“Which beaches are affected by seaweed in Seychelles?”
This is one of the most common questions that gets asked by visitors wishing to plan a holiday in Seychelles. It is, of course, a completely reasonable question. When planning a tropical island getaway, you want to be enjoying crystal clear waters and pristine white beaches.
For this reason, we’ve put together this brief post in order to help answer this question and provide would-be visitors with the information they need.
Seaweed in Seychelles
Seaweed floating in the waters or washed up on the shores of Seychelles’ beaches is a completely natural and normal occurrence. In fact, it’s just a sign that our underwater environment is healthy and thriving. Seaweed is, after all, an important food source for some marine life. Plus, just like grass and trees, seaweed also produces oxygen for our planet.
However, despite the important environmental contribution seaweed has, it unfortunately tends to mar the appearance of Seychelles’ stunning beaches and clear waters at certain times of the year. That being said, seaweed-free beaches are never far away.
Seychelles Weather Patterns & Seaweed
The weather in Seychelles is largely influenced by the south-east and north-west trade winds. It is these trade winds which help dictate the ocean currents for particular times of the year.
The south-east trade winds generally blow from around May to September. These winds bring drier, cooler weather to the islands. The winds can be quite gusty, hence the rougher seas during this period. As a result, you will typically find that the southern coasts of Praslin will be littered with seaweed during this time. The beaches on the other side of the island will however be free of seaweed. The same can be said for Mahe, but on a lesser scale.
Conversely, during the months of November to March, the north-west trade winds cause some seaweed to wash up on the northern and eastern coasts of the islands. For seaweed-free beaches therefore, head to the southern and western coasts.
Beaches on Mahe
Beaches on Praslin
Concluding Remarks
Hopefully, this brief post will be able to provide some clarification when it comes to finding seaweed-free beaches in Seychelles. That being said, and as mentioned above, the other side of the island, whether it be Mahe or Praslin (or any other), is never far off.
Read our post about the best time to visit Seychelles and learn about the different types of activities that are best for specific times of the year.
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I have been to Seychelles but didn’t realise that seaweed is an issue for the beaches. Thanks for such informative post.