Diving in Seychelles

Indian Ocean & East Africa

4 regions

79 dive sites

Seychelles gives you a really distinct feel, largely because of those enormous granite boulders scattered both above and below the surface. We love the Inner Islands for their easy-to-reach reefs, where you often find nurse sharks napping under ledges and schools of fusiliers swirling around the coral heads. For something truly special, you’ve got to consider the Outer Islands, particularly the UNESCO-protected Aldabra Atoll; it’s a proper wilderness dive, offering encounters with big pelagics and a sense of remoteness few places can match. Visibility is generally excellent year-round, but April to May and October to November avoid the stronger winds. If you're looking for unique underwater topography alongside some impressive marine life, Seychelles should definitely be on your radar.

Seychelles Dive Regions

4 diving areas in Seychelles

Aldabra & Outer Islands

Aldabra. Just the name carries a certain weight, doesn't it? This isn’t your typical Seychelles trip. Forget speedy pangas and day trips; getting here means committing to a liveaboard, and frankly, that’s exactly how it should be. The diving here feels raw, ancient, like stepping back to a time before humans really interfered. We love the sheer scale of it all, especially the channels. When the current pushes through, it’s a drift dive on steroids, a conveyor belt of pelagics. Grey reef sharks patrol the drop-offs, often in numbers that make you pause. We’ve seen schools of barracuda so dense they create a shimmering wall, and manta rays glide past with an unhurried grace that always captivates us. Our favourite moments are often in the quieter sections though, tucked behind a coral bommie, watching a common hairy crab scuttling across the seabed or the subtle iridescent sheen of an Indian Ocean oriental sweetlips. Visibility is generally excellent, often 25m or more, allowing you to truly appreciate the topography of this massive atoll. Be prepared for strong currents; this isn’t a place for the easily flustered. But for those willing to embrace the wild, Aldabra is an experience few other places can match.

4 dive sites

Desroches & Amirantes

Remote atolls southwest of Mahé with drop-offs, channel dives, and large pelagic encounters including sailfish and tuna.

Inner Islands

The Inner Islands of Seychelles, particularly around Mahé, Praslin, and La Digue, are where we send divers who want a bit of everything. We're talking dramatic granite boulder formations underwater, sculpting caves and swim-throughs you just have to fin through. We love the sheer variety here, from gentle reefs to exciting drift dives, and the pinnacles often hold surprises. Visibility can often hit 20-25 metres, giving you plenty of space to spot the resident honeycomb morays peeking from crevices or a school of ocean triggerfish shimmering by. Come October, our top tip is to keep an eye out for whale sharks; they cruise these waters with a serene presence that’s genuinely humbling. You might also catch a glimpse of Allison's Tuna darting past or the more elusive scalloped hammerheads if you're lucky. The wreck diving here is also solid, offering a different kind of exploration when you want a break from the reef. Just watch for currents on some of the deeper pinnacles, they can pick up quickly.

75 dive sites

Silhouette Island

A national park island with pristine reefs, whale shark encounters, and dramatic granite underwater landscapes. Limited access ensures conservation.