Mauritius north
An earring slipped away between the sand at Pereybère and the reef
At Pereybère the reef lies a few hundred metres out from the public beach, and north of Pointe d'Azur the lagoon is calm and shallow.
An earring that came out on a snorkel at Pereybère can still be looked for. Most of the answer lies in two details you already have: the stretch of sand you went in from, and roughly how far towards the reef you swam before you noticed.
Ring Seekers is a lost ring and jewellery recovery service that connects people who lost a ring, wedding band, watch, keys or phone in the north of Mauritius with a metal detectorist who can search there.
Tell us what happened and where. We find a detectorist who can reach the beach, brief them with your map and photos, and tell you honestly if the odds are poor.
This page also takes in Grand Baie and La Cuvette, Mont Choisy, Trou aux Biches, Pointe aux Piments and Balaclava, as well as Cap Malheureux on the northern tip, and Grand Gaube.
Your swim began at a place you can pin
Go through the towel and the beach bag where you sat, and look over the snorkel gear as well. Then go down to the water's edge at the point you went in, take one picture looking inland, and drop a map pin on that same place, so we know where your swim began.
At Pereybère, tell us whether you went in from the public beach or from Plage des Blancs, north of Pointe d'Azur. At Trou aux Biches and Pointe aux Piments there are several public beaches with hotels in between, so the name of the nearest one is the first thing we ask for.
Places we cover in north Mauritius
- Grand Baie public beach
- La Cuvette, Grand Baie
- Pereybère public beach
- Plage des Blancs and Pointe d'Azur, Pereybère
- Bain Boeuf
- Cap Malheureux
- Anse La Raie
- Grand Gaube
- Ilot Gabriel
- Île Plate (Flat Island)
- Mont Choisy
- Trou aux Biches
- Pointe aux Piments
- Pointe Cimetière and Pointe aux Biches
- Balaclava
- Baie aux Tortues (Turtle Bay)
The public beaches from Balaclava round to Grand Gaube
In the order you meet them along the coast, from the marine park at Balaclava.
Pointe aux Piments and Balaclava
South of Trou aux Biches, Pointe aux Piments has several public beaches: the main beach, one near the fish landing station, and others at Pointe Cimetière and Pointe aux Biches. Balaclava is a small coastal place in the Baie aux Tortues, or Turtle Bay, with a modest public beach lined with casuarinas and shallow water in front. The Balaclava Marine Park runs from Petite Pointe aux Piments to Batterie des Mortiers, with coral reef, sand beaches and a lagoon along its whole length.
Trou aux Biches
Trou aux Biches runs alongside the town of the same name, south of Grand Baie. People snorkel and dive here, and walk in the shade of the casuarinas. Hotels sit along part of the shore, and the public beach comes in parts, including one opposite the former aquarium and one in front of the police station. The lagoon is shallow and a few hundred metres wide, with sand near the beach and coral closer to the reef.
Mont Choisy
Mont Choisy is a long stretch of soft white sand curving round a turquoise bay, with casuarina trees along it. The public beach has about 1,377 m of sea frontage, so where along it you were matters. The water is calm and clear, and people snorkel and dive in the lagoon. You may also find food stalls under the palms.
Grand Baie and La Cuvette
Grand Baie, also called Grand Bay, sits in a horseshoe-shaped, sheltered bay around an emerald lagoon. Boats and catamarans leave from here, and from Pereybère, for the islands off the north coast. One of them, Ilot Gabriel, is a castaway island of white sand and calm water with a green nature reserve behind, and Île Plate, or Flat Island, with its white lighthouse, lies a few minutes away by boat. Say which island you went ashore on and where the boat anchored. Grand Baie has several public beaches, one of them near the National Coast Guard, and La Cuvette is another public beach in Grand Baie.
Pereybère and Bain Boeuf
Pereybère is a soft-sand beach in a small bay north of Grand Baie. From the public beach, the reef is a few hundred metres' swim out. North of Pointe d'Azur, the beach often called Plage des Blancs looks onto a calm, shallow lagoon with patches of coral. Bain Boeuf, a public beach a bit farther north, is near Cap Malheureux.
Cap Malheureux, Anse La Raie and Grand Gaube
Cap Malheureux is a fishing village on the northern tip of the island. Its little church, Notre Dame Auxiliatrice, has a bright red roof and stands by the sea, which makes it a clear landmark in any photo taken nearby. Cap Malheureux and nearby Anse La Raie each have a public beach, and so does Grand Gaube, with about 62 m of sea frontage.
Once your message reaches us
Your first reply comes from the organiser
Your first WhatsApp is answered by the person who arranges the search, and you stay in that one chat until it ends.
What the brief carries
The detectorist gets your pins and photos, and the detail that matters most on this coast: whether it went on the sand or in the water, and how far out.
A frank view of hard cases
When the details point to a hard search, for example far out towards the reef, we say so before you decide anything.
What it would cost, asked and answered
We explain the costs before any search is booked. If any part of them is unclear, ask, and it is answered before you decide.
Lagoon water and the boats
Coral reefs surround Mauritius, and along much of this coast a lagoon lies between the beach and the reef.
Standing depth or deeper
The lagoons at Trou aux Biches and in front of Plage des Blancs at Pereybère are shallow, and at Mont Choisy the water is calm and clear. Tell us how far out you had swum and whether you could stand.
Boats out of Grand Baie and Pereybère
Boats for Ilot Gabriel, Île Plate and the other islands off the north coast leave from Grand Baie and Pereybère, and fishermen take their boats across the lagoon and out to sea. If something went over the side, tell us where the boat stopped and what you could see ashore.
Little rise and fall
The tide around Mauritius rises and falls only a little. Tell us the time you were in the water anyway, as it goes into the brief next to your pin.
Questions about Grand Baie, Pereybère and the north of Mauritius
Does it help to know which part of Pereybère we snorkelled from?
Yes, because there are two quite different places to go in. From the public beach, the reef is a few hundred metres out. North of Pointe d'Azur, the sand often called Plage des Blancs faces a calm, shallow lagoon with patches of coral. Say which beach it was, how close to the reef you got, and what kind of back the earring had.
What should I tell you about Mont Choisy if the wedding band went in the lagoon?
Start with where along the beach you were, because the public beach there has about 1,377 m of sea frontage. Name a stall or a building you could see from your spot. Then say whether you were standing or snorkelling in the lagoon, and for how long.
What is the water like at Trou aux Biches, where my Oura ring went?
Shallow, inside a lagoon a few hundred metres wide, with sand close to the beach and coral nearer the reef. Tell us which part of the shore you went in from: the public beach opposite the former aquarium, the one in front of the police station, or a hotel stretch.
Our boat was leaving Grand Baie when my phone went over the side. Should I still get in touch?
Yes, send it. Grand Baie is a sheltered, horseshoe-shaped bay with a lagoon, and boats leave from it for the islands off the north coast. Tell us where you boarded, what the boat passed as it went, and roughly when it happened. Once the boat was out past the reef, it becomes a long shot, and you would hear that from us first.
My metal-framed glasses went into the water at Cap Malheureux, not far from the red-roofed church.
The church of Notre Dame Auxiliatrice stands right by the sea, so a line from it to where you stood is easy for us to draw. Tell us roughly which way and how far you were from it, and how deep the water was. Cap Malheureux has a public beach of its own, and Anse La Raie and Bain Boeuf are close by, so say which of them you were on.
Which beach at Pointe aux Piments should we name for the lost keys?
Several public beaches share the name, with hotels between them, so give the nearest one you can: the main beach, the beach near the fish landing station, Pointe Cimetière or Pointe aux Biches. Describe the fob too, if there was one.
What do you want to hear about a watch that came off in the water at Balaclava?
First, the public beach you went in from. Balaclava sits in the Baie aux Tortues, and its public beach is modest in size and shaded by casuarinas, with shallow water in front that people snorkel from the sand. Say whether the watch came off near the beach or out over the coral, and what the strap was made of.
How much beach is there at Grand Gaube to go over for a lost bracelet?
Not much on the sand: the public beach at Grand Gaube has about 62 m of sea frontage. What widens it is the water, so tell us whether you swam and how far out, and send a photo of the bracelet if you have one.
Mauritius north
Begin with the name of the beach
Holiday snaps help us place you on the shore.
Message us on WhatsApp with the beach and a few words on how it came off. A map pin can follow as soon as you have one.