Scuba Diving Seychelles

"The best Seychelles scuba diving locations
  are around the remote Outer Islands"

Scuba diving Seychelles reefs is a most memorable experience. Sure there has been some coral bleaching but this has positively impacted the numbers of some fish species. Why? It's because the effect also promotes the growth of algae, which increases forage for herbivores like parrot fish and surgeon fish. So it's not all bad.

Scuba diving in Seychelles is as good as ever. With the ocean being warm the whole year (25 to 29°C) you can enjoy diving any time although the sea is at its clearest in March-April and September-October when visibility can reach over 100 feet.

So when you plan your Seychelles holiday leave plenty of time to explore the hidden submarine treasures. The coral gardens and the fishes are truly spectacular.

There are dive centres on all the inhabited islands of Seychelles so you can go scuba diving whenever you get the urge, but not all Seychelles scuba diving sites are the same. Tip: most will not tell you that the best beaches are seldom associated with great scuba diving locations.

For the best scuba diving Seychelles has to offer you should really head to the outer islands of the Amirantes group - Desroches, Alphonse... and of course Cosmoledo and Aldabra atolls are the ultimate for scuba diving in Seychelles.

Scuba diving Seychelles - Desroches Island Watching turtles mating

And this also means that you should not be looking for resorts but a liveaboard for the best scuba diving Seychelles holiday because these are remote islands and mostly uninhabited.

But recently, with the Somali pirates operating in that region of the Indian Ocean, I would not recommend it as an option. So your next best choice would be the Amirantes group of islands if you come to Seychelles solely for the diving.

Lately there has been lots of talk about coral bleaching in Seychelles, and coral dying, like in most other tropical locations worldwide, but this is not a new phenomenon. It's part of the process of living and it's been happening for thousands of years. So is it bad? I don't think so!

It's only the natural process of growth and decay, life and death, natural selection through adaptation and survival that Charles Darwin talked about well before our time. So there is nothing to be concerned about when you see some "coral bleaching" or dead coral when you go scuba diving Seychelles waters.

In fact it adds to the diversity of the underwater landscape. This so-called coral-bleaching phenomenon occurs in a cycle every 10 to 12 years. It has been associated with the warm waters of El Nino Southern Oscillation!!! So enjoy it. It's a blessing in disguise. It's like the winter snow - a curse for some, but without it there would be no glorious spring and summer.

For me, when I go scuba Diving in Seychelles and notice the coral death cycle setting in, it reminds me how nature knows best. There is no need to second guess and interfere with nature's work. It also reminds me how the beautiful beaches of Seychelles came about.

Seychelles Scuba diving holidays - with
a comedian PADI licensed instructor

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Without the natural processes and the death of the coral in the warm waters over millions of years there would be none of those beautiful white sands that we rave about at our favourite beaches. So when you go scuba diving Seychelles reefs enjoy the sights and the added colour of the "bleached coral."

And remember that any dead coral you see today is what will add to the sand store on the beach, a thousand years hence. So revel in the knowledge that this bodes well for the future of the beaches in Seychelles and just take note of evolution in progress.

Those who talk of coral bleaching as if it were a new phenomenon and something to stop at all cost are either misguided or they have their own agenda. But I say: let nature take its course. Witness the cycle of life and death, and natural selection through adaptation and survival. And enjoy the positive outcome when you get back to the beach.

Of course, more are talking about the state of the coral gardens because there are more and more taking part in this sport once reserved for few. And I encourage you to join in with a group and go diving Seychelles innumerable scuba diving sites on your next holiday.

 

Recreational scuba diving in Seychelles is so popular now that you'll find it offered at most resorts on the islands of Mahe, Praslin, La Digue, Fregate, Silhouette, St Anne, Eden, North, Denis, Alphonse, Desroches and Bird Island. Also several live-aboard yachts offer this on trips to the outer islands, which is where you'll find the best scuba diving locations in the Seychelles.

You may have heard of the famous French underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, who dived all over the world and filmed his epic "The silent world" in the Outer Seychelles Islands, That's how special Seychelles scuba diving can be, in the right locations.

But if you come for the beaches and stay on the inner islands only, don't except too much from your scuba. Just like fishing you'll have to get out to the remote islands if you seek the absolute best.

What kinds of fish will you encounter on your dives? There are hundreds of varieties and here are some that you can expect: Parrot fish, groupers, red and yellow snappers and one-spot snappers, morays, large scorpion fish, lionfish, eagle rays, giant stingrays, trevallies, reef sharks, turtles and the friendly whale sharks too from June onwards.

If you've never dived before, not to worry as all the full service dive centres have multi-lingual professional instructors and offer training and a full range of PADI Courses, so you can get internationally recognised PADI certification too on your next scuba diving Seychelles holiday.

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