Seychelles · Seychelles · Drift · Channel & pass
L'Ilot
Drift a 200 m passage where eagle rays school
L'Ilot is a small island 200 metres off Mahe, and the passage between the two runs hard enough that the dive is planned as a drift. Depths of 6 to 25 m keep the whole dive in good light, and the traffic through the passage is the reason to be there: eagle rays in schools of ten to fifty, grey reef and nurse sharks, and whale sharks.
Also known as The Islet.
Where it is and how deep
4.5602° S, 55.4307° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site is the passage between Mahe and the islet 200 metres offshore, and the current running through it can be extreme, so the dive is run as a drift rather than a circuit of the rock. Depths range from 6 to 25 m, which keeps bottom time long and the light good even when the ground below is moving past quickly.
What passes through matters more than what is fixed in place. Eagle rays cross in schools of ten to fifty, grey reef and nurse sharks patrol the passage, bumphead parrotfish work the rock, and turtles and guitarfish turn up along the way. Whale sharks are on the published list of possible sightings, so it is worth diving with your attention out into the passage rather than down on the rock.
Marine life and season
- Whale sharks
- Reef sharks
- Eagle rays
- Sea turtles
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows Seychelles: Inter-monsoon periods (Mar-May, Oct-Nov) are calmest with the best visibility; whale sharks pass through the inner-island channels August through October.
Know before you go
- Current in the passage runs to extreme at times: dive it as a drift, carry an SMB and stay within sight of the group.
Questions divers ask
How deep is L'Ilot?+
Depths range from 6 to 25 metres, well inside recreational limits. The demand on this site comes from the current in the passage, which can be extreme, not from the depth.
Sources
- L'Ilot - Scubago — Scubago
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