Dive· Mahé (offshore, northwest)· Seychelles
Shark Bank Dive (offshore granite pinnacle)
4° 33.3′ S · 55° 21.5′ E · approximate
Mahé's signature deep dive: an isolated granite plateau in open water off the northwest coast, topping out around 18 m, where huge schools of yellow-striped snappers, batfish and jacks swirl around boulders crusted with sea fans and soft coral, and eagle rays, whitetip reef sharks and giant stingrays patrol the edges.
Practical
Approximate: scaled from the numbered site marker on Big Blue Divers' printed dive-site map (2020), georeferenced against the OpenStreetMap outlines of Ste Anne, Moyenne and Ile Cachée; the map is schematic, so treat the pin as within roughly 0.5-1 km. Seyvillas puts it about 8 km northwest of Mahé (so it is a Beau Vallon-side dive, not an east-coast one); koek.sc says about 8 km west of Mahé, rising from about 40 m to an 18 m top with boulders at 18-30 m. Big Blue Divers lists it as site 25: 18-30 m, granite rocks with often a current, deep dive; marine life includes eagle rays, nurse and whitetip reef sharks, giant stingrays, dolphins and seasonal whale sharks, with marlin, sailfish and wahoo passing. Current ranges from negligible to punishing (koek.sc), so it is usually run as a drift dive; Advanced Open Water is the minimum. Dive with a licensed Seychelles centre (Big Blue Divers lists it as a long-distance boat trip from Beau Vallon); do not anchor a yacht on the rocks. From Eden Island it is a long run round North Point; most yachts book a dive centre at Beau Vallon instead.
Best for
Advanced divers: big schools, rays and reef sharks
Season
Calm days; transition months (Apr-May, Oct-Nov) usually best