Diving on Praslin
Thursday, October 14
Diving on Praslin
At 9 AM we arrive at the Octopus Dive Center. It is one of three dive centers on the eastern part of Praslin and received a particularly good review in the diving magazine Unterwasser. The team is very friendly and helpful. Contrary to reports in some diving forums, we can NOT confirm that the team is unfriendly during the off-season.
A little further north lies the dive center Whitetip Divers. On the far eastern tip of the island is the Blue Marine Dive Center at Anse La Blague.
We head out in groups of maximum 6 divers. We set course for Marianne Island, located northeast of La Digue, reaching it after about 20 minutes of speedy boat travel. We descend along a steep rock wall that towers high above the Indian Ocean. After a good 15 minutes — a Napoleon wrasse, barracudas, various triggerfish — we spot a whitetip reef shark. Then a few more, and suddenly there are dozens of sharks cruising around us along the reef. I had to remind myself not to forget to breathe. Simply fantastic and majestic. After a good 54 minutes, one of my most beautiful dives comes to an end, and as if that weren't enough, several dolphins appear alongside our boat on the way back.
Curieuse Island
In front of the dive center, we board a taxi boat heading for Curieuse Island and St. Pierre Island. On Curieuse Island we disembark and explore the Turtle Pound. There is a baby tortoise nursery station to protect the newly hatched giant tortoises from their enemies. For the rats and crabs on the island, they would be a welcome snack. The island itself and the surrounding sea form the Curieuse National Park. We set off and walk roughly 2 kilometers through the park to Anse St. Jose. Along the way we encounter many of the approximately 340 free-roaming giant tortoises living here. Among them is the oldest tortoise "Gino," approximately 140 years old, and "Cobra," who earned her name from her head shape and posture resembling a cobra — and she can lean at a particularly crooked angle :-)
After about 25 minutes we reach the beach where our taxi boat picks us up. Here you can see the ruins of an old prison and a mission from the colonial era, as well as the house of a doctor who once ran the leper colony. Today it serves as a small museum.
St. Pierre off Praslin — Seychelles
Then we cross over to St. Pierre. This is an ideal spot for snorkelers. As we circle the tiny island, we even encounter a reef shark. But there are also beautiful corals and plenty of fish to admire.
Tip: Booking locally saves a lot of money
For the taxi boat excursion we pay €25 per person, plus 200 Rupees (€13) per person for the national park. Otherwise, you can book this excursion including barbecue from €65 almost everywhere. Often a third island is included — the bird island Cousine — then it can easily cost €100. Booking on the east coast is cheaper since the distances are shorter.
Back to Praslin
On the return trip to the Côte d'Or, we pass an island with an abandoned hotel. The Chauve Souris Club hotel was destroyed in the 2004 tsunami. Here the water also receded completely, washing the fish into the hinterland. There was some material damage.
We then enjoy the sunset once more in front of our hotel.
