Swimming lessons suspended in Petite-Terre

Since September 2026, the rectorate has suspended swimming lessons in Petite-Terre due to insufficient safety and reception conditions, particularly the absence of adapted changing rooms. The decision has raised concerns among professionals regarding the resources allocated to swimming education in Mayotte.

Reasons for the suspension

According to the rectorate, the difficulties are mainly related to safety and reception conditions on the site, the absence of adapted spaces for changing, the conditions of access to water, and an incident related to the respect of students' privacy. An incident involving three young boys preceded this decision, with one of their families reportedly filing a complaint.

Criticism of infrastructure

Alain Baron, a lifeguard and president of the Aquatic'Nage Mayotte club, has criticized the inadequate infrastructure and insufficient resources. He has long advocated for swimming education on the island, where aquatic safety remains a major issue. He emphasized the importance of changing rooms to guarantee students' privacy and prevent problematic situations.

Environmental concerns at Faré beach

At the Faré beach, along the crab boulevard, Alain Baron also denounces a degraded environment marked by the presence of waste, insufficiently maintained bins, and dead fish regularly found on the sand. He stated that the resources devoted to cleaning are negligible, with equipment provided during a municipal intervention limited to a wooden-handled fork and a rake, without gloves or mechanical equipment.

Safety and supervision issues

Safety is another concern, as jet-skis, towed floats, swimming, and beach volleyball coexist on this beach, especially on Wednesdays and during the weekend. Alain Baron considers the site's surveillance not to be adapted to this frequency and laments the insufficient presence of the municipal police during the busiest periods. He also considers the rescue post to be in poor condition.

Aquatic'Nage Mayotte's activities

Despite these difficulties, Alain Baron continues his work within Aquatic'Nage Mayotte, a club launched in 2021 and officially constituted as an association on July 23, 2022. The club aims to develop swimming education, competition, and aquatic safety and has been affiliated with the French Swimming Federation since October 2022.

Successes and competitions

Aquatic'Nage has enabled young Mahoran swimmers to participate in competitions in La Réunion. In 2024, ten of them participated in the Horizon Avenir Winter Championships, with Kayla Ivorra winning a bronze medal in the 25 meters breaststroke in the under nine category. Five other swimmers participated in a qualifying meeting in Saint-Joseph.

Future goals of the club

For the 2026-2027 season, the club mainly wants to strengthen its first aid training, continue the development of open water swimming, and prepare for regional events in view of the 2027 Indian Ocean Islands Games. In the short, medium, and long term, the goal is to make swimming a tool for drowning prevention on the island, training and professional insertion, while allowing young Mahorans to access competition.

Challenges and ambitions

However, this ambition faces the lack of infrastructure and the insufficiency of resources devoted to aquatic safety. Alain Baron wants to see more swimming clubs, improved reception conditions on beaches, and the development of open water competitions in Mayotte, as exists in other territories of the Indian Ocean. The suspension of school swimming in Petite-Terre gives concrete form to his concerns.

Implications for Mayotte

The resumption of the sessions will now depend on the conditions set by the rectorate and the responses to the difficulties observed on the site. In the meantime, the suspension raises a central question for Mayotte, that of the resources granted to an education that relates as much to education as to risk prevention, on a territory surrounded by water.