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Destination:
PRASLIN, Seychelles
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Discover
Seychelles
Island paradise for scuba divers
and naturalists
PRASLIN,
Seychelles -- As I hovered above soft, purple coral watching tiny
fish weave through it's waving branches like birds in trees, my dive
partner tapped me on the leg and pointed to a hawksbill turtle
soaring through the open water, a rare and spectacular site.
Later, our divemaster found a group of baby, white tip
sharks hiding beneath a huge granite boulder, occasionally snapping
at a school of tiny, transparent, glass fish.
I went
to the Seychelles for the diving. Others had come to see rare birds,
indulge in romantic isolation or visit primordial forests. What I
found was a naturalist's paradise, with unique marine life,
geography and botany.
The dusting of granite and coral
islands along the equator in the western Indian Ocean are literally
1,000 miles from anywhere else. In this solitude evolved unique
flora and fauna, as well as a culture that seamlessly blends Europe,
Africa, Arabia and India.
When the Indian subcontinent
broke away from Africa and rode its tectonic plate into a dramatic
collision with Asia 180 million years ago, the Seychelles were the
geologic crumbs left behind. The first permanent human settlement
was established in 1770 by French colonists. Britain took control of
the islands in 1814 and independence came in 1976.
Settled on a
relatively shallow underwater plateau surrounded by deep ocean, the
islands are the marine equivalent of an oasis, creating a breeding
ground for fish in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Huge, submerged
granite boulders spread across the sea floor give juvenile fish a
place to hide and grow. Coral, which grows on the rocks and forms
some of the smaller islands, provides the food.
About
95 percent of the hard coral in the Seychelles was killed when water
temperatures rose during the last El Nino weather pattern in
1997-98. I wanted to see if the coral, a unique combination of plant
and animal, had recovered.
While I found huge fields
of coral skeletons, I also found soft coral making a comeback. For
the underwater naturalist, witnessing an ecosystem in recovery is
almost as interesting as seeing one in full bloom.
Along with the purple, orange and green tree coral
mingled damsel-, lion-, angel-, puffer- and parrotfish. The neon
blues, canary yellows and rich purples create a dramatic underwater
pallet. The submerged granite boulders create a unique underwater
environment.
Hawksbill turtles and several types of
rays are common to the islands, while rare elsewhere. On our ascent,
curious, steely gray baths harmlessly circled us.
For
what Jacques Cousteau said was some of the best diving in the world,
adventurers can book a weeklong trip on an oceanic research vessel
to Aldabra Atoll, one of the Seychelles' two World Heritage sites.
Called the Galapagos Islands of the Indian Ocean, Aldabra is
inhabited by just a few scientists and is located 1,150 kilometers
(715 miles) south of Mahe, the Seychelles' main island and the
location of the capital, Victoria.
The world's largest
population of giant tortoises, marooned by the break up of Africa
and India during the Triassic period, inhabit the island along with
the rare, flightless white-throated rail, a distant cousin of the
extinct Dodo bird. Frigates, with a two-meter (six-foot) wingspan,
and boobies also nest on the atoll.
Inside the coral
ring is one of the largest lagoons in the world, home to sea
turtles, manta rays, hammerhead sharks and dozens of species of reef
fish. An underwater cliff offers amazing diving, drifting along the
wall where the island ends and the deep blue ocean begins.
In total, the islands cover only 455 square kilometers
(175 square miles), with a population of 79,500 people. Most
Seychellois are a mix of African, European, Arab and Indian
heritage, and 98 percent are Christians. English and French are the
official languages, but a local Creole is dominant on the streets.
The islands feel more like the West Indies than the west Indian
Ocean.
The Seychelles has one of the highest per
capita incomes in Africa, but the islands are among the most
expensive places to visit because almost everything must be
imported. About 30 percent of Seychellois work in the tourism
industry, which brings in 70 percent of the nation's income.
Diving was my primary reason for making the three-hour
flight from Nairobi to Victoria, but upon arrival I discovered the
islands were full of terrestrial treasures as well.
Just outside of Victoria, in the national park, I
found dragonblood trees and a triple canopy mistforest on the
spectacular mountains in the center of the island. The dragonblood
trees get their name from the long surface roots that curve around
for more than 10 meters (33 feet) like a dragon's tail. If you cut
the 50-meter (160-foot) trees with a knife, it oozes a red sap that
looks shockingly like human blood.
Just a 90-minute
boat ride from Victoria, Praslin Island is home to the Seychelles'
second World Heritage site, the Vallee de Mai, a forest of
centuries-old coco de mer palm trees, a species that has changed
little in 180 million years.
The triple-canopy
forest is dominated by male and female cocos de mer, which produce
the world's largest seeds, many weighing more than 20 kilograms (44
pounds). The bilobed coconuts resemble a woman's loin, while the
male plant's flower is one meter (yard) long and tubular, a
coincidence the Seychellois use to make curious souvenirs.
I enjoyed the chance to see these rarities in their
natural environment, but honeymooners usually opt for one of a dozen
private islands, which cater to only a handful of guests, some
promising opulent luxury.
Bird Island offers the
serious birdwatcher a chance to see millions of sooty terns nest
along with a dozen other species of seabirds. The 170-acre island
offers an escape from cars, roads and other trappings of modern
life.
Denis Island offers a lodge geared to big-game
fishing, Fregate Island is home to what the Sunday Times of London
called the world's best beach, and Felicite Island offers
colonial-era homes for rent on spectacular grounds.
While the Seychelles are a very long way from the
United States and Europe, both geographically and metaphorically,
that is exactly the point of going.
GETTING THERE: The only international airport in the
Seychelles is in the capital. Victoria. The airport is served by
several major airlines, including British Airways, Air France, Air
Seychelles and Kenya Airways. Air fares from New York's JFK airport
were available in late December as low as $3,958 round-trip, with
some restrictions.
GETTING AROUND: If you are
going for the scuba diving, you will probably stay at the same hotel
where the dive shop is located. The smaller islands can be covered
by foot in just a few hours. On Mahe or Praslin, one day should be
spent exploring the interior forests. Small jeeps, called
Mini-mokes, can be rented for as little as $30 a day. Ferries and
helicopters are used to reach smaller islands.
LODGING: Hotels range from beachside, thatched
huts to colonial-era homes on grand estates. Prices range from $50 a
night to $500, but standard accommodations at a full-service hotel
will cost about $125 a night if booked directly.
Le
Meridian Fisherman's Cove in Beau Valon, 248-247-247 or http://www.lemeridien-fishcove.com/
The Lodge on Bird Island, 248-22-49-25 or http://www.birdislandseychelles.com/
Paradise Sun, Praslin Island, 248-23-2255.
DINING: Except for a few romantic, gourmet
restaurants on Mahe Island, most tourists eat at hotels, which is a
shame because there is fantastic Creole food to be found in open-air
establishments. One of the best, and most accessible for tourists,
is the Boat House on Beau Valon Beach Road, a 10-minute walk from
the Coral Strand hotel.
DIVING: There are a
number of dive centers and live-aboard boats operating in the
Seychelles, with dives costing about $30 each.
The
Underwater Center operates on Mahe and Praslin and owns the Indian
Ocean Explorer: Coral Strand Hotel, Box 384, Victoria, Seychelles,
248-344-243 or http://www.seychelles.net/divesey/index.htm
Island Ventures has two locations on Mahe: Box 1320, Beau
Valon, 248-247-845 or http://www.islandventures.net/
INFORMATION:
General Information: http://www.seychelles.net/
Creole
Holidays Travel Agency, Kingsgate House, P.O. Box 611, Victoria,
Seychelles: 248-224-900. E-mail: resvnta@seychelles.net
www.summer
holiday.info
www.winter holiday.us
The natural beauty of Seychelles
-- Photos by 
Unhibited Seychelles -- Photo
by