Liveaboard Diving in La Digue
What to Expect on a La Digue Liveaboard
Liveaboards to La Digue are a great option for divers looking for diverse marine life along with exciting top-side activities. Seychelles liveaboard itineraries include a visit to La Digue, the country’s fourth-largest granitic island, located east of Praslin. Most liveaboards in Seychelles will depart from the nearby islands of Mahe or Praslin. La Digue boasts one of the most photographed beaches, Anse Source d’Argent, known for its powder sand and pink granite boulders, a must-see especially at sunset, making liveaboard diving in La Digue all the more special. Aside from superb beaches and timeless Creole architecture, visitors are curious to see the native black paradise flycatcher in Veuve Nature Reserve. The leisurely lifestyle is also reflected in its mode of transportation, bicycles replacing cars, and time-honored traditional ox-carts offering visitors a relaxing tour around the island.
Despite daily ferries from Praslin to La Digue, liveaboard diving remains the best way to visit the surrounding dive sites in the same relaxed manner. Whatever your budget, Liveaboard.com offers a great range of liveaboards to La Digue, some more dive-centered than others, so please choose accordingly.
La Digue Underwater
Liveaboard diving in La Digue offers year-round good weather and crystal-clear waters. Breathtaking granite formations above and underwater, its abundance of marine species and unique dive spots, make La Digue an excellent addition to a diver’s liveaboard itinerary. The reefs and lagoons of La Digue offer a great range of flora and fauna. From colorful angelfish, parrotfish, and octopus to whitetip sharks, eagle rays and hawksbill turtles. On a rare occasion, it is possible to see whale sharks in season (August – October).
The underwater terrain is just as fascinating as some of its sister islands. Large granite boulders create swim-throughs, and cavern-like formations adorned with hard and soft colorful coral create a palette for the eyes.
Currents vary from mild to strong depending on the time of year, and depths remain within recreational limits.
Dive Sites of La Digue
Around La Digue, there is a range of dive sites suited to all levels, from offshore to longer range. Closer to shore, Pate Anse Severe is an ideal drift dive boasting a long granite stone wall where Moorish idols, surgeonfish, turtles, and eagle rays are often seen. Nearby and often visited from Praslin are the dive sites of White Bank and Ave Maria.
Farther out from the mainland, the pinnacle-shaped rocks of South Marianne Island form an underwater maze that attracts grey reef sharks, eagle rays, and barracudas. Nearby, divers can explore Marianne Rocks, where schools of grey reef sharks and the elusive whale shark are known to congregate.
To the west lies Coco Rocks, where a plethora of marine life can be found, such as hump-head parrotfish, Napoleon wrasses, turtles, schooling snappers, octopus, reef sharks, stingrays, eagle rays, lionfish, scorpionfish, and stonefish, to name but a few.
The mid-channel rocks aptly named Channel Rocks, between La Digue and Praslin, provide a series of gullies and holes that shelter large groupers, snappers, and smaller reef fish. Batfish, giant moray eels, parrotfish, Napoleon wrasses, clownfish, reef sharks, stingrays, eagle rays, and turtles can also be seen here.
Top Tips for Divers
The best time to dive La Digue is from October to May, when the water temperature is at its warmest, 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit), and visibility remains good (up to 30m).
It is possible to rent equipment on most cruises, although it is recommended that you have your own gear.
Getting to La Digue
Air Seychelles, Emirates Airlines, Etihad Airways, Air Berlin, and Kenya Airways all fly into Mahé’s Victoria International Airport. Liveaboard.com itineraries covering La Digue depart from either Mahé or Praslin. Air Seychelles operates domestic flights from Mahé to Praslin. Alternatively, a fast catamaran operates regularly throughout the day from the Mahé inter-island quay to the Baie Ste. Anne jetty on Praslin. Different diving liveaboards are available in La Digue to suit all budgets and styles of sailing through Seychelles.
