Treat every region differently. Inner-Island diving around Mahe and Praslin can be friendly in calmer months, but current, surge, and visibility swings still matter. In June to September, exposed sites can feel much more advanced than the advertised depth suggests. Use an SMB, listen closely to local briefings, stay conservative on second and third dives after long boat rides, and do not improvise freedive or snorkel drifts around popular islets. Many beaches outside the main resort zones do not have lifeguards, so surface discipline matters as much as underwater discipline.

Seychelles Hospital on Mahe is the main referral facility, with additional hospital and clinic support on Praslin and La Digue. Dive operators and DAN note that recompression support is limited in-country, centered on Mahe and Silhouette rather than spread evenly across the whole archipelago. That makes evacuation planning important, especially for the Outer Islands. Travel with enough prescription medication for the full stay, because replacing specific items becomes harder once you leave Mahe.

Seychelles has one of the stronger marine-protection stories in the Indian Ocean. Marine parks in the Inner Islands are fee-supported and managed, while places such as Aldabra operate under much stricter access control. The national Marine Spatial Plan has expanded formal marine protection across 30 percent of the country's waters. In practice, that means visitors should use reef-safe sunscreen, avoid touching coral or standing on reef, take litter back to shore, and treat wildlife interactions as observational rather than interactive.