In Mauritius a solo angler books a whole boat, because no boat we list sells single seats. Pick a small boat and a 4 to 6 hour morning, tell the captain you are on your own, and the trip works well. If a shared seat matters more than the place, the one boat on Reelzy that sells individual seats is in Honolulu.
If you are in Mauritius on your own and want to go fishing, you will be booking a whole boat. We checked every live Mauritius listing on Reelzy in October 2026, all 13 of them, and none sells a single seat on a shared trip. Each one is a private charter, whether one person books it or ten.
That surprises people. In plenty of places you can turn up at the harbour and pay for a place on the morning party boat. Mauritius does not really work like that, at least not on the boats we list, and it is better to know before you start hunting for a group to tag along with.
Why there are no shared seats
Most of the boats here are small and family run. A captain with a six to nine metre boat and one deckhand would rather take one booking a day than fill four seats with strangers who want different things: one guest wants marlin, another wants to be back by ten, the third gets seasick at the reef pass. Selling the whole boat keeps the day simple.
You can still ask. If you message a captain and say you are alone and would happily share, some will tell you if another guest has asked about the same date. Nobody can promise it, though, and we would not plan a holiday around it. Solo travellers who wait for a stranger to share with often fly home without having been out at all.
What you actually get as one person
The upside is real. On a private boat you are the only one fishing, so when a reel starts screaming it is your rod. On a full boat you take turns, and with six people aboard you might get one strike all morning.
You also get a say in the plan. Departure times on the Mauritius listings run from 04:00 to 09:00, and trips run from 4 to 10 hours. Boats take anywhere from 1 to 12 guests. If the wind gets up outside the reef, you can ask the captain to fish closer in instead of rolling around offshore for three hours. A group of six would have to vote on that. You just say it.
The early starts are normal here, by the way. Several boats are out before sunrise because the first hours are usually the best, and by midday in summer the heat on an open deck is hard work. Our post on the best time of day to fish in Mauritius goes into why.
Boats that make sense for one angler
Some boats are simply a better fit for a solo guest than others. These four stood out when we went through the listings.
The big game boat out of Trou-aux-Biches is set up for exactly one guest, which is rare. It leaves at 05:00 and runs 6 or 9 hours, so if you want a proper offshore day for marlin, tuna or dorado on your own, start there.
Pyramide works from the Trou-aux-Biches and Pointe aux Biches side and takes up to three. Skipper Mike Seblin runs it with his brother Hansley. There is a 6 hour morning that leaves at 04:30, or a 10 hour day. Their listing says each guest can take home one fish under 10 kg, which is handy if your hotel kitchen will cook it.
In the southeast, the small game trip in the Mahebourg lagoon is a different kind of morning: 4 or 6 hours of casting, light trolling and bottom fishing in sheltered water inside the island’s biggest lagoon. If you are not sure about your sea legs, this is the one we would pick.
Fishing on Ivan, also at Trou-aux-Biches, goes out for 6 or 9 hours from 05:30. Captain Sebastian builds the day around what you tell him, from jigging and bottom fishing to trolling and popping, and the listing explains how he shares the catch afterwards.
If you are staying up north, have a look at all the fishing charters in Trou-aux-Biches: seven of the island’s live Reelzy boats are based there. In the south, see the charters from Mahebourg.
Keeping it sensible on your own
We do not put prices in our articles, because they change and the listing is the only place a price stays right. What you can control is the shape of the trip, and for one person that matters more than anything.
Go short first. A 4 or 6 hour morning covers the best fishing hours and leaves your afternoon free. If you get on well with the crew, book a longer day later in the week.
Go small. A boat built for one to four people is the natural fit. A big boat for ten is still yours alone, but you are paying for deck space nobody will stand on.
Check how the trip is quoted. Some are priced per boat, so one guest and three guests pay the same. If someone at your hotel fancies coming along, sort that out before you book, not on the jetty at five in the morning.
If the forecast looks rough, stay inside the reef. The Mahebourg lagoon trips are in sheltered water, and our guide to seasickness on a fishing trip in Mauritius covers the rest.
And ask about the fish before you go. One person does not need a whole yellowfin tuna, and boats handle the catch differently. Our post on who keeps the fish on a Mauritius charter explains the usual arrangements.
Fishing alone safely
Being the only guest changes very little about safety on a charter, because the captain and usually a deckhand are aboard and the boat is their daily workplace. A few habits still help when nobody you know is with you.
Tell someone where you are going. A message to the hotel reception or to family at home with the boat name, the departure point and the time you expect to be back costs nothing.
Ask where the life jackets are when you step aboard, and wear one if the sea is up or you are not a confident swimmer. Nobody on a working boat will think less of you for it.
Keep your phone in a dry bag or a zip bag, and keep the captain’s number from the Reelzy chat handy in case you are running late on the morning of the trip.
Be honest about your limits. If you feel sick or the heat gets to you, say so early. On a private trip turning back an hour early is your call, and a good crew would rather hear it at nine than carry you off the boat at noon.
Where you can book a single seat
If you would rather share the boat with strangers and pay for one place, Mauritius is not the island for it, at least not on Reelzy. The only listing on Reelzy right now that sells individual seats is in Hawaii: Ohana Fun Fishing aboard Sashimi II runs a 3 hour shared bottom fishing trip from Kewalo Basin Harbor in Honolulu, leaving at 11:00. The listing says it is a 60 foot boat certified for up to 42 passengers, that gear, bait and water are included, and that beginners are welcome, so other guests will almost certainly be aboard.
That is a very different day from a private Mauritius charter: more people, less control over where you fish, and a later start. For someone travelling alone who mostly wants company and a relaxed few hours on the water, it is exactly the right format. If you are heading to Oahu, the other boats are on the Honolulu fishing charters page.
Half a day or a full day?
For most people fishing alone, half a day is plenty. A full day by yourself on a small boat offshore is long, especially if you are not used to the swell, and the conversation with the deckhand only lasts so many hours.
The exception is when you came for one fish. If marlin is the reason you are here, the 9 and 10 hour trips from Trou-aux-Biches give you time to work the deep water properly. We compared the two in more detail in half-day or full-day fishing trips in Mauritius.
When you message the captain
A solo booking goes better when the captain knows who is coming. When you book, send a short note through Reelzy saying how much fishing you have done (none is a fine answer), what you would like to catch or whether you just want a nice morning on the water, whether you get seasick, whether you want to keep a fish for dinner, and where you are staying so the captain can confirm where to meet.
The chat stays open on Reelzy right up to the trip, so you can sort out the details without swapping phone numbers. Cancellation terms are on each listing and explained in our cancellation policies.
If you are on the island alone this week, the one-guest boat at Trou-aux-Biches is the obvious place to start. Send the captain your dates and what you are hoping for, and see what they say.
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