Sea Bird — a modern sailing yacht for diving and island-hopping

Sea Bird suits divers who want the inner Seychelles without spending the week in one harbour. The yacht links Mahé’s wrecks and reefs with island visits, kayaking, paddleboarding and shore excursions, so a non-diving partner has real options rather than a place to wait. Underwater, the route combines granite formations with artificial reefs and wrecks, while the boat gives the group air-conditioned cabins, shaded working space and a proper tender service. It is a good choice when the trip needs to be more than a succession of dives, but diving still sets the purpose of the week.

Sea Bird makes a clean, purposeful first impression: sleek lines, modern interiors and broad areas for sitting outside. The 2007 renovation matters here; this is a sailing yacht with the character of a working vessel, but without asking guests to accept tired accommodation as part of the bargain. Once aboard, the layout separates the air-conditioned salon and dining area from the open decks, giving people somewhere cool to regroup after a shore visit or a dive. The yacht is large enough to carry a full group without feeling like a small day boat, yet the nine-cabin layout keeps the operation straightforward. Four Bermuda sails give the boat a sailing identity, even though the listed cruising speed applies under engine.

Sea Bird is run by a local and international crew speaking English and French, with a captain, chef, mechanic, stewardesses, dive instructor and deckhands covering the week. The crew’s role is most visible in the handovers: meals appear without turning the dive schedule into a ceremony, tenders support the shore and water activities, and the yacht can carry both committed divers and companions who choose a different pace. The strong crew and food feedback matters because the boat itself is not presented as a new build; the people and the way the week is run are a large part of what makes the older yacht work. Evenings return to the bar, salon, outdoor dining and the shared space created by a week of island travel.

The Mahé-to-Mahé cruise lasts 8 days and 7 nights and concentrates on the inner-island sites around Mahé. Ennerdale Wreck is the headline dive: the colossal 62,000-ton British auxiliary tanker reaches a maximum depth of -30m and holds giant grouper, morays and circling sharks among its structure. Dredger Wreck, also to -30m, is an intentionally scuttled hull now functioning as an artificial reef, with schools of snapper moving over it. Twin Barges lie off Bel Ombre to a maximum of -26m; the two identical sunk barges have become a compact reef of jacks, scorpionfish, lionfish and morays. Aldebaran Wreck is the deeper option, descending to -40m on the remarkably preserved 28-metre wreck, where batfish, lionfish, jacks, rays and fusiliers occupy the reef. The tender-based operation makes these wreck dives practical while the yacht continues to serve as the base for island visits and surface activities.

Ennerdale Wreck →

Max. depth · 30 m

Dredger Wreck →

Max. depth · 30 m

Twin Barges →

Max. depth · 26 m

Aldebaran Wreck →

Max. depth · 40 m

Jacks, giant morays, scorpionfish, lionfish and stingrays are the recurring cast across this route. They fit the Seychelles sites well: morays hold the cracks, scorpionfish disappear against the rock and jacks move through the open water around wrecks and artificial reefs. The site-specific encounters are the reason to pay attention to the briefing. Ennerdale Wreck is the place associated with barracuda, grouper and reef sharks, including grey reef sharks, with the wreck providing the structure around which larger animals move. Twin Barges is the site linked with sea turtles, octopus, porcupinefish, angelfish, pufferfish and parrotfish. These are possibilities tied to named sites, not promises for every descent. The route also includes rays and large pelagic fish among the broader Seychelles marine life.

Lionfish →

Pterois volitans

Stingray →

Dasyatidae — Dasyatis, Hypanus, Pastinachus, Himantura, Taeniura

Pufferfish →

Tetraodontidae

A dedicated dive instructor is carried aboard, and the crew speaks English and French. Sea Bird operates as a PADI dive resort and can support introductory dives as well as PADI Open Water Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver courses when arranged in advance. That makes the boat workable for mixed groups, from newly certified divers to people returning to the water, without claiming a fixed guide-to-diver ratio that is not given. Safety equipment includes oxygen, first-aid kits, fire alarms and extinguishers, life rafts, life jackets, VHF/DSC/SSB radio, emergency beacons and crew trained in first aid. Briefings and group organisation remain with the onboard dive instructor.

The dive area is shaded and built around a platform, with rinse tanks, DIN adapters and tenders for getting divers to and from the sites. The arrangement keeps wet kit near the water rather than moving it through the guest areas, and the platform avoids turning every entry into a climb over the stern. The available specifications do not give tank volume, tank material, compressor type, nitrox provision, camera facilities or a hot-water return shower, so those points should not be assumed. Dive equipment can be rented as an optional extra; the standard onboard facilities listed are the working space, adapters, rinse tanks, platform and diver tenders.

The gaps between dives have somewhere to go. The upper decks provide sun and open views, while the covered areas offer shade when the heat becomes too much. Kayaks and a stand-up paddleboard are included, so a quiet anchorage can become an hour on the water rather than another hour in a chair. Non-divers can join snorkelling and island excursions, and the observation deck gives the boat’s movement its own reason to be outside. On a day without a dive, those activities make the yacht useful as transport between islands, not simply accommodation tied to a mooring.

A day starts with the dive briefing, the preparation of kit and the tender or platform entry into the water. The exact number and timing of dives depend on the itinerary and conditions, so Sea Bird does not turn the week into a timetable of invented hours. Between dives, full-board meals, drinks and snacks punctuate the day, while the shaded deck, salon, kayak or paddleboard fill the surface interval. The boat may be underway between islands, or settled while divers and snorkellers use the water around an anchorage. Later, the group returns to the salon, bar or outdoor dining area before the yacht becomes quiet in its berth or anchorage. Then the cycle begins again.

Full board covers the three daily meals, with water, tea and coffee, juice at breakfast and afternoon snacks. The galley combines local Creole cooking with Western dishes and can provide vegetarian and vegan options. Meals may be served buffet-style or à la carte, and dinner can move outside when the boat is set up for it; a beach barbecue is also part of the cruise. That matters on a diving itinerary: food arrives as practical fuel between water sessions, not as a formal interruption to the day. Beer and wine are available aboard, while other drinks and alcoholic choices are handled separately from the included meals.

The nine guest cabins sit on the lower deck and use portholes rather than large picture windows, which keeps the sleeping quarters firmly shipboard. Each has air conditioning and a private bathroom with hot water; the categories are double cabins and triple cabins, with the latter adding a single bunk. The main places for light and air are above: the salon, dining area and several sun decks. That makes the cabin a place to sleep and reset, not the centre of the evening. Sea Bird works best for divers who value an en-suite room after a long day but still expect to spend their waking hours outside it.

The cruise departs from Mahé and returns to Mahé. Airport and hotel transfers are available as optional arrangements rather than as a default inclusion. Arriving in Seychelles the night before gives a sensible margin before boarding, especially when an international flight is involved.