Captain your own Seakart in Mauritius

I am sure most of you have tried a jet ski. Whenever I have done one, I always wished to wrestle the controls from the jet ski instructor and take over myself. Some of them are so scared to let you have the charge that you are merely just touching the handle while he is doing all the maneuvering. The imp in me would sometimes, just tell me to just push the guy off and do a round myself – I mean, he is wearing a life jacket and I can play the angel by steering the jet ski myself to rescue him. (I know, just mischevious thoughts but I would never do that to anyone 😉). Well, this trip to Mauritius fulfilled this desire of being a captain of my own cruise – but not by way of the jet ski. It was when I took charge of a seakart.

Seakart in Mauritius
Seakart in Mauritius

What is a Seakart?

Seakart is one of its kind activity that they say is available in Mauritius. If I were to describe it, I would say it a cross between a jet ski and a speedboat. It is a lot more stable than a jet ski and easy to ride as compared to a speedboat. The best part is that it is quite stable and they guarantee it to be unsinkable. For those who are keen on what the technical specs are –

  • It has a 4 stroke engine of 110 horsepower
  • It is 2m long and can seat up to 2 adults and one kid
  • And well, it has a turbine propeller -which essentially translates to it being quite safe when steering.
Me in the Seakart
Me in the Seakart

When I saw it the first time, it looked like an inflated water bed with an engine. I was a little skeptical of how stable it would be but once I sat in it, the doubts vanished for it is anything but a light, inflated bed. Having said that, it is not that light that you would be blown away by strong winds. To some extent, it reminded me of a hovercraft.

Preparation for the first ride on a seakart

The V formation of the Seakart
The V formation of the Seakart

With a lot of enthusiasm, I was all ready to hop into a seakart and zoom away. Interestingly, I was not scared nor anxious about the ride but was quite excited. All outfitted in our life-jackets, we sat down for our formal briefing. The guides introduced us to a seakart and assured us that it was a safe ride. The rest of their instructions covered –

  • How to start the seakart – a simple press button is all it took after inserting the key
  • The seakart had only a hand accelerator for a control. You just had to let go of the same to stop of slow down.
  • The seakarts were to be ridden in a V formation.
  • The safety boat would be at the tip of the V and we were to look at the instructor on the boat for the various signals.
  • The instructor also, familiarized us with the various hand signals – essentially to go slow or fast or to change directions

And with that my confidence rose and I was ready to be Captain Ami.

Starting Woes of a seakart

Nisha and me on our seakart
Nisha and me on our seakart

I tried not to show my over-excited self to my partner-in-crime – Nisha Jha. She did seem a little skeptical of sitting with me as I could not hide my over enthused self. However, I suppose she did co-pilot with me  ;-).  I don’t think she regretted the decision – or did you Nisha?

Initial woes of keeping the seakart on course. Intense concentration on our faces.
Initial woes of keeping the seakart on course. Intense concentration on our faces.

Once we sat into the seakart and started it, the initial hiccups started. I started slow and went against the waves – I realized it was not easy to keep the boat on track. Keeping to the course was as difficult as trying to walk on a rope. I kept trailing so much that the safety boat had to stop till we caught up with the rest. It was then, I figured the trick.

Pushing the throttle was the key. As I picked up the speed, I realized that I was in better control of the seakart – it was much easier to keep on the course at a higher speed.

Cruising along on a seakart

Racing on the seakart.
Racing on the seakart.

Once I hit the high, there was no looking back. It was like Jim Carrey in Mask saying “Somebody stop me!”. As you can see, the glee on my face as the wind rushed through my hair and the high when the seakart flew off the waves to land back safely – it is just indescribable. Encouraging were the whoops from Nisha and the only reason I would slow down is when my safety boat instructor literally cut off the throttle and made frantic signals to stop.

The Lagoon where we did our seakart activity
The Lagoon where we did our seakart activity

I had forgotten about the V but was following more of a straight line formation where I almost overtook the safety boat. 😉 One hour felt a little less now that I was enjoying myself so much that I did not really spend time admiring the lovely sea, except when my throttle was deliberately cut off. While waiting for the rest to catch up, I realized how beautiful and blue the lagoon really was.

Tips for a great ride on a seakart

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Jumping over the waves – adrenaline thrill of a seakart.

Here are some tricks that can help you get a great ride on a seakart –

  • Going slow makes it difficult to keep the seakart on track. Push the throttle to a comfortable speed and you will realize it is easy to steer
  • Going against the waves is scary initially as you will feel as if you are in the air for some time. However, the seakart is made in such a way that you will land back safely.
  • Keep a parallel track with the seakart ahead of you. The waves it generates is what makes your ride a little unstable
  • Do not get close to any seakart. Maintain sufficient distance.
  • I recommend trying to get into the driving seat at least once – the fun doubles when you are at the wheel.

Mission Accomplished

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Sea Karting in Mauritius

Like all good things, this one too came to an end. I think my instructor was a little relieved, considering that I was constantly threatening to overtake him. After my ride was done, I asked him how fast I was going and whoopie! I was at 60 kmph. No wonder he had his heart in his mouth. He admitted that and also, complimented me on my ride. And with that, the mission that Captain Ami had – one where I wanted to ride my own jet ski or speedboat, was accomplished.

What about you? Do you think you would want to have a go at this seakart. I would definitely say – “Go for it!” – for it is one of the most unique and must do activities in Mauritius. You might not get a chance elsewhere.

Seakart in Mauritius

Getting here:

  • Seakart is offered by Fun Adventures in Mauritius. The place where this is offered is La Balise, Black River, near the Flic-Flac beach.
  • Getting to this place will need you to either use a taxi or a bus. For the bus, you can click here for the various routes.

Travel Tips:

  • Here is the official website of the operator of the Seakarts. You can book your ride through this website.
  • There are various packages that you can opt for. A one hour package would cost you 5500 Mauritian Rupees for 2 adults and one kid.
  • You can drive a seakart as long as you are 16 years old or over.
  • Wear your swimsuits for the experience as you will be drenched with the sea mist.
  • The instructor on the boat keeps taking your pictures but you will need to purchase them at the counter. If you have a waterproof camera, take the same along with you. If you have your traditional camera, you might want to carry a waterproof cover to operate the same. You don’t get completely drenched and hence, with a waterproof cover, you might want to consider taking the same. However, the same would be at your risk.
  • There are lockers and hot showers available at the place.

P.S: I was a part of the media trip organized by Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority. All pictures used in this post have been clicked by the Fun Adventure team as I opted to leave mine in the safety of their lockers.

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86 thoughts on “Captain your own Seakart in Mauritius”

  1. What a fun ride it was ! 🙂 No, I didn’t regret at all! Ours was the best team if you agree. 😀 You were over enthused, no doubt and I let you be. 😉
    You brought back that time. Come, let’s go again!

    Reply
  2. I must admit I was so engrossed in reading about your seakart experience and how you slowly aced it and then there’s the landscape picture out of blue and like a kid I go Wohooooo! 😀 The dramatically beautiful picture of lagoon. Wow. That said, (hopefully I don’t sound going so far from the post irself) the experience was fun reading 🙂 I may be repeating this, but the simple way you put down things makes for such a good read!! Cheers. (P.S. Definitely want to do this but being the captain)

    Reply
  3. I am not much of a water person but this looks like a lot of fun. Lucky you had a photographer as they took some great shots to document your adventure. You did a great job of describing your experience and I enjoyed reading about it.

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  4. Ooh this looks like a water activity I could handle. Great tip on not going too slow. I would have an issue with that. I’d want to go slow but it seems like one of those things that is easier when you go faster.

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  5. Sounds like you had a great day! I’ve never been on a Jet Ski before as I was too scared! I’ve never known then to come with instructors driving? If they did I probably would have gone on haha. I’ve only ever been to places where they just let you loose on them! The photo of the Lagoon looks beautiful!

    Reply
  6. Ami this looks so much fun and I was looking at all your pics and your different expressions– from intense ones to excited ones. I know am not that adventurous person but Sam would definitely love to do. Mauritius has been pending for us, hopefully we can plan a trip soon.

    Reply
  7. This looks like a lot of fun! Somehow despite growing up in a town where we all got our boating licenses in school (really!) I’ve never been on a jetski or a seakart. Maybe I’ll have to try it the next time I’m home to see my parents.

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  8. This is the first time I’ve heard of a Seakart! It would be scary at first going so fast out on the open waters, but looks like a blast I wouldn’t regret experiencing!

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  9. What an adventure! I’ve been on a jetski and a speedboat, but never on a combination of both. I wish we had that here, it looks like so much fun!

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  10. I’ve never done this before but it looks like so much fun! It’s rare that speed is actually encouraged so why not take advantage of it?!

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  11. OMG this looks SO FUN! I’ve always wanted to jet ski (hadn’t heard of seakarts before now) and sounds like you had an awesome adventure. Mauritius seems like quite the place to explore!

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  12. I’ve never been on a jet ski actually! They never looked very stable. I think I’d like to try a seakart because I’m fine with speedboats. This looks like a lot of fun! yet, another reason to visit Mauritius.

    Reply
  13. V or straight line – who cares as long as you have fun and master it 😀 You sure became a pro and Nisha seemed scared at first but super happy eventually so yay to you girls 😀

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  14. I didn’t hear about seakarting before. It looks like a lot of fun though, especially that you say if is very stable when you steer. I didn’t try a jet ski yet but I have seen so many people falling off them (I live by the seaside)

    Reply
  15. I’ve never heard of a Seakart before. How interesting! This looks like an awesome place to try out a Seakart for the first time!

    Reply
  16. How fun!!! This seriously sounds like such a blast. I’ve also been on a jet ski and totally agree that you have to have a little power to keep it in control 🙂 This would def be on my to-do list whenever I go to Mauritius!

    Reply
  17. Sooo funnyyy, I would like to answer of your first impression of this post and…actually I have never tried it!! It seems you enjoyed this adventure in Mauritius! Anyway you did it into a lagoon, so I suppose there were not big waves like in the sea! thanks for sharing it, I would try it one day

    Reply
    • It was a thrilling ride And one that is a must-do in Mauritius. Yes, the waves were gentle but they were waves alright and at the end of it, I loved going over them.

      Reply
  18. We love these Seakarts. We’d love to try them. We lived in Miami Florida for years and drove Jet skis ourselves many many times. They’re awesome but the one drawback is that they’re best for only one person. When you have 2 people on a jet ski it’s slower and not really fun for there person in back. But the Seakart is like a mini speed boat that we couple share an adventurous time in as a couple. We’ll definitely try them out when in Mauritius.

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  19. The seakart experience sounds really exciting. Riding with the waves, the sea breeze in your hair and hands on the controls, cruising along in the sea . It must have been an exhilarating experience.

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  20. Ami, I would have been just like you. Always pushing the throttle to go faster. I have been accused by many to be a fast driver. So I am pretty sure If I ever get to do this, I would definitely scare my instructor too.

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  21. You got to drive the seakart yourself! I can imagine the thrill that you must had while the steering would have been in your hands 🙂 Now I got a unique reason to visit mauritius as soon as possible

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  22. It looks like a lot of fun. I’ve been in a similar boat / jet sky on steroids kind of thing and like you say, when against the waves locked like you were in the air for a few seconds.

    Reply
    • Lucky you…no one gave me a jet ski 🙁 but that is ok now that I have done the Seakart. I think you will find it a piece of cake after all these experiences that you have had.

      Reply

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