Before holidaying or moving to Mauritius, it is legitimate to wonder whether there is a risk of shark attacks on the island. Mauritius is located in the middle of the Indian Ocean, right on the “shark highway” (between South Africa and Australia), yet there are no shark attacks. Why is that? We’ll tell you.
This causes serious problems on the island of Reunion, just over 300 km away, but Mauritius has never had a shark attack! The coral reefs and lagoons surrounding the island protect the beaches, and sharks do not like to spend time in such shallow and warm waters, so they do not come near the beaches. Of course, this does not mean 100% safety, the last time there was a shark alert was in 2011, no attacks were reported.
Beyond the reefs it’s a different story, if you go diving you may encounter tiger and hammerhead sharks, and even whale sharks further out.
Unfortunately, you can also see these animals in the fish markets (although we have been to the Port Louis central market several times).
So, in a word, it’s perfectly safe to swim in the beaches or snorkel in the beautiful waters around the island, with no worries of shark attacks.
