Seychelle Islands , South Africa, anyone been ?

[eyescuba]

I am going to South Africa and thought to go to the Seychelle Islands to dive. If you have been there I would like to hear about your time and dive operators, well any info would be appreciated. Thanks
Steph

 

[sapphire]

eyescuba once bubbled...
I am going to South Africa and thought to go to the Seychelle Islands to dive. If you have been there I would like to hear about your time and dive operators, well any info would be appreciated. Thanks
Steph

Hi Steph -

We extended a safari in East Africa with a dive trip to the Seychelles. We used the Seychelles Underwater Dive Centre http://www.diveseychelles.com.sc/ . Now, this was about 6 years ago - so I have no idea what your experience would be like. We dove on the main island, Mahe, and one of the coral islands, Desroches. Seychelles is made up of both coral and granitic islands and we wanted to experience both. Desroches had one resort, about 20 rooms, and that was it.

The diving was so-so, but you will see some fish specie not seen elsewhere. However, we agreed that the diving in many parts of the Caribbean is better, and it is cheaper to get to. A big problem in the Seychelles at that time was overfishing by other country's trawlers. Also, the native Seychellois were not as keen on conservation as they were on fishing.

If you will already be there, and it is not too expensive, a side trip there would be very interesting, not only for the diving but the sightseeing. We loved the fruit bats, the giant snails, the "coco du mer" (native coconut to Seychelles), the rainforest, and the dramatic granite boulders on the beaches...

sapphire

 

[SADivemaster]

Haven't been to the Seychelle's myself, but hear that they are absolutely outstanding.

And diving in South Africa itself? There are some really amazing dive sites on the Natal Coast, especially if you like sharks. Then there is Sodwana Bay, rated as one of the Top 10 dive sites in the world, which you would believe once you've been there.

 

[docmartin]

we were in s. africa in march for diving and safari. there is great diving in s.africa itself that you may want to consider. we dove sodwana bay and protea banks. our plan to do a great white cage dive in mosselbay fell through because of weather.

 

[sodwanabaykev]

as my nickname suggests i did most of my diving in Sawdies ....you cannot go wrong .....if u have the time a good book on SA diving is "The Dive Sites of South Africa" by Anton Koornhof. This book has it all....and yeah the Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks is also great if you like raggies(Zambezis and ther johnnies LOL !!) and BIG potato bass...let me know if I can help further. Most cities in SA have dive shops/operators who will welcome your business and arrange trips to Sawdies......also if you like comfort say at the Lodge in Sodwana.....if you want to rough it, there are plenty of tented villages run by the dive ops people who have Natal Parks Board leases. As an addition I did my shark training with the Natal Sharks board ( known as probably the globally predominant shark authority) in Durban Kwa-Zulu Natal, it's well woth a day trip to their campus.
Cheers.
Kev

 

[eyescuba]

Thanks for all your suggestions
I would like to hear about dive operators too
Leaving on October 8,03
Any more info would be appreciated
Thanks Again

 

[sodwanabaykev]

eyescuba
Depending on which coastal city you end up in or inland (Durban and Cape Town are coastal, Johannesburg is inland) their are a lot of highly reputable operators. For example f you go to NAUI's website and click on the South African flag , it will provide links for dive operators under NAUI's umbrella and you can contact them from their. Nearly all should be able to arrange a trip to Sodwana, except those in the Cape, probably too far. But give that a try.
Kev

 

[SA-Diver]

www.aliwalshoal.co.za
www.adventurescuba.co.za
www.scubadivesouthafrica.co.za
www.rockybaywatersports.co.za
www.adventuremania.co.za
www.sandtonscuba.co.za
www.tritondiving.co.za

for diving along the SA East coast.

Have not been to Seychelle's myself, still have a lot of diving to do in South Africa before I venture elsewhere.

 

[docmartin]

if you plan on hitting protea banks go with african odyssea. trevor, the owner, pioneered diving there and is a really great guy with a heart for sharks which can get him into trouble (but not with the sharks, see below).

http://www.divernet.com/news/stories/sharks150803.shtml