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Constance Ephelia, Seychelles

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Constance Ephelia, Port Launay, Mahé, Seychelles

Coordinates in degrees decimal :  -4.6556901 N, 55.4049487 E.

Visited in May 2019.  Photographers:  Nigel Thomas, Stephen Thomas and Jim Thomas.  Cameras:  Pentax WG-II, Olympus Tough T5 and Nikon Coolpix W300.

https://www.constancehotels.com

The resort Constance Ephelia sits on the north west corner of the island of Mahe.  It has two main beaches.  The best beach for snorkeling is on the northwestern side of the peninsular and is known as Port Launay Beach.   This beach has two reefs, one to the left hand side of the beach and one to the right, both within the Port Launay National Marine Park.  A second large beach may be found on the southeastern side of the peninsular (Lans Ilet), however, this beach is in an area with extensive shallow waters and has no easy or safe access to coral reef, although it still has alternative interest.   A further good beach for snorkeling, may be found at Lans Koken, to the northwest of the resort and accessed by following the path towards the Presidential Villa.   

The resort warns about swimming too far from shore on two further beaches, to the south of the resort (Lans Angle and Lans Trusalo), hence these have been excluded from this review.

An issue to be aware off is water visibility.  The calmest period and hence best for visibility is November through till April.  Thereafter the winds increase in strength and although they are southeasterly in direction, they create poorer visibility around the whole of the Island.  Unfortunately this review was just as the visibility was declining hence some imagery is poor.

Water temperatures range from about 25C to 32C, with warmest waters in the period March to May and the coldest in July to August.

Approximately 160 species identified, of which more than 60 were fish.  

Completed without the support of the resort.

Four locations worthy of snorkeling are indicated on the map: 1. To the right hand side of Port Launay Beach; 2. To the left hand side of Port Launay Beach; 3. Lans Koken, off the north west coast, which requires a short hike and 4. Inside the llet which can be accessed by swimming/wading from Lars llet.
Site 1. Entry point for location 1, on the right hand side of Port Launay Beach, just before the reef starts. Any further over and the water may be too shallow. It is better to enter from the shallow sloping sand beach and approaching the reef, once the water has become slightly deeper.
The reef edge at location 1 is distinct, with Porites evident for over 250m, with shallow, lagoon like conditions behind it (Sargassum and Crowded Sea Bell are abundant). Unfortunately much of the reef edge is moribund, with many areas of coral bleaching present. The habitat changes further out with some interesting expanses of Lobed Brain Coral.
Location 2 is accessible from the left hand side of the beach. The same approach as employed for location 1 is recommended. The reef edge on this side is more diverse and includes many different Acropora species, often in good condition. The reef can be followed out to the area of the cross, which is a good location to aim for.
The best entry point at Lars Koken (location 3) is at the right hand end of the beach (facing the sea). Best time to snorkel here is at high tide, as the shallow area behind the reef is very shallow with extensive algal growths. Once past the algae, at about 75m from shore, the reef has a distinct edge with a good variety of coral and fish species.
The water off this stretch of beach (location 4) is very shallow. It is possible to wade almost all the way to the llet. The best entry point is to the left hand end of the beach, about three quarters of the way along, before the beach reaches the bank at the entrance to the river.
Although no corals occur in this area there are plenty of fish amongst the extensive Sargassum growths. I swam much of this with my 4 year old granddaughter on my back, so it is good for kids as well.
Probably a great spot for a night snorkel, but unfortunately conditions were not ideal during this review visit!
Four locations worthy of snorkeling are indicated on the map: 1. To the right hand side of Port Launay Beach; 2. To the left hand side of Port Launay Beach; 3. Lans Koken, off the north west coast, which requires a short hike and 4. Inside the llet which can be accessed by swimming/wading from Lars llet.
Site 1. Entry point for location 1, on the right hand side of Port Launay Beach, just before the reef starts. Any further over and the water may be too shallow. It is better to enter from the shallow sloping sand beach and approaching the reef, once the water has become slightly deeper.
The reef edge at location 1 is distinct, with Porites evident for over 250m, with shallow, lagoon like conditions behind it (Sargassum and Crowded Sea Bell are abundant). Unfortunately much of the reef edge is moribund, with many areas of coral bleaching present. The habitat changes further out with some interesting expanses of Lobed Brain Coral.
Location 2 is accessible from the left hand side of the beach. The same approach as employed for location 1 is recommended. The reef edge on this side is more diverse and includes many different Acropora species, often in good condition. The reef can be followed out to the area of the cross, which is a good location to aim for.
The best entry point at Lars Koken (location 3) is at the right hand end of the beach (facing the sea). Best time to snorkel here is at high tide, as the shallow area behind the reef is very shallow with extensive algal growths. Once past the algae, at about 75m from shore, the reef has a distinct edge with a good variety of coral and fish species.
The water off this stretch of beach (location 4) is very shallow. It is possible to wade almost all the way to the llet. The best entry point is to the left hand end of the beach, about three quarters of the way along, before the beach reaches the bank at the entrance to the river.
Although no corals occur in this area there are plenty of fish amongst the extensive Sargassum growths. I swam much of this with my 4 year old granddaughter on my back, so it is good for kids as well.
Probably a great spot for a night snorkel, but unfortunately conditions were not ideal during this review visit!

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All Reef & seabed associated fish Mid & Open-water fish Sponges Anemones & Sea Firs Soft Corals & Gorgonians Hard Corals & Coral like species Worms & worm like species Crustaceans Molluscs Echinoderms Sea Squirts Reptiles Algae & Seagrasses
  • 8 Hours
  • Max People: 30
  • Airport
  • Min Age: 12+
  • Jan 18 - Dec 21

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