What You Need to Know About Surfing in Reunion Island: The Shark Attack Capital of the World

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No Swimming Allowed

  I just returned from one of the most dangerous surfing spots in the world. Reunion Island has crystal clear tropical water with ultra-consistent waves, however the world class waves like St. Leu are going unridden. There are the typical dangers of powerful waves breaking over a razor sharp shallow reef (I am still  nursing a few scrapes and cuts), but this is not why thy lineups are empty. There have been 19 shark attacks since 2013 along the west coast of Reunion Island, and surfers seem to be the main target.

Residents, surfers, and concerned politicians have tried everything from shark nets to enforcing an all-out ban on surfing. Lifeguards now act more as beach monitors, making sure no one goes into the water. Surfers however, are surfers through and through and will still find ways to go out. After a short respite from the attacks the surf community was rattled again a month ago as a surfer lost an arm and a leg inside one of the 'protective' nets at Boucan Canot. Check out this article on magic seaweed explaining the situation on Reunion a bit more. The mood had been shifting to a more hopeful outlook until now. Reunion native and WSL pro surfer Jeremy Flores had even put together the first surf tournament in years back in Febuary. But like the article says, 'all is not well' on Reunion Island.

  What is happening on Reunion is contrary to pretty much everywhere in the world as far as shark attack go. With this many attacks all in the same area theories are being thrown out left and right. Bull sharks are the likely culprit in all of these attacks. They are a known to be dangerous in other parts of the world but nothing to this scale and continuity. In fact I dove with bull sharks in Fiji (see pictures here) and then surfed a few miles away feeling pretty safe. Some people in Reunion feel that it was the creation of the marine reserve along the west coast of the island that means more fish to draw in the sharks. Others blame the ban on sell shark meat which cut the shark fishing down to zero. Still others blame the overfishing of reef sharks which should naturally fill the near shore niche which is now being filled by bull sharks. Whatever the cause may be the underwater ecosystem is definitely out of whack.

Catching a wave at the left, Saint-Leu

Crowded Day on Reunion = 2 surfers

   So if you are planning a surf trip to Reunion Island, don't. There may be world class uncrowded waves, which some of the locals still go out and surf on really good days, but I can speak from experience that no matter how your session goes you feel very lucky when you are back on land. If you do happen to find yourself here with access to a board (there are pretty much no rentals available anymore), I would suggest popping into the one surf shop remaining open, Micky Rat Surf in Saint-Leu. Ask some questions, get a feel for whats going on, and stay safe. Or slip under the waves and go scuba diving instead.

Was it worth it to score some waves in Reunion...maybe

  www.daimartamarack.com

Heading to the beach past some of Reunion's famous graffiti

Sharp Reef adds to the danger