The Seychelles - above water a paradise, under water a bit nondescript
When you think of the Seychelles, you have mental pictures of fantastic beaches and granite rocks. And that's exactly what it looks like there! Since we were not on holiday but on a JBL expedition, biotope examinations were on the agenda. We also enjoyed the beautiful beach as well. In order to compare the marine fauna of our expedition destinations, boat trips with Octopus Divers on the island of Praslin were booked to different diving destinations each day. In the morning at 9:00 o'clock we loaded the boats and then set off.
The dive sites are all located at very small rocks protruding from the surface of the sea or at larger uninhabited islets. Our first dive led us to a very interesting underwater rock formation, which dipped into the depths like big fingers. The rock fingers were covered with red sponges and the marine life was really rich in species. However, the coral growth was very limited.
The next dives led us to different places, which showed rock formations with different coral growth, but with interesting fish species and cleaning stations with larger fish species
On the second day the swell had increased and the skipper intelligently decided to head for a distant island. Those of us already plagued by the heave of the sea swell, only survived the one hour trip by crouching on the bottom of the boats, feeding the fish from time to time, and only recovered during the diving.
This dive in rough sea was an example of how not to do it! The dive guide led us underwater from the leeward side of the island (the downwind side) towards the tip of the island, where the waves were driving in wildly from the open sea.
During the briefing he didn't point out that in rough seas we must never surface near the shore, but always diagonally away from the shore into the open water. And that's exactly what our inexperienced divers didn't do. They came to the surface in the middle of the waves and then struggled with the waves and the current that drove them towards the rocks. The boat skippers, on the other hand, could not approach them because then the boats would have been in danger.
Fortunately everything went well and we didn't have to scrape any of our divers off the granite rocks. A pre-briefing before a dive is really essential! You always need to clarify what people should do if they get separated from the group and how to behave in special situations like in rough sea.
After the dives there was still time for snorkelling. Directly in front of our resort’s beach there was a photogenic island which we could snorkel around. No matter how much we went diving, we still enjoyed snorkelling again and again!You can stay in the water for as long as you want, you don't need an air supply and you can stay in one place as long as you like.
Snorkelling directly from the beach
Even though scuba diving is a relaxed time under water near the animals, snorkelling is still one of the most beautiful activities in tropical waters. Even in shallow waters you can find a variety of life forms and you have unlimited time to observe them in peace.
