Following the last article in Saturday?s 05.07.03 ?Express? newspaper ?La pointe, rendez-vous des surfers?, we members of the Association de Glisse would like to bring forward our views and opinions on the sports windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing in Mauritius.

Windsurfing and surfing are not a new sport in Mauritius and since many years this sport has offered to Mauritians and tourists alike the joys and thrills of using the natural elements for their sporting activities.

However, Mauritians are becoming more and more interested in the sport and now with the coming of the new craze of kitesurfing, the number of participants has more than doubled. Together with that, the rising number of tourists coming to visit Mauritius and the increase in hotel infrastructures and boathouses, the sport is facing a difficult future in terms of security. The problem is that the region of ?La Pointe du Morne? has always been pointed out as the best sport region of the island. If this is somewhat true in terms of swell and strong winds, it is however not true in terms of safety.

There are very strong currents in the lagon that have pulled swimmers and surfers out at sea. Le Morne?s pass ?Passe de la Prairie? is known to be infested with sharks, especially in the summer months, wen they enter the lagoon to give birth in shallow waters. Several of our members have had hairy close encounters in the past.

The swell that crashes onto a shallow reef has caused tragic accidents ? (broken bones, lacerations, etc?) and now with the increasing amount of riders in the small lagoon, more and more accidents have and will occur if something is not done rapidly. To add to this, certain incidents have occurred between a few local riders and tourist riders due to this very problem of safety. As an association of riders and qualified instructors who know the sport and the dangers of it, especially at Le Morne, we are working to create a safe and structured plan so that all actors can practice their sport in a friendly and safe environment. We are also working on a long-term global plan which will identify other sports for these activities around the island to relieve the pressure off Le Morne.

It is with regret that we note that the concerned authorities have planned and projected major developments on and around the last little piece of accessible public beach at La Pointe without real consensus with those concerned locally, but have preferred to allow foreign economic investors to develop our heritage to their liking, (kitesurfing and windsurfing centre next to the public beach).

Association de Glisse

Association de Glisse is a group of approximately 40 dedicated Mauritian extreme water sport enthusiasts, with common objectives and goals, which are: ? Setting up of national safety rules for practice of kitesurfing, windsurfing and surfing. Including specific safety rules for different sites on the island. ? Environment protection of our coastal sites. ? Schools and instruction at national level. ? Harmonization of activities at ?La Pointe du Morne?. `