Nando’s RLSS Open Water Swim

In the northern district of Rivière du Rempart, the Nando's RLSS Open Water Swim takes place as an open water sea event connecting Pereybere Public Beach with Grand Baie Public Beach. Organized by Fueled Sport Ltd alongside the Royal Life Saving Society Mauritius, it stands as the island's largest open water swimming festival and has enjoyed continuous support from Nando's for a decade. The signature challenge is a 3.8-kilometer point-to-point course that traces a demarcated route through the ocean, marked out by floating arches and dedicated buoys all the way from the sand at Pereybere to the finish line on Grand Baie public beach. Those preferring a shorter distance take on the 1.6-kilometer course, which follows a looped route marked by buoys that starts and finishes directly on Pereybere Beach.

The festival also includes a 75-meter Kids Fun Swim for younger swimmers, alongside a combo category that lets entrants combine distances across the race schedule. Every athlete enters the water equipped with an official event swimming cap and an electronic timing chip. The event also caters to assisted category participants, permitting the use of fins, snorkels, diving masks, swim boards, swim buoys, wetsuits, and neoprene garments. These assisted swimmers are not eligible for podium prizes and are required to launch from the rear of each starting wave. Starting at the back gives them clear water ahead while keeping the racing field safe and well spaced out as everyone heads offshore.

The coral reef lagoons off Pereybere and Grand Baie

The race takes full advantage of Pereybere Beach, a tropical cove defined by soft white sands and crystal-clear turquoise water. Backed by shady trees that buffer the shoreline, the coastal bay offers exceptionally calm sea conditions ideal for open water swimming and snorkeling. Out on the water, the surface stays remarkably placid, allowing swimmers to settle into a steady stroke without battling heavy ocean swells. Below the surface, the lagoon floor opens into an expansive marine environment featuring two distinct reef areas that can be reached directly from the shore.

The 1810 British landings around Cap Malheureux

The waters along this northern shore have been shaped by centuries of maritime strategy, most notably near Cap Malheureux. It was here in 1810 that British military forces staged an amphibious landing, choosing the northern coast intentionally to bypass fortified French defenses. The name of the cape itself remains as a historical marker commemorating that 1810 British invasion of Mauritius. Further along the coast, the seaside area of Trou-aux-Biches also carries deep historical roots, appearing on the 1807 Lislet-Geoffroy map prior to the British campaign. Throughout the nineteenth century, the settlement functioned primarily as a traditional coastal fishing village. Its transition toward modern leisure began decades later, marked by the construction of its first major hotel in 1971.

Pereybere public beach promenade and coastal street food

Pereybere Public Beach itself is fully equipped with visitor amenities, including sun loungers and umbrellas where swimmers and supporters can settle in for the day. Directly on the public beach, local food trucks dish up fresh, affordable meals that make refueling simple and spontaneous right after exiting the water. Behind the sand, a lively promenade lined with cafes and restaurants invites visitors to linger over Mauritian cuisine and cocktails well into the afternoon. After the festival crowds disperse and the heat subsides, the beach takes on a calm and tranquil evening atmosphere. The day ends under the moonlight, with soft reflections playing across the quiet, glass-flat surface of the bay.