed areas

Kitesurfing at Albion and Mare la Raie was ruled out on police advice, and requests at Palmar, Bras d'Eau and Poste Lafayette were refused.

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

Aim for a rising tide: more room, less current near the reef, rock patches covered. At extreme low water there is not enough depth to teach or to practise freestyle.
Ask a local school where the walking path through the rocks starts before you launch on your own, and wear reef shoes for the crossing.
Do not judge the wind from the bottom of the bay; there is a shadow there and it is cleaner once you are clear of the rocks.
Bring a kite one size up from what the forecast suggests. The bay eats light wind.
Ride between 11:00 and 16:00. Mornings are usually light while the land is still holding the wind back.
There is no rescue boat for independent riders, so stay within body-dragging distance of the rock gap and leave the outer reef and the long downwind lagoon runs for a supported day.

Getting there

Airport

Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport (MRU)

Route

Drive or take a taxi from MRU to the north coast. Rent a car: public transport up here is thin. Local access is off the coastal road, Royal Road, at Anse La Raie Public Beach near Cap Malheureux and Calodyne.

Transfer

75-90 min

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

There are beds by the spot and plenty more in the Grand Baie, Cap Malheureux and Calodyne strip. The bay is about a 5 minute walk from Sensimar Lagoon Hotel, and a boat shuttle from Zilwa used to run for ION Club customers, which is unconfirmed now that ION Club lists Le Morne as its only Mauritius centre.

No-wind days

SUP, windsurfing, wingfoiling, fishing, yoga, dolphin-watching tours, nearby fishing villages, Grand Baie restaurants/nightlife, Marine Discovery Centre at Anse La Raie, and general north-coast beach/snorkel activities.

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Anse La Raie?

The clearest local season is June to September, with broader guides extending usable trade wind into May-November and July-August often strongest.

Is Anse La Raie suitable for beginners?

Yes, schools teach lessons in the shallow inner bay, though tide timing matters and independent beginners should stick to the inner bay rather than the outer lagoon or reef.

What is the wind like at Anse La Raie?

The southeast trade wind runs roughly 12-25 knots, averaging 14-15 knots June-September, and is more sheltered and less consistent than Mauritius' south coast.

Are there kite schools at Anse La Raie?

Yes, Kiteaholic Bastard Mauritius and ION Club operate at Anse La Raie Public Beach, and Kite@North Mauritius is also reported in the area.

What are the hazards at Anse La Raie?

Hazards include shallow rocky patches at low tide, rocks at the water entry, wind shadow at the bottom of the bay, and a far offshore outer reef best treated as an advanced, supported mission.

The bigger pictureEverything about North Coast (near Cap Malheureux)

Last updated: August 2026