Seychelles · Seychelles · Pinnacle
Whale Rock
Shallow granite at 17 m with rays over the sand
A granite rock dive west of Beau Vallon with a maximum depth of 17 m, fifteen minutes out by boat and dived from anchor on the sand beside the rocks. The shallow profile leaves time to hunt: pipefish, stonefish and moray eels in the granite, octopus in the holes, and eagle or marbled rays crossing the sand around it.
Where it is and how deep
4.6194° S, 55.3906° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Fifteen minutes from Beau Vallon beach, or seventeen from Bel Ombre marina, the boat anchors on the sand next to the rocks and the dive works the granite from there. Nothing on the site is deeper than 17 m, so gas rather than no-stop time is the limit, and the shape of the dive is a slow circuit of the boulders rather than a route to one feature.
The granite holds the small things: pipefish in the shelter of the rock, moray eels in the cracks, stonefish sitting still where the rock meets sand, octopus folded into holes and lionfish under the overhangs. Hawksbill turtles come through, angelfish and butterflyfish hold over the rock, and eagle rays and marbled rays cross the sand at the edges. Check the current at the anchor line before leaving it.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Sea turtles
- Eagle rays
- Stingrays
| 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.
Sources
- Whale Rock, Seychelles - Scubago — Scubago
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