Seychelles May 2008

12th June 2008 Article by Harry Kreigh

Here is my trip report for the Indian Ocean Explorer. I was generally disappointed with the boat and diving in the Seychelles. It is a very expensive trip that requires extensive travel from the US. The Maldives is probably a better choice for diving in that region.

Trip Report
Seychelles/Indian Ocean Explorer
May 2008
Harry Kreigh/Sacramento, CA
 
Summary
 
This 12 day trip on the Indian Ocean Explorer (IOE) started in the Aldabra Group (Assumption, Aldabra, Cosmoledo and Astove) and ended back in Mahe (700 mile cruise) with diving at St. Pierre, Alphonse and Desroches Islands along the way. Eleven passengers, including one non-diver, from the US, New Zealand and France were on the boat. This was a very expensive and lengthy trip (nearly three weeks with travel). The diving was good by Indian Ocean standards, but the fish density was not as prolific as expected for such a remote area (also a World Heritage Site), and there were very few sharks, indicating the adverse effects of commercial fishing. Some sites had pristine corals, but there was considerable rubble due to bleaching and/or storm damage. Frankly, the diving was not that exciting and at times rather dull. So I was disappointed with the diving and would recommend the Maldives as a comparable and cheaper alternative. Other negative factors include the travel agency that booked the trip (New Adventures), the poor condition of the boat, limited variety of meals and a disinterested dive guide. Unfortunately, the IOE is the only choice for a liveaboard at Aldabra; it would not be competitive with luxury boats anywhere else in the world. We did have outstanding weather, generally sunny (80-90 degrees) with a slight breeze and only a few brief showers. Water conditions were also good (80 degrees with noticeable thermoclines at depth [70-75 degrees]) with 70-100 foot visibility and generally calm conditions in the Aldabra Group (reduced visibility in the northern islands, down to 30-40 foot visibility with choppy seas at Desroches). Most dives were drifts in slight to moderate currents.
 
Boat Facilities
 
The IOE is an older steel vessel that is showing its age. There are eight cabins (16 passengers), but practically speaking the capacity is 12 guests. On Aldabra trips, the capacity is limited to 12 guests due to weight restrictions on the charter flight from Mahe to Assumption (total cargo of 3, 000 lbs.). The cabins are too small for two people with almost no storage space and an equally small bathroom (hand-held shower head worked best sitting on the toilet). Bugs were frequently seen in the bathroom. There are reading lights above each bunk, but the lights are dim and poorly positioned (blocked by bedposts or too far away). I was fortunate to have a single cabin, so it was bearable. Cabins are serviced daily and linens were changed several times during the trip. The serving area for breakfast and lunch is tiny with room for no more than two people at a time, so there was usually a line. The salon/dining area and dive deck are adequate, but there are no lounge chairs on the small sundeck, which is a crowded storage area. Some of the guests and crew smoked, which was irritating to some passengers. After the afternoon dives, the hostess served hot/cold drinks and cookies on the dive deck. Towels and showers were available on the dive deck. I was in a midship cabin which had moderate engine noise. We had four long crossings (2/24 hours and 2/12-15 hours) and the boat rocked excessively even in relatively calm waters.    
 
Meals were ordinary and repetitive. A cold breakfast of cereal, juice, fruit and toast was available around 6 AM daily. Fried/scrambled eggs with greasy bacon or salty hash and either porridge (very good) or baked beans were the usual breakfast fare after the first dive. I requested pancakes and had that one day, but the cook apparently didn’t know how to make French toast. Lunches were very basic and consisted of two entrees (either beef/chicken and fish) with rice or noodles. Dinner was better with more variety (some lamb dishes), but heavy on fish entrees, with soup, vegetables and some good desserts (flan and bread pudding).
 
Dive Operations
 
Tanks (12-liter steel) are stored/filled in elevated racks on each side of the boat and transferred to Zodiacs for dives. Each diver has a spacious equipment bin above the tank rack. Tanks were consistently filled to 3000 psi. Four dives were scheduled (8, 10:30, 1:30 and 4) with two night dives offered during the trip. Dive briefings were brief, generic and sometimes inaccurate. The divers were divided into two groups. All dives were from Zodiacs. Entering/exiting the Zodiac (from/to the IOE) was challenging during choppy conditions. Our dive guide carried a float and reel during all dives, including ones with little current, and seemed preoccupied with the reel and line for the entire dive. He floated along in a seated position and rarely pointed out any animals of interest. We later learned that he was a substitute dive guide. The owner of the IOE was on board for this trip and made several dives with us. He was more helpful and interested in finding critters. Dives were limited to 45 minutes with an additional 3-5 minute safety stop. A depth limit of 90 feet was recommended, but some wall dives reached 120-145 feet. Re-entry into the Zodiac was by hoisting oneself onto the pontoon or climbing the very short ladder in the transom. Mandatory safety equipment included a 3-piece PVC flagpole, in lieu of a safety sausage, which was strapped around the tank and extended to 6-7’ when assembled (I am not kidding). Fortunately, I never had to use it. Zodiac drivers followed the float, not bubbles, and were inattentive to divers who surfaced early or away from the dive guide (hence the need for the flag, I guess). Most divers carried Dive-Alerts, which got their attention.
 
Diving
 
The dive sites varied from gradually sloping topography to vertical walls, atoll passes and rock formations/caverns. Usually the top of the reef was flat at 20-30’, then gradually sloped to 50-60’ with either a vertical wall or steeper slope at greater descent. In my opinion, the best sites were at Cosmoledo and Alphonse due to beautiful hard coral gardens, fields of large fans and diverse tropical fish (butterflies, surgeons, wrasses and angels). There were sizable schools of unicorns, snappers, fusiliers, pyramid butterflies and red-toothed triggers at these sites. At most sites, there were multiple green or hawksbill turtles, several large groupers (potato cod, Queensland, Chinese and Malabar), napoleons, dogtooth tuna and sweetlips (including yellow-lipped and African). There were a couple of schools of jacks and barracuda as well. We also saw quite a few large stingrays, eagle rays and octopi. The scarcity of sharks was alarming, only a handful of blacktips, silvertips, hammerheads and a nurse shark (the largest one) were seen during the entire trip. Lobsters and large honeycombed morays were common, while scorpionfish, nudibranchs and jawfish were elusive. There were also some anemones and small Tridacna clams. Night dives produced more colorful scenery and a Spanish Dancer.
 
We spent three days at Aldabra (one of the largest enclosed atolls in the world) and the dives were very repetitive and uninspiring. In some areas the corals were in good shape, but there were rubble patches throughout the sites. The biggest disappointment was the drift dive through the main channel. There was a moderate current (estimated at 3-4 mph) on the incoming tide, but the landscape was featureless and devoid of life, except for a few groupers, yellow-lipped sweetlips and a couple of bumphead parrots. This was a letdown to those of us who have been to Rangiroa in ripping currents with schooling sharks.    
 
Even on the best wall dives, there were very few fish at depth or in the blue, except a few tuna, jacks and barracuda. So I spent most of the dives looking for critters in the coral. Without the help of a skilled dive guide, the searches were unproductive. The best finds were octopi, mantis shrimp and one juvenile ribbon eel. 
 
I made 36 dives on this trip and would rate maybe 10 as good, 20 as fair and about 6 as poor (including all dives at Desroches due to poor visibility and lack of fish/coral; other than some caverns, rock formations and sea grass, there was little to see).
 
Travel
 
Logistically, this is a difficult and long journey from the US. It took me four days to reach the boat. I flew to Paris, spent most of the day at the airport, then flew to Mahe (9-1/2 hours), spent one day there and then took a charter flight to Assumption Island (2-1/2 hours) to meet the IOE. The return trip took three days with overnight stays in Mahe and Paris.
 
The major concern for this trip was the severe weight restriction for the IDC charter flight to Assumption Island. Initially, we were told that the total weight limit for a man (combined body and luggage weight) was 175 lbs. (I weigh 185 lbs.). After several emails to the owner of the IOE, various weight limits were given to different passengers. The last information I received listed a total weight of 266 lbs for a man (additional weight was allowed because the plane was stopping in Alphonse to refuel). I packed accordingly and was able to meet that limit. However, when we reached Mahe, the limit was 1000 lbs. for cargo (all checked luggage and food supplies for the IOE). We made the limit (due to the non-diver and 2 passengers who rented dive gear on the IOE) and the plane went directly to Assumption.  
 
My biggest complaint about the trip was dealing with New Adventures, the travel agency that all Americans used to book this trip. The agency deceptively promotes itself as the exclusive US agent for the IOE (not true according to the owner) to monopolize business. The agent that specializes in this trip is the worst that I have ever used. She offered only high-end hotels in Mahe and was offended when I decided to book the hotel myself at a reduced rate. Approximately nine months before the trip, I sent her a check and asked her to purchase the Air Seychelles ticket. Only a few months before the trip I learned that she had not purchased the ticket (the rate she quoted me was not even valid and tickets weren’t available) and kept my money. I ended up buying my own Air France ticket at a higher rate. Trip planning would have been much easier without the agent. Please contact Peter Holland, IOE owner, directly, if you plan to do this trip.
 
I booked the Coral Strand Hotel in Mahe, but the reservation was transferred to the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay Resort (the Coral Strand was closed for renovations). The Berjaya is located on one of the nicest beaches in Mahe. The accommodations were satisfactory and included a breakfast buffet. Transfers to/from the airport by taxi cost 20 Euros ($30).  
 
I stayed at the Hilton at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. This luxury hotel was available at a reasonable rate ($125) through Hotwire.com. It is a short walk from the hotel to the train station. The hotel has an airport shuttle. I had breakfast at the nearby Ibis Hotel (8 E).
 
Tourist Information/Personal Observations
 
There is a small settlement on Aldabra with rangers and a scientific staff for ecological monitoring/research. We had an interesting guided tour and saw tortoises (like the Galapagos species), coconut crabs and several endemic birds (sacred ibis, heron, rail, kestrel and drongo).
 
Some of the guests went ashore at Cosmoledo to visit nesting colonies with thousands of terns, boobies and frigates, one of the largest bird congregations in the world.   
 
One evening on the boat while watching a beautiful sunset, I saw my first green flash (no, I wasn’t looking through a Heineken bottle).
 
The local currency is the Seychelles Rupee (Rp). The conversion rate is approximately 1E = 12 Rp ($1 = 8 Rp). However, taxi drivers offer a higher black market exchange rate. Except at small shops, the local currency is shunned; only Euros or dollars are accepted at hotels and restaurants. In Mahe, we took the bus into Victoria and walked around town. The main attractions are a clock tower, decorative Hindu temple and the public market. It was discouraging to see shark jaws on sale there. The buses provide cheap transportation around the island (3 Rp or 5 Rp for an air-conditioned bus).
 
I took a 2 mile hike along the coastline trail to a small secluded cove and beach (Anse Manor). Overlooks provided some great views of Beau Vallon Bay with impressive granite rock formations.
 
Customs in Paris is a breeze. They check your passport and that is all, no forms and no luggage inspection.      
 
I had never been to Paris and I had 1 night for sightseeing. I read about the train (RER) and Metro, had maps of both systems and knew which lines/transfers to take (or so I thought). It took me half an hour just to buy a ticket at the airport train station (I opted for the Paris Visite pass with unlimited use of RER/Metro for 1 day [18 E]). Then, there were no direct trains into Paris and very few local trains (made all stops in the suburbs). Before reaching Paris, the train stopped and everyone got off. It seems that there was a transportation strike that disrupted normal schedules. So I got off very confused and finally got help from some locals, who were very friendly and directed me to the correct platform for the connecting train. All in all, it took me almost 2 hours to reach the Eiffel Tower for some quick photos (there were long lines for tickets). I had better luck getting to the Arc de Triomphe, but again didn’t climb it due to the crowds. I took a quick look down the Champs-Elysees and headed back to the airport on another slow train. I started this adventure at 6:30 PM and returned to the hotel around 11:30 PM. So much for the most efficient public transportation system in Europe!   

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