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Stormrider Guide to surfing Seychelles

Seychelles, INDIAN OCEAN


Seychelles surf, Bruno Alves

Summary

+ User-friendly waves - Rarely surfable
+ Few crowds - Very expensive
+ Warm water - Windy
+ Beautiful scenery - Lack of good spots

Small, clean, relatively uncrowded Seychelles surf does exist, but Mahé suffers from a long, shallow shelf and sits too far W for the normal groundswell angles in the Indian Ocean.

It’s extremely inconsistent, relying on a major S swell to hit, or for consistent onshore winds to create surf on the few exposed beaches. However, it’s an island of outstanding natural beauty, granite rock and lush mountains, with narrow coastal strips of gorgeous white-sand beaches.


When to Go

The SE trades produce consistent 2-4ft (0.6-1.2m) wind chop on the east coast, but it is mostly unsurfable. Occasional SE to SSW groundswells hit the islands in winter and produce quality reefbreak surf if they wrap around to the west coast, where SE trades blow offshore at some spots. N windswell is a long shot and no cyclone has ever hit Mahé. Water is warm in summer, but winter trades can force temperatures to dip well below the average to 20ºC (68ºF). There are two different tides a day, with a max range of 1.5-2m.

Surf Spots

Most waves on Mahé are marginal coral reefbreaks. Grande Anse has a funky right reef at the north end of some poor beachbreak. Usually the biggest spot, but also blown-out. Barbarons is a shallow, ledgy left, accessed by walking through Le Meridien resort and south down the beach. Down the coast are a few decent but sheltered and extremely rare reefbreaks. Anse aux Poules Bleues, close to Anse à la Mouche, is a fun, shallow left that can be long; the SE trades blow offshore. Needs a huge SSW swell to break. This attracts an instant crowd on the three or so days it will break in a good year. With some SW groundswell, Baie Lazare has a few spots like Anse Gaulette, a fairly consistent reef and beachbreak. The reefs fronting the defunct Plantation Club hold headhigh walls, but it is very shallow so it needs a high spring tide of 1.8m and a proper offshore to truly work. Anse Intendance is fairly consistent beachbreak but rarely any good – usually closed-out or flat. On regular 1-2ft SE windswells, Anse Petite Police and the longer Police Bay are the island’s most exposed beaches, but it’s usually a rocky shore dump with strong currents and rarely worth a look. On the east coast, fringing reef keeps the surfline a good 200m offshore through Anse Forbans and further north at Anse Bougainville where racy righthand walls pitch down an angle in the otherwise straight reef. Best with summer NW winds, it can be surfed year-round, but getting good swell and winds is rare. A little further north, at a break in the reef before Anse Royale, La Passe occasionally shows when SE swell and NW winds combine. Northeast Point holds a short, very shallow right that’s only approachable at high tides. It is shielded from swell by islets making it very inconsistent and requiring some E in the swell. On rare N summer swell, north-facing Carana Beach may produce some easy sand-bottom waves and it also throws up some wind slop in the SE trades. Praslin is encircled by shallow waters and usually flat, but there are some funky, mushy reefs at Anse Kerlan and Grande Anse on the east side. The tourist beach at Anse Lazio may have some shoredump close-outs. On neighbouring island La Digue Grande Anse may have a messy left at the north end if the SE’er isn’t howling and is marginally better than neighbouring Petit Anse. On the northern tip, Anse Patate can have a right wedge off the rock.

Statistics

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
dominant swell N -NE N -SE N -SE N -SE N -SE N -NE
swell size (ft) 0-1 1-2 2 2-3 1-2 0-1
consistency (%) 20 40 50 60 40 20
dominant wind NW -NE NW -NE SE -SW SE -SW SE -SW W -NW
average force F2-F3 F2-F3 F3 F4 F4 F3
consistency (%) 79 44 79 91 71 43
water temp (C) 28 28 27 25 26 27
wetsuit boardshorts boardshorts boardshorts boardshorts boardshorts boardshorts

Travel Information

Weather
From May to Oct, temps average 27°C (80ºF) and 8 hrs sunshine per day. From Oct to Dec and Mar to May, there are light variable breezes, calm seas and higher temps/humidity. From Dec to Mar, the period of fluctuating NW-NE winds brings frequent tropical rain, high humidity and average temps of 28°C (82ºF).

Lodging and Food
Most hotels are in the surfless Beau Vallon area; try Coco d’Or Hotel ($165/dbl) or Augerine Guesthouse ($185/dbl). Victoria has several options. Numerous luxury resorts/hotels to choose from around the island. Camping is forbidden. Expect $20-30 for a basic meal; try some authentic Creole cuisine.

Nature and Culture
World-class sailing, diving, snorkelling, and fishing. Nightlife is limited to the entertainment at hotels and a few nightclubs. There are many species of flora and fauna unique to the island. The mountains offer some scenic hikes.