BOAT-COMPARATOR Guide

Renting a boat on Réunion Island: the Saint-Gilles lagoon and the shark risk

SamBoat and Click&Boat both list boats on Réunion Island, between the sheltered Saint-Gilles lagoon, humpback whales in the austral winter, and strict rules around the shark risk.

A volcanic island in the Indian Ocean and a full French département, Réunion Island is as much a boating destination as a hiking one. No customs formalities or currency exchange are needed for a trip from mainland France, and a French boating licence is valid there without any extra paperwork. SamBoat and Click&Boat both list motorboats, sailboats and catamarans with or without a licence, with the fleet concentrated on the west coast, far more sheltered than the windward side.

Saint-Gilles-les-Bains, the island's boating hub

Saint-Gilles-les-Bains has the busiest marina and the bulk of the available boats, ahead of Saint-Leu, Saint-Pierre in the south and La Pointe des Galets, the island's main commercial port near Saint-Denis. As in mainland France, a coastal licence is required above a certain engine power; without one, you'll find small motorboats capped at 6 hp, or the option of a skipper included — our guide to license-free boat rental covers rules that are identical on the island. Saint-Leu, further south, has a wider, quieter lagoon that's popular for day-trip snorkelling.

The shark risk, a real constraint

Following a series of attacks in the early 2010s, swimming and surfing were banned by prefectural order outside the reef-protected zones along much of the west coast. The Saint-Gilles and L'Hermitage lagoon, ringed by the coral barrier, remains a safe swimming spot from a boat; beyond the reef drop-off, caution is the rule and swimming is in principle off-limits. The CHARC scientific programme, run by Ifremer and the IRD from 2011, tracked tiger and bull sharks with acoustic tags for several years to map their seasonal presence along the west coast (see Blaison and co-authors, 2015, on Google Scholar) — data that still underpins today's prefectural orders. None of this is a barrier to boating itself: it's getting in the water outside the lagoon that you should avoid. Your local rental operator is the best source on which zones to avoid during your stay.

Marine reserve and coral reefs: where to anchor

Established in 2007, the Réunion Island marine nature reserve protects the coral reefs along the west coast, from Cap La Houssaye to Saint-Pierre. Anchor on sand, never on coral, and some ecologically sensitive sectors carry tighter rules or an anchoring ban altogether: check with your rental operator before dropping anchor. The lagoon is also home to green and hawksbill turtles, easily spotted while snorkelling off L'Hermitage or Saint-Leu — our tips for watching them respectfully, without stressing or touching them, are in the guide to watching dolphins and turtles.

When to sail: humpback whales and cyclone season

The austral winter, from July to September, is the best time to sail: calmer seas on the west coast, less humidity, and above all the passage of humpback whales, which come to calve in Réunion's waters before heading back to Antarctica. A boat trip with a licensed operator, kept at a safe distance and without getting in the water right next to the animals, often makes it possible to watch them off Saint-Gilles or Saint-Leu. Cyclone season, from December to April, is the opposite: it narrows the sailing window, and southern swell together with tropical depressions can suspend rentals at short notice under a cyclone alert — a real risk to weigh if you're booking for that period.

Big-game fishing, a local tradition

Beyond a lagoon cruise, big-game fishing is a flagship island activity: the seabed drops away fast just off the west coast, within a few miles of Saint-Gilles or Saint-Pierre, bringing marlin, tuna and bonito far closer to shore than in the Mediterranean. Plenty of Click&Boat and SamBoat listings offer day trips with a skipper equipped for trolling, a good option for a crew that isn't looking to pilot the boat themselves.

Budget and comparison

Expect around €100 to €200 a day for a licence-free motorboat in Saint-Gilles or Saint-Pierre, more with a skipper or for a liveaboard catamaran. Boat-Comparator queries SamBoat and Click&Boat in a single search to compare the boats actually available on Réunion Island for your dates.

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Also worth reading

• How much does it cost to rent a boat in 2026? Real prices
• License-Free Boat Rental in France: Rules, Prices & Where to Book
• Renting with or without a skipper: how to choose