Outer Seychelles · Seychelles · Wall · Muck & macro
West Side Wall
Alphonse's macro wall, all of it inside 16 m
Area photo: Bennet Gevers · CC BY-SA 4.0
A shallow wall on the west side of Alphonse, running between 6 and 16 m. It is the island's macro dive rather than a big-animal one, with an abundance of nudibranchs, flatworms, leaf scorpionfish, octopus, crabs and shrimp, and the shallow profile gives long bottom times for photography.
Where it is and how deep
7.0071° S, 52.7183° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wall runs along the west side of the island and stays shallow the whole way, between 6 and 16 m. That makes it a slow dive by design: there is no descent to get out of the way and no depth ceiling pressing on the plan, so the pace is set by how long you spend on each stretch of coral rather than by the computer.
Nudibranchs and flatworms are the main draw and they are abundant, with leaf scorpionfish sitting motionless against the coral and taking a second look to spot. Octopus, crabs and shrimp are here too and reward the same slow searching. The shallow, unhurried profile is what makes the site work for photography — the subjects are small, and there is no depth clock forcing you off them.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Good |
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.
Know before you go
- Leaf scorpionfish and other camouflaged fish sit still against the coral at exactly the depths photographers hover, so check where hands and knees are going before settling in for a shot.
Questions divers ask
Is West Side Wall good for photography?+
It is the site divers at Alphonse go to for macro. The 6 to 16 m depth range gives long, relaxed bottom times, and the subjects — nudibranchs, flatworms, leaf scorpionfish, octopus, crabs and shrimp — are small and stationary enough to work carefully.
Sources
- Scuba Diving Alphonse Island in the Seychelles — Scuba Diver Life
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