Diving in Seychelles

In addition to the many surfers who find their perfect wave in the Seychelles - many divers find “home” in this tropical paradise thousands of miles from anywhere boasting excellent diving in spectacular surroundings. Seychelles is a group of about 115 islands which lie 1600 km (990 miles) off the coast of east Africa. The islands are predominately made of granite and, due to oceanic isolation, have managed to preserve a large number of unique species such as giant tortoises. Minimal currents, abundant fish, colourful corals and an above average chance of seeing large pelagics (such as manta rays, turtles, and whale sharks) make this a top dive travel destination.

The three central islands are Mahé, Praslin and La Digue, all of which are granitic, while the outlying islands are coral atolls. Aside from palm-fringed beaches and superb snorkelling and
diving, there’s also plenty of forest wilderness with an abundance of wildlife.  Diving, particularly around the outlying islands is popular and diving is offered both from dive centres on the islands or from a number of live-aboard dive vessels with good facilities.  Seychelles has four marine national parks, and more than 150 species of tropical reef fish have been identified.

In 1997 Seychelles was affected by coral bleaching caused by the El Nino weather pattern which resulted in some hard coral mortality, mainly of branching Acropora species (finger corals, stag-horns etc). Since then there are visible signs that the reefs - like many other areas affected by this natural phenomena – are recovering. And it is important to note that the amount of fish has not been affected.