Outer Seychelles — Alphonse, the area around Pinnacles

Outer Seychelles · Seychelles · Pinnacle · Wall

Pinnacles

Three pinnacles topping out at 15 m beside an open drop-off

Area photo: Bennet Gevers · CC BY-SA 4.0

Three large pinnacles southeast of Alphonse, rising from around 25 m to tops at about 15 m, with a separate mini wall in the shallows at 7 to 10 m. The drop-off alongside is where the bigger fish pass, and the pinnacles themselves hold potato grouper, stingrays and nurse sharks.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Pinnacles: typical dive 7–25 m (23–82 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit7 m25 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

7.0171° S, 52.7383° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Most of the dive is spent working around and between the three pinnacles rather than sitting on a fixed bottom: they rise from around 25 m and top out at roughly 15 m, so depth is something you choose as you move from one to the next. A mini wall runs separately in the shallows at 7 to 10 m, which makes an easy end to the dive and somewhere to spend the last of the gas.

The outer side is the drop-off, and that is where the pelagic traffic shows: dogtooth tuna in the blue, with silvertip, bull and grey reef sharks along the edge. Nurse and whitetip reef sharks frequent the site as well, so the sharks here are not confined to one part of the dive.

Closer in, the pinnacles hold potato grouper, stingrays and various snapper species. Tasselled scorpionfish and lionfish sit still against the coral and take finding, so it is worth slowing down over ground that looks empty. Hawksbill and green turtles turn up occasionally rather than on every dive.

Marine life and season

  • Tuna
  • Reef sharks
  • Bull sharks
  • Groupers
  • Stingrays
  • Sea turtles
Month-by-month season rating for Pinnacles
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
GoodGoodPrimePrimeGoodFairFairFairFairPrimePrimeGood

Season follows Outer Seychelles: Oct–May is the season with Mar–Apr and Oct–Nov calmest between the monsoons; the lodge closes for part of the year.

Questions divers ask

How deep is Pinnacles?+

The pinnacles rise from about 25 m to tops at around 15 m, and a separate mini wall runs shallow at 7 to 10 m, so the dive can be profiled fairly shallow if you want it to be.

What sharks are seen at Pinnacles?+

Silvertip, bull and grey reef sharks patrol the drop-off, and nurse and whitetip reef sharks frequent the site itself. Dogtooth tuna are the other reliable large fish.

Sources

  1. Scuba Diving Alphonse Island in the Seychelles — Scuba Diver Life
  2. Beneath the Blue: Unforgettable Dive Adventures on Alphonse Island — Blue Safari

More dive sites in Outer Seychelles

Reef

Napoleon

Deep crevices at 16 to 30 m with hammerheads on the drop-off

16–30 madvanced

Reef

Secret Reef

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Reef

Three Sisters

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Pelagic & blue water

West End

The area's best odds on manta rays and green turtles

12–40 madvanced

Wall

West Side Wall

Alphonse's macro wall, all of it inside 16 m

6–16 mintermediate

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