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Mauritius - intermediate waves?

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atajdar
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Mauritius - intermediate waves?

Postby atajdar » Sun Apr 29, 2018 3:01 pm

Hello wonderful forum,

Off to Mauritius with my better half in July of this year, have read various posts on where NOT to kitesurf. So where can we find intermediate waves to continue improving our skills?

I heard about Manawa, as an intermediate learning spot, but not sure?

Where are good locations on the island for intermediate waves?

Any ideas, insights, suggestions about spots is much appreciated.
Ciao,
Zaza :thumb:

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Re: Mauritius - intermediate waves?

Postby Strekke » Sun Apr 29, 2018 4:59 pm

Although Manawa on a small day could work as an intermediate wave, it is very far from shore, and "too popular" imo. I was there last year and the wave can be nice, but the distance to the shore and especially the ridiculous amount of people who try to catch it without any respect for other riders / not knowing the right of way/priority rules, kinda ruined the experience for me. It's like a frickin' traffic jam where everyone is fighting for the wave, super annoying. There is a smaller break closer to shore where it gets less crowded, and some sets come through on bigger days. But even then there it gets crowded.

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Re: Mauritius - intermediate waves?

Postby magnusod » Thu May 03, 2018 3:32 pm

True about Manawa, it's far out and might feel intimidating just because of that if something goes wrong. The wave is very predictable so once you know how to read waves it's very safe. One option is to stay on the inside of Manawa just where the waves fade out.

Best to start with is Little Reef which is just in front of Riu Hotel or slightly left of kite beach where you launch your kite. This is very safe unless there's a really big swell.

In general I don't feel it's as bad as Strekke describes but everyone has different opinions about what is crowded and how other kiters behave. If you are there beginning of July it's usually better as it's most crowded end of July and Aug. Note, this is my experience visiting Mauritius two times in July-Aug.

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Re: Mauritius - intermediate waves?

Postby Onda » Thu May 03, 2018 7:49 pm

Been there June 2017.
I can almost 100 % confirm Strekke´s view.
Manawa is about 1.5 km offshore. Wind is typically cross-offshore and not always stable. If anything out there goes wrong or the wind fades, you´ll quickly be dragged into oneye by the strong currents there. Where you´ll probably drown. In 2017 alone, over 30 surfers / kitesurfers / windsurfers / SUP-riders died at this spot!!!! Don´t forget this!!!!
Manawa is often claimed to be "safe". Maybe this is true for very experienced wave riders. The sheer size of the wave can make you feel anxious, which provokes faults. Falling at Manawa can get very dangerous! If not life-dangerous.
My experience was: With 10 kiters plus 5 windsurfers, Manawa is crowded already and riding gets very stressfull. Main reasons are: Dudes with cams, filming their friends and not looking out for other riders in their way; very experienced riders who don´t deviate a mm from their line; various guys not knowing the "traffic rules" at Manawa and/or at/in waves in general, causing a total mess and collision danger.
You should be very experienced and very confident with large wave riding there, including all the rules about wave riding´s right of way etc.. Otherwise you´ll endanger yourself and others.

If you still want to try Manawa, study the wave thoroughly before you go there. Talk with others about how it works and what to consider. Think about what you´ll do if anything goes wrong out there. Then ride to Manawa but don´t drop into the wave. Pass by the impact zone from a good distance in the channel for several times and look at how the others ride the wave. Don´t get into other rider´s ways while you do this! When you think you have completely understood how the traffic works and how the wave works: Try it!

Mauritius is for sure the most challenging and most dangerous spot I´ve ever been at (apart from the lagoon at Le Morne, which is rather safe). The combination of extremely strong currents all over the place, fickle and partly offshore winds and very powerfull waves braking on razor-sharp reef/corals needs respective experience and confidence.
Don´t underestimate this spot! Be careful and in case of doubt: Don´t go out or stay in the lagoon.
Also don´t forget to consider the tide table. The tidal range might look very small (0.5 m to hardly 1 m), but it makes a huge difference in every aspect (currents, current directions, water depth over the reefs etc).

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Re: Mauritius - intermediate waves?

Postby vannibombonato » Fri May 11, 2018 8:00 pm

Onda wrote:
Thu May 03, 2018 7:49 pm
Been there June 2017.
I can almost 100 % confirm Strekke´s view.
Manawa is about 1.5 km offshore. Wind is typically cross-offshore and not always stable. If anything out there goes wrong or the wind fades, you´ll quickly be dragged into oneye by the strong currents there. Where you´ll probably drown. In 2017 alone, over 30 surfers / kitesurfers / windsurfers / SUP-riders died at this spot!!!! Don´t forget this!!!!
Manawa is often claimed to be "safe". Maybe this is true for very experienced wave riders. The sheer size of the wave can make you feel anxious, which provokes faults. Falling at Manawa can get very dangerous! If not life-dangerous.
My experience was: With 10 kiters plus 5 windsurfers, Manawa is crowded already and riding gets very stressfull. Main reasons are: Dudes with cams, filming their friends and not looking out for other riders in their way; very experienced riders who don´t deviate a mm from their line; various guys not knowing the "traffic rules" at Manawa and/or at/in waves in general, causing a total mess and collision danger.
You should be very experienced and very confident with large wave riding there, including all the rules about wave riding´s right of way etc.. Otherwise you´ll endanger yourself and others.

If you still want to try Manawa, study the wave thoroughly before you go there. Talk with others about how it works and what to consider. Think about what you´ll do if anything goes wrong out there. Then ride to Manawa but don´t drop into the wave. Pass by the impact zone from a good distance in the channel for several times and look at how the others ride the wave. Don´t get into other rider´s ways while you do this! When you think you have completely understood how the traffic works and how the wave works: Try it!

Mauritius is for sure the most challenging and most dangerous spot I´ve ever been at (apart from the lagoon at Le Morne, which is rather safe). The combination of extremely strong currents all over the place, fickle and partly offshore winds and very powerfull waves braking on razor-sharp reef/corals needs respective experience and confidence.
Don´t underestimate this spot! Be careful and in case of doubt: Don´t go out or stay in the lagoon.
Also don´t forget to consider the tide table. The tidal range might look very small (0.5 m to hardly 1 m), but it makes a huge difference in every aspect (currents, current directions, water depth over the reefs etc).
I did my first and last wave lesson in Manawa, was almost Darwined out (rightfully so) and can second everything the guys above said.

But...”30 deaths in 2017”???? Where did you get this info from? Honestly it does not sound real even if you divide by 10...(thanks god).

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Re: Mauritius - intermediate waves?

Postby RQO » Sat May 12, 2018 4:33 am

What about little Reef? How difficult is it? Or does it get too crowded cause it’s too small.

Any other spots on the island where the waves are not too challenging or where the reef is not as far out as Manawa?

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Re: Mauritius - intermediate waves?

Postby jonysan » Sat May 12, 2018 12:20 pm

Lots of good advice so far,
A lot of this depends on how "intermediate" you are,
I would suggest on your first time, riding out to Manawa, using the channel, and watching for a while from there, if you decide to give it a go, get on the shoulder of a wave as it flattens out into the channel,..... be careful not to "drop in" on anyone. .....
Once you feel more confident you can pick up the wave further out as it builds, positioning yourself relative to the peak is the thing that will take some time to get right ,
Manawa is quite a distance from the beach, and remember.... you will be going even further out to get into position to ride back in and pick up the wave. amazing feeling as the ocean heaves up underneath you !!

Whether you try One Eye will depend on its size on the day, if it is small (head high) then it's not difficult to straight line it, but staying close to the pocket and getting some turns in, is a total different story.

Main concern...... don't rely on a friend on the beach to look out for you, let's say you tell them you will be back in an hour, and you get in trouble after the first ten minutes, you will drift a long way in fifty minutes, and that's even before they get assistance to you. Better to buddy up with two or more people heading out, and keep checking on each other.

Have fun !

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Re: Mauritius - intermediate waves?

Postby Onda » Sat May 12, 2018 2:27 pm

viewtopic.php?t=2397076

There has been a petition online in 2017 to allow jet skies in Le Morne to save lifes, but its offline now. 29 drownings in the first half of 2017 have been cited in that petition.

I´ve travelled the whole island for "safer" waves but couldn´t find anything. There are countless potential wave spots, but no one out anywhere. The "safest" place will probably be Manawa.

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Re: Mauritius - intermediate waves?

Postby newold86 » Sat May 12, 2018 4:27 pm

Onda wrote:
Sat May 12, 2018 2:27 pm
There has been a petition online in 2017 to allow jet skies in Le Morne to save lifes, but its offline now. 29 drownings in the first half of 2017 have been cited in that petition.
I believe in 2016 - 2017 it was ONE death total in Le Morne area related to (kite)surfing...

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Re: Mauritius - intermediate waves?

Postby Saami » Sun May 20, 2018 5:10 pm

In any case, I agree with Strekke, Onda and vannibombonato that Manawa shouldn't be underestimated. It's definitely a spot where things could go seriously wrong.

In addition to the good advice that has already been given, I would add that if you decide to head out to Manawa, make sure to keep an eye on the clouds and weather conditions upwind. Rain falling over the mountains can shut down the wind at Manawa and the nearby breaks. Look over your shoulder every so often and head to shore if you see any rain.

Talk to the locals. Probably the best advice for any situation :-)

I would start with Little Reef.


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