St Pierre Marine Park and Anse Petite Cour Snorkelling Trip

St Pierre Marine Park

St Pierre is a tiny granite islet off the Côte d'Or coast of Praslin, a few rounded boulders crowned with coconut palms that appear on half the island's postcards. It is reached only by boat, about ten minutes from the beach, and the shallow water around it is protected as a marine park, which means no fishing and plenty of unafraid fish. Coral heads sit two to four metres down close to the rocks, so even beginners see parrotfish, butterflyfish, moray eels and often a hawksbill turtle.

A St Pierre snorkelling trip is on most lists of things to do in Seychelles, and with a group of no more than eight the site stays calm. You snorkel from the boat with the crew watching, and the island tax for St Pierre is paid locally on the day. The best time to snorkel St Pierre is a morning in the calm season from November to April, when the sea is flattest and visibility is at its best.

Anse Petite Cour

Anse Petite Cour is a small, sheltered bay on the north coast of Praslin next to Anse Possession, tucked behind a headland that keeps the water calm when the open coast is choppy. Its reef is known for the density and variety of its coral, unusual for a bay so close to shore, with brain corals, table corals and soft corals in clear water a few metres deep, and clouds of small reef fish above them. The bay is quieter than St Pierre and is the second site of the morning.

Here the boat anchors in the lagoon and you drift over the reef at your own pace; the water is usually calmer than at the islet, which makes it the easier of the two sites for children and first-time snorkellers. Between the two stops the crew hands out water, soft drinks and light local chips on board. Towels are not provided, so bring your own.

Snorkelling in Praslin's waters

Praslin's north coast faces a shallow shelf of reef and seagrass that makes it the best area in the Seychelles for easy snorkelling from a boat: no deep water, no strong currents inside the reef and a short ride between sites. The trip combines two different habitats, the boulder reef of a granite islet and the sheltered coral garden of a bay, so in two and a half hours you see a wider range of fish than at either site alone. Snorkelling equipment is provided; bring your own mask if you have a prescription one.

The crew gives a short briefing before the first stop, helps with fitting masks and fins, and stays close to anyone who is less confident. Reef-safe sunscreen and a rash vest protect both you and the coral, and a waterproof camera is worth having for the turtles. Non-swimmers can join and watch from the boat.

Pickup on Praslin and how the trip works

We pick you up from any hotel, guest house, villa or self-catering accommodation on Praslin and bring you to the boat on the north coast; the departure is around 10:30 and the trip lasts about two and a half hours, so you are back in the early afternoon. Pickup arrangements and the exact time are sent to you twenty-four to forty-eight hours after booking, which is why we ask for your phone number and the name of your accommodation. Drop-off is at the same place.

Because the group is limited to eight, the trip books up in high season; reserve a few days ahead. If you stay on La Digue, the morning ferry to Baie Ste Anne arrives in time and we can collect you at the jetty. The short format pairs well with an afternoon at Anse Lazio or Côte d'Or beach, or with a morning walk in the Vallée de Mai on another day.