As the world population gets more and more water loving, the coast territories have been organized in order to answer this new request. In this dynamic, coast sports have been constantly expanding massively and in various forms to concern a larger portion of the population today . Reunion Island –in the Indian Ocean- has also taken part in this move. Yet, while the evolution of maritimity between tradition and modernity seems to be taking place in many places all around the world, the West coast of Reunion Island –although full of assets- seems unable to transform its initial resource in a territorial resource. Our work suggests studying the link between a territory –the West coast of Reunion Island- and its coast from a sociogeographic point of view in order to analyze the brakes to the apparition of a new maritimity within this space.Our results show that contrary to the conveyed picture, Reunion island and particularly its West coast is the right place to practice coast sports. In spite of the favorable geographic context, the absence of developments and events able to structure this expansion, together with the domination of the representations conveying the picture of a population “with their backs to the sea” seem to be limiting factors. The different actors concerned are partly responsible and particularly the political actors who do not play their parts as they do not carry a real territory project aimed at coast sports.It remains that the change of maritimity is at work on this coast. Reunion island is building its own model. The use of the coast space is evolving, growing out of its usual uses, the organization of events is developing encouraged by the expansion of Stand Up Paddle and the outlines of new developments are being drawn. On a board or in the sand, the new generation is taking over the coast integrating outside influences.
