Is Seychelles good for beginner divers?

Yes, partly: 2 of the 11 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Aquarium and St Pierre. The others need more experience or a higher certification.

What is the water temperature in Seychelles?

The water is usually between 25 °C and 29 °C over the year.

What marine life can you see in Seychelles?

Divers regularly see grey reef sharks, nurse sharks, whitetip reef sharks, turtles, eagle rays and barracuda.

Seychelles

11 documented dive sites, 2 of them for Open Water divers. Known for grey reef sharks, nurse sharks and whitetip reef sharks.

Best months: Mar–May, Sep–Nov
Water: 25–29 °C
Levels: Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
Nearest airport: SEZ

When to go

Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.

Pick a month

Best
Good
Possible
Closed
Not documented yet

Seychelles in October

Best season

Sea: 28 °C; at the surface
Air: 27 °C; 25 °C at night
Rain: 80 mm; one of the driest months
Wind: 19 km/h; on average

Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.

Best Mar–May and Sep–Nov. Jun–Aug brings stronger winds and swell with the south-east monsoon; there is no closed season.

Source: liveaboard.com

Dive sites in Seychelles

From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.

Open Water friendly

usual dive down to 18 m2 sites

Reef

down to 18 m

Aquarium

A site off Mahé at 5–18 m with minimal current and good visibility on calm days.

Open Water

down to 10 m

St Pierre

A shallow 8–10 m dive off Praslin, inside the Curieuse Marine Park, with octopus, lobster, Spanish dancers and sea hares.

Open Water
Octopus

For Advanced divers

usual dive down to 30 m7 sites

Reef

down to 17 m

Coral Garden

A reef 5 minutes by boat from Beau Vallon Beach, with a maximum depth of 17 m.

Advanced

Reef

down to 12 m

Corsair Reef

A big, shallow reef 8 minutes from Beau Vallon Beach, with a maximum depth of 10–12 m.

Advanced

Reef

down to 15 m

Fisherman's Cove Reef

A 15 m reef just 5 minutes from Beau Vallon Beach and 3 minutes from Bel Ombre marina.

Advanced

Pinnacle

down to 40 m

Shark Bank

A bank off Mahé rising from about 40 m to 18 m, where whitetip reef sharks are the most common shark encounter.

Advanced
Hammerhead sharks

Wreck

down to 22 m

Twin Barges

Two barge wrecks at 19 m and 22 m, 8 minutes by boat from Beau Vallon Beach.

Advanced

Reef

down to 20 m

L'Ilot

Granite boulders at 12–20 m off Mahé with resident moray eels, lionfish and occasional turtles.

Advanced
Turtles

Reef

down to 23 m

Baie Ternay Marine Park

A marine park off Mahé where nurse sharks rest under granite overhangs at 8–12 m.

Advanced
Nurse sharks

For experienced divers

usual dive down to 40 m2 sites

Wreck

down to 40 m

Aldebaran Wreck

A fishing-boat wreck on sand at 28–40 m off Mahé, for experienced divers only.

Experienced

Wreck

down to 47 m

Ennerdale Wreck

A largely broken-up wreck at 28–47 m off Mahé, where grouper, snapper and batfish school through the structure.

Experienced
Batfish

Marine life

When the big encounters happen, month by month.

Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Whale sharksSource: liveaboard.com

Peak season
Seen

Also reported here, season not documented yet:

Grey reef sharks
Nurse sharks
Whitetip reef sharks
Turtles
Eagle rays
Barracuda
Nudibranchs
Octopus
Batfish
Bumphead parrotfish
Groupers
Lionfish
Moray eels
Napoleon wrasse
Snappers
Hammerhead sharks
Trevally

Where is Seychelles?

View on OpenStreetMapLocation: Victoria, Seychelles (Wikipedia)Map: Natural Earth

Nearest airport: SEZ

Seychelles: frequently asked questions

When is the best time to dive Seychelles?: The best months to dive Seychelles are Mar–May, Sep–Nov. Best Mar–May and Sep–Nov. Jun–Aug brings stronger winds and swell with the south-east monsoon; there is no closed season.
Is Seychelles good for beginner divers?: Yes, partly: 2 of the 11 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Aquarium and St Pierre. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
What is the water temperature in Seychelles?: The water is usually between 25 °C and 29 °C over the year.
What marine life can you see in Seychelles?: Divers regularly see grey reef sharks, nurse sharks, whitetip reef sharks, turtles, eagle rays and barracuda.
How do you dive Seychelles?: The nearest airport is SEZ.

About this page

Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.

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Photo: Sarah Lee on Unsplash

Photo credits

Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash