Sainte Anne Marine National Park, established in 1973, became the first marine protected area in the Indian Ocean — a 14.43-square-kilometre sanctuary sheltering six granite islands and some of the Seychelles' most intact coral reefs.
The park lies four kilometres off the eastern coast of Mahé, its boundaries enclosing shallow seagrass meadows, drop-offs plunging to 50 metres, and fringing reefs where hawksbill turtles graze and schools of snapper hover in the mid-water column. The conservation fee introduced in 1994 funds ranger patrols, mooring-buoy maintenance, and reef-monitoring programs that track bleaching events and fish populations across 29 permanent survey sites.
Semi submarine Seychelles tours operate year-round, offering dry access to the park's underwater topography through acrylic viewing windows set 1.5 metres below the waterline. The vessels navigate shallow reef zones where visibility typically reaches 15 to 20 metres, passing over coral bommies colonised by brain coral, staghorn formations, and soft gorgonians. Passengers remain in air-conditioned cabins while the hull moves slowly across seagrass beds where green turtles forage and parrotfish graze on algae-coated rock. The route avoids the park's no-anchor zones, using designated channels that protect sensitive substrate from propeller damage.
The park's six islands — Sainte Anne, Cerf, Moyenne, Round, Long, and Cachée — each carry distinct terrestrial and intertidal ecologies. Moyenne Island, privately restored since 1964, supports populations of Aldabra giant tortoises and endemic Wright's gardenia. Round Island, once a leper colony, now hosts nesting seabirds. Cerf Island's eastern shore holds remnants of colonial-era cinnamon plantations, their stone walls overgrown with screwpine and Indian almond. Island-hopping catamaran tours often combine semi-submersible reef viewing with beach stops on Moyenne or Cerf, landing on white sand derived from millennia of parrotfish erosion — each fish produces up to 90 kilograms of sand annually by grinding coral into fine sediment.
The park's management plan restricts motorised watersports and commercial fishing within its boundaries, maintaining fish biomass levels 40 per cent higher than unprotected reefs nearby. Snorkeling safari tours depart daily from Eden Island Marina, targeting shallow sites near Moyenne where surgeonfish, angelfish, and butterflyfish aggregate around coral outcrops. Reef safari itineraries include guided snorkel sessions at two or three sites, with marine biologists identifying species and explaining symbiotic relationships between cleaner wrasse and grouper, or the role of sea cucumbers in sediment turnover. The conservation fee of 200 Seychellois rupees per adult funds ongoing habitat restoration, including coral-nursery projects that cultivate fragments for transplantation to degraded zones.
1 hr
