Underwater Photo Location: Mahe island

Anyone thinking of scuba diving in the Seychelles then be aware that as a holiday destination it is paradise but for coral diving it is an unmitigated disaster. All the coral is dead due to a sea temperature rise caused by El Nino in the late nineties. I mean ALL the coral. Some regeneration is starting but in percentage terms we are talking single figures of regeneration. The fish populations are less effected and you can find pockets of massive fish populations in spots like; Anse Soleil - unfortunately no dive boats go here but you can drive there and snorkel, and also at Port Launay, which is part of the Marine Park.
They marine life is colorful and varied:- Hawksbill turtles, green turtles, parrot fish, puffer fish, nudibranchia, octopus, moray eel, snake eel, manta ray, grouper, snapper, bigeye, angelfish, butterfly fish, clownfish, trumpetfish, porcupinefish, scorpionfish, lionfish (poisonous) plus whale shark, white tip reef sharks and dolphins. The wrecks are interesting; twin barges and Ennerdale - whilst the granite rocks make an impressive underwater backdrop.
When going to the Seychelles I recommend that you take your own dive gear (BCD, Octopus, dive computer, torches) because the dive centres are working on long replacement cycles (two years or so!).
Be choosy about your dive centre. I visited the five in the Beau Vallon Bay area and some are very small outfits. I cast no aspersions on any of them. The one I selected was Island Ventures (www.dive-seychelles.com) my decision being based on the maturity of the email responses to my pre-holiday enquiries.
Visibility in August varies between 4 to 15m depending on the sea state which is subject to the trade winds. Any white horses on the waves and assume visibility will be below 5m. Most dives are around 12 to 18m with a few going to 30m. Oh! there is a small decompression chamber at Victoria Hospital.
Facts about Mahe island