Sea turtles off limits for tourists

Swimming with sea turtles carries steep penalties

MAURITIUS: Tourists and operators in the sector have been warned that certain interactions with sea turtles that continue to be offered and advertised are prohibited under Mauritian law.

The Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries (Blue Economy and Fisheries Division) issued a strongly worded public notice on yesterday, putting the tourism industry on formal notice that commercial activities involving sea turtles in Mauritian waters are illegal. The announcement comes in response to a persistent and apparently growing practice: organised boat trips that take paying visitors into the lagoons of Trou aux Biches, Le Morne, and Balaclava Marine Park to swim with, feed, and photograph wild sea turtles.

The Ministry's notice states unambiguously that such activities are "STRICTLY PROHIBITED" under Section 33(3) of the Fisheries Act 2023, and that any defaulter faces a maximum fine of up to 25 million Mauritian rupees and imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.

A cursory online search reveals the full extent of the problem. Numerous tour operators and international booking platforms continue to advertise turtle-swimming excursions in Mauritius, many of them updated for the 2025–2026 season and aimed squarely at international visitors.

Listings on platforms such as GetYourGuide, Viator, and TripAdvisor offer experiences under headings that invite tourists to snorkel with wild turtles. Some operators market directly on their own websites offering boat trips to the Trou aux Biches lagoon to interact with turtles.

One listing on GetYourGuide describes a speedboat trip from Grand Baie to the Trou aux Biches lagoon, departing at 9am or 11am, with snorkelling equipment, snacks, and drinks provided. They are selling the opportunity to enter the water alongside turtles at an average depth of six metres. Another operator, listed on Marriott’s activities platform, combines a turtle swim with a Port Louis street food tour, packaging the experience as a mainstream tourist attraction.

Observers and environmental researchers have documented more than 20 boats converging on turtle aggregation areas in the Trou aux Biches lagoon on a daily basis, creating a constant presence of vessels and swimmers around the animals. The Ministry’s notice makes clear that this is not a fringe activity but a commercially organised one, noting that it had been “apprised of advertisements promoting activities” at multiple locations around the island.

Protected under law

Sea turtles found in Mauritian waters are listed as threatened species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The two species most frequently encountered around the island are the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), listed as Endangered, and the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), listed as Critically Endangered. Both species face threats from habitat loss, ocean pollution, entanglement in fishing gear, and, increasingly, the pressures of wildlife tourism.

The Fisheries Act 2023, which enshrined protections for sea turtles in Mauritian law, prohibits swimming with, feeding, harassing, touching, chasing, or surrounding sea turtles in the country’s waters. Despite this, enforcement has been inconsistent and the practice has continued largely unabated, with operators ignoring the legal framework and international booking platforms continuing to list the excursions.

The real cost to turtles

The environmental organisation EPCO (Environment Protection and Conservation Organisation), which has monitored the turtle excursion industry at Trou aux Biches, has documented in detail the harm caused by these activities. According to EPCO’s findings, some operators attract turtles to their boats by throwing fish heads into the water.

This practice of artificial feeding conditions turtles to associate boats with food, profoundly altering their natural foraging behaviour and making them dependent on human-provided sustenance. Over time, turtles in heavily visited areas lose the instinct to find food naturally, creating a dietary dependency that undermines their long-term survival.

The consequences extend beyond diet. Habituation to boats increases the risk of collision with watercraft, one of the leading causes of injury and death for sea turtles globally. The constant presence of swimmers and snorkellers disrupts essential behaviours including feeding, resting, and breathing.

Scientific research has documented that turtles under sustained tourist pressure spend less time in normal vertical movements and exhibit significantly increased evasive responses which are signs of chronic stress.

A formal warning

The 23 March 2026 notice marks a significant escalation in the government’s public communications on the issue. Previous regulatory frameworks had been criticised for inconsistent enforcement, with operators rarely sanctioned despite operating in plain sight. The new notice signals that the authorities intend to treat violations seriously.

The Ministry directs the public to report violations to a hotline and provides three specific behavioural guidelines: report cases of injured turtles; do not touch or chase turtles; and reduce speed in areas where turtles have been sighted. These guidelines are addressed not only to tour operators but to all members of the public, reflecting the reality that recreational swimmers and boaters also contribute to the problem.

With fines of up to 25 million rupees (approximately USD 550,000 at current exchange rates) and the prospect of a two-year custodial sentence, the penalties are substantial. Whether they prove sufficient to deter operators who have already demonstrated a willingness to ignore existing law remains to be seen.