Seychelles Diving

The Seychelles has one of the world's longest coral reef systems with some of the world's best diving sites. Add in warm aquamarine water, powdery beaches and a sublime year-round climate. It's no wonder that diving in the Seychelles is so popular.

Many of its islands lie on the edge of the ''Seychelles bank''. This drops some 2,000 meters into the turquoise Indian Ocean teeming with fish. Here you can enjoy a breath-taking underwater world of sudden drop-offs, walls, pinnacles and canyons.

Best time for diving in the Seychelles

Enjoy diving throughout the year in the Seychelles with average water temperatures around 29C during most months. The best months are March to May and then September to November. Visibility ranges from 8 to 30 metres.

During June to August, the monsoon winds makes getting to some of the hard-to-reach adventurous sites more difficult. It also reduces water temperatures to 25C. This in turn increases plankton levels and reduces visibility.

However, the upside is that you may see the magnificent whale shark which reaches up to 12-14 meters in length. It feeds off the plankton. so you'll see these amazing creatures - with their 1.5m-wide mouths - much more during this time.

Best spots for diving in the Seychelles - Inner Islands

The inner islands are the remains of a submerged mountain range. This is the best bet for novice or intermediate divers as there's a huge variety of dive sites and excellent diving facilities. The northern islands offer impressive granite reefs, soft corals and sponges.

Many of the inner islands, such as Denis Island, offer world class diving. Special sightings include green and hawksbill turtles, butterfly fish, angelfish, squirrel fish, sweepers, hump-head parrot fish, stingrays and reef sharks.

There are numerous dive sites around North Island and nearby Silhouette Island. The Sainte Anne Marine National Park is a protected reserve which ensures stunning marine life. Also the Sainte Anne white beaches are a favourite spot for nesting turtles. All of these dive resorts offer PADI Open Water dive courses.

If you are based at one of the hotels on Mahe or Praslin, enjoy diving with one of the reputable dive companies based there. They run PADI dive courses and also operate full day dive excursions to the inner islands.

Seychelles diving on the Outer Islands

Four Seasons Desroches Island is perhaps the best place for diving in Seychelles with mini-walls and canyons, as well as numerous wreck sites. There's a 70km coral reef which circles this tropical atoll. This offers 14 unforgettable dives, none of which are more than 20 minutes away by boat. Here you may see sailfish, whitetip and nurse sharks, manta rays and whale sharks.

See our Main Page on Luxury Diving Holidays around Africa for more destinations.