Saint-Leu tide times

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived.

Model-derived from a global ocean grid. Useful indication; expect about ±45 minutes on average vs. a local harmonic gauge, individual stations vary widely. See /methodology for per-region detail. Not for navigation.

Conditions as of 02:00 local time. Refreshes daily.

Predictions: Open-Meteo Marine (MeteoFrance SMOC, 0.08° grid) — heights relative to MSL (not chart datum / LAT). Model-derived. · Not for navigation.

The angler tradition for major/minor fishing windows: major ≈3-hour windows around moon transit and opposition; minor ≈2-hour windows around moonrise and moonset. Times are Indian/Reunion local. Folk tradition, not a scientific forecast.

Saint-Leu is a town of approximately 35,000 people on the southwestern coast of Réunion, at the point where the fringing reef system that defines the leeward coast transitions to an exposed, reef-free shoreline. To the north, the lagoon continues to L'Ermitage and Saint-Gilles; to the south, the coast is open ocean, with basalt cliffs, rocky points, and no reef protection. Saint-Leu occupies the hinge between these two coastal characters, and the outer reef crest just offshore at the northern edge of town marks the transition. The outer reef at Saint-Leu creates one of the most consistently rated surf breaks in the Indian Ocean. The wave breaks on the reef crest in a right-hand direction on southwest to northwest swell — swell windows that reach Saint-Leu's south-facing exposure without attenuation from the island's geography. The break is hollow and fast on the reef crest section closest to the channel; the shoulder runs through to a reform on the inside. World Surf League events have been held here; the wave is technically demanding and is not a beginner break. The tidal state shifts the break's character and position on the reef. At lower tide — from approximately 30 minutes before low water through the first hour of the flood — the wave breaks on the shallower section of the reef crest, producing a heavier, more critical lip and a more abrupt tube. The reef itself is closer to the surface, which raises both the power of the wave and the consequence of error. At higher tide — from mid-flood through the high water and into the early ebb — the wave softens slightly as the reef is covered by more water, the critical section shifts slightly, and the entry and exit channels are easier to navigate. The difference between low and high tide at Saint-Leu is only 0.9 m on a spring tide, which in ocean-swell terms is a relatively small change; the effect on the break is real but not transformative. The swell period, direction, and height are the dominant variables; the tide adjusts the setting within the range those variables establish. The rocky points south of the lagoon boundary at Saint-Leu are shore fishing ground for trevally, barracuda, bonefish on the shallower reef sections, and the occasional small reef shark. The incoming tide from the low — flooding the rock ledges and pushing baitfish against the point — is the standard productive window. At spring low the ledge fishing positions at the southern points expose several metres of dry rock above the waterline; at spring high the same ledges are submerged and fishing from them requires care about wave wash. The Aquarium de La Réunion at Saint-Leu, opened in 2005, is the island's primary marine education and public engagement facility. It holds displays of local reef fish, sharks, rays, and invertebrates found in Réunion's lagoon and open-water habitats, and runs educational programmes for schools. It is the main point of contact for visitors wanting to understand Réunion's marine ecology without entering the water. Operating hours are independent of tidal state. The southern part of Saint-Leu's coastline, below the reef boundary, is part of the Vigie-Requin monitoring zone. Bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) movement in this area is monitored by acoustic receivers. The Vigie-Requin daily beach status applies to supervised water-entry points at Saint-Leu as elsewhere on the western coast; check the status before entering the water. Predictions for Saint-Leu come from Open-Meteo Marine, a gridded global ocean model; accuracy is typically within plus or minus 45 minutes on timing and 0.2 to 0.3 m on height above chart datum. SHOM (Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine) is the authoritative source for Réunion tide tables. These predictions are not for navigation.