Plan Your Trip Diving - Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles - page 76

» Booby Islet Approximately halfway between Aride and Praslin, this exposed seamount consistently sizzles with fish
action. In less than 20m of water, you'll come across parrotfish, Napoleon wrasses, moray eels, turtles, eagle rays and
nurse sharks.
» Anse Sévère An easy site, close to the shore of La Digue.
» Ave Maria Rocks A seamount northwest of La Digue. Noted for its shark sightings.
» Cousin An easy site.
» Marianne Island An islet east of La Digue, famous for its dense fish life (including grey sharks, stingrays, barracu-
das, eagle rays and nurse sharks) and contoured seascape.
» South Cousine Island A dive site similar to Cousin.
» White Bank About 200m west of Ave Maria Rocks. Stunning seascape (tunnels, arches) and prolific fish life, includ-
ing shoals of jacks and the occasional guitar shark.
Other Inner Islands & Outer islands
For wealthy divers, the private islands of Desroches, Frégate, North, Silhouette and Denis
offer fantastic diving options, with absolutely pristine sites and only one dive boat: yours.
One step beyond, you'll find Aldabra, Cosmoledo and Astove, which are the stuff of le-
gend. They feature the best sites in the eastern Indian Ocean, with electric fish action in a
totally virgin territory and high-voltage drift dives. The catch? They were not accessible at
the time of writing due to the presence of Somali pirates in the area.
Practicalities
Diving Conditions
Diving in the Seychelles heavily hinges on the weather conditions, currents and direction
of the wind, but it can be sampled over all of the seasons as there are always sheltered
conditions. The calmest seas are from April to May and October to November. Due to cur-
rents and wind, visibility is temperamental and can drop to 5m. But in normal conditions
you can expect 25m.
Dive Operators
The Seychelles' 15-odd diving centres have first-rate personnel and facilities. You'll find
dive centres in Mahé, Praslin, La Digue, Ste Anne, Silhouette, Frégate, Denis, North and
Desroches. Most centres are affiliated with PADI.