MapRéunionSaint-Gilles / West CoastLa Ravine BlancheSaint-Gilles / West Coast

La Ravine Blanche

Réunion · End of Saint-Pierre town, south coast

Part of Saint-Gilles / West Coast →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

wavesadvanced onlymedium crowds

On this page

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

Riding essentials

Season

May–Nov

Months riders and schools name

How windy

20-35 knots

Character: trade · cross-shore

Room to launch

tight

access rules on record, below

Water

waves

26–29 °C in summerA pure wave spot, used for the wave event of the Réunion championship

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Advanced only

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy May June July August

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Roland Garros Airport (RUN)

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

No hour is published for the break. On established trade-wind days the alizé blows through with no daily cycle at all, and the breeze mechanism only develops when the gradient is weak: sea breezes set in during the morning, and after nightfall the land breeze combines with the trade flow to give south-southeast directions on this south-west facade while pushing the calm zone further out. Regional pattern, not a measurement at the spot.

Nearbystraight-line distance

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

La Gendarmerie
Ti Parisno page yet
L'Étang-Saléno page yet
La Saline - Trou d'Eauno page yet
Le Portno page yet

The spot

La Ravine Blanche is a wave spot on the Saint-Pierre waterfront, its own break but tied to La Gendarmerie next door: you get there through La Gendarmerie or off la Canalisation. It works in ESE-SE trades and asks for real surf-kite experience.

Waves and access

The waves are fast and hollow over sharp urchin-covered reef, a rogue peak turns up in the middle of the bay, and the way out is a tiny horseshoe inlet. The May-November austral-winter trade season is the window, and the wind around Saint-Pierre accelerates locally, so what the model gives you is not what you get.

Experience and hazards

Nobody is going to walk you through it: every listed Réunion spot expects an autonomous confirmed-to-expert rider, and there is no kite school on the island. Talk to the riders on the beach first. Pollution closures, shark advisories, tide state and swell-driven current in the pass move the risk around from one day to the next.

The wind

locals call it Alizés

Direction

cross-shoreESE-SE

Kite sizes

45678910111213141516

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

A Réunion rider's quiver is 7-10 m², with the 7 m² covering about 80% of May-November trade-wind sessions. The full range mentioned is 5-14 m² depending on rider, program and spot.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Thermal or synoptic

synoptic

Typical strength

20-35 knots on established austral-winter trade-wind days near Saint-Pierre. A Saint-Pierre example went from a 20-25 kt forecast to 30-35 kt on the spot through local acceleration.

Generally regular and often strong in the May-November trade-wind season, but local relief can make model forecasts under-read the actual wind by about 1.5-2x.

The austral-winter trade period runs preferably May to November with a majority SE flow. Southern cold fronts bring more irregular SSW-SSE wind and heavy swell, while December-April has weaker SE trades and more influence from tropical depressions and cyclones.

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

Jan10
Feb26
Mar23
Apr13
May, riders' month32
Jun, riders' month30
Jul, riders' month15
Aug, riders' month27
Sep, riders' month18
Oct, riders' month19
Nov, riders' month12
Dec5

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov.

Our wind model misses this spot's wind

The model puts wind on only 32% of days, even in its best month, which does not match the season and the wind strength riders and schools report here. That is why the bars are hatched instead of coloured: go by the ringed months, the ones riders name.

Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal.

Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	Wind from	Peaks at	Air	Water	Readings
Jan	10%	24%	16%	9.5 kt	SE	14:00	26.2 °C	28.3 °C	62
Feb	26%	51%	40%	10.9 kt	SE	14:00	26.4 °C	28.3 °C	57
Mar	23%	35%	34%	9.9 kt	SE	12:00	26.2 °C	28.3 °C	62
Apr	13%	18%	17%	7.8 kt	SE	11:00	25.3 °C	27.9 °C	60
May	32%	47%	40%	10.7 kt	SE	13:00	23.9 °C	27.1 °C	62
Jun	30%	38%	33%	9.7 kt	SE	13:00	22 °C	25.6 °C	60
Jul	15%	26%	21%	9.8 kt	SE	12:00	21.4 °C	24.8 °C	62
Aug	27%	42%	32%	10.6 kt	SE	13:00	21.4 °C	24.5 °C	62
Sep	18%	32%	25%	9.7 kt	SE	12:00	22.4 °C	24.9 °C	60
Oct	19%	26%	24%	9.1 kt	SE	12:00	23.3 °C	25.6 °C	62
Nov	12%	27%	15%	9.2 kt	SE	12:00	24.3 °C	26.7 °C	60
Dec	5%	11%	5%	7.9 kt	SE	12:00	25.6 °C	27.7 °C	62

About these figuresriders' months · 2023-2024

Riders and schools name these months. The model reads lower here, and both are shown rather than averaged.

A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.

High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024

The water

Type

waves

Standing depth

None. The riding zone is reef and open wave water reached through a small channel, with sharp urchin-covered rock underneath and no shallow sandy shelf to stand on; the narrow shallow lagoon belongs to La Gendarmerie next door, not to this break. No depth figure is published for either the peak or the channel.

Tides

The reef waves are reached via a small channel to the right at low tide. Respect the tide times, and expect current in the pass on big-swell days.

Temperature

26–29 °C summer · 22–24 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 25–28 °C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts/rash vest generally enough; 2 mm top or shorty can be useful at dawn/dusk or in wind.

Currents

Current is a standing hazard, and the pass runs strong on heavy-swell days.

Conditions

A pure wave spot, used for the wave event of the Réunion championship.

Strong sideshore wind, fast hollow waves over sharp urchin-covered reef, an occasional rogue peak in the middle of the bay, and very little room for a mistake.

La Gendarmerie next door has the narrow shallow lagoon and open-ocean access; here the plan d'eau is waves and nothing else.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

not for beginners herenot for intermediates here

Experienced surf-kite level required, and the spot is listed as demanding or expert. Elsewhere it is called some of the most challenging riding on the island, with a narrow margin for error, while one softer rating puts it at intermediate to advanced. The conflict stays on the record.

The scene

What riders come here for

wave ridingsurf-kitewindsurf waves

The water is shared with windsurfers and relations on it are good, with priorities expected to be respected. It is also called the most frequently sailed spot on the island, so the crowd risk peaks on strong trade-wind days.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

1 school names this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: tight

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

6 spots nearby

All 6 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

A rescue buoy and rope reel sit on the roof of Snack Chez Lenny at La Gendarmerie next door. No dedicated rescue for La Ravine Blanche itself is on record.

Launch

Access to the wave spot is via La Gendarmerie or a launch from la Canalisation. The launch is precarious, over reef, with a delicate landing zone and a tricky exit through a tiny horseshoe inlet.

Rules & access

1 min read

As of 2026, no spot-specific permit is published for La Ravine Blanche. Riders are expected to check local zones, regulations, tide times and priority rules before using Saint-Pierre spots.

Regulatory framework

The framework is national kitesurf safety under Division 240 as amended by the 6 May 2019 order, prefectural marine-circulation orders including 1744 of 15 July 2008 and 2205 of 12 June 2019, and Saint-Pierre municipal order 177PG-2014 for bathing and watersports in the 300 m coastal band.

Water quality

On 15 February 2024 water quality at Ravine-Blanche was compliant and bathing authorized, while Terre-Sainte sat under a temporary bathing and watersports ban for pollution.

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

Talk to the local riders before your first session and ask about hazards, authorized zones and the rules.
Do not ride alone.
Treat the model forecast as a floor. Local Venturi can multiply it by about 1.5-2 on exposed Saint-Pierre days.
Stay out of the pass overpowered when the swell is up.
Take the La Gendarmerie or la Canalisation access only if reef launches, a narrow exit and shared water with windsurfers are already normal for you.
On a weak-gradient day the wind depends on a morning sea breeze that may never arrive; on a full trade day it is running before you get there.
The nearest rescue gear is a buoy and a rope reel on the roof of the snack at La Gendarmerie. Know where it is before you need it.

Getting there

Airport

Roland Garros Airport (RUN) for most international arrivals; Saint-Pierre Pierrefonds Airport (ZSE) is the local airport about 5 km from Saint-Pierre.

Route

The spot is on the Saint-Pierre seafront. Take the Ravine Blanche exit from the 4-lane road, then reach the wave spot via La Gendarmerie or la Canalisation. A car is the practical choice for checking swell, wind and alternate spots.

Transfer

About 65-75 minutes by car or shuttle from Roland Garros Airport to Saint-Pierre in normal conditions; bus options are around 2 h 17 min to Gare de St-Pierre. Pierrefonds Airport is about 5 km from Saint-Pierre.

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

Stay in Saint-Pierre for direct access to the waterfront and the snacks at La Gendarmerie and Ravine Blanche, or somewhere on the west or southwest coast if you want to split time with La Saline, Saint-Leu or Étang-Salé.

No-wind days

Piton de la Fournaise volcano trips, Cilaos hikes, canyoning, diving/snorkeling where open and authorized, helicopter flights, and Saint-Pierre waterfront/market time.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite La Ravine Blanche?

The season runs May to November with ESE-SE trade winds, and established winter days often bring 20-35 knots.

Is La Ravine Blanche suitable for beginners?

No, an experienced surf-kite level is required; it is described as among Réunion's most challenging wave spots with a narrow margin for error.

What are the main hazards?

Sharp reef and sea urchins, shark risk, strong current in the pass during heavy swell, and a narrow horseshoe exit channel.

How do you get to the wave spot?

Access is via La Gendarmerie or by launching from la Canalisation; the launch is delicate, over reef, with a tricky exit through a tiny inlet.

Are there rules to check before launching?

No spot-specific permit is verified for 2026, but general Saint-Pierre coastal watersports rules apply within a 300 m band, and riders should confirm tide times and local zones first.

The bigger pictureEverything about Saint-Gilles / West Coast

Last updated: August 2026