Providence Atoll

Situated just North of Farquhar, Providence is the largest of all the atolls in the Seychelles.  It consists of two islands, Providence North and Cerf Island with a huge fishable area, 46 kms in length, consisting primarily of turtle grass flats, a huge lagoon and myriad channels.  Deep blue water can be found immediately outside the atoll.  Lacking any runway or suitable harbour it is also the least explored with fewer than a thousand people considered to have visited this tropical wilderness. 

The Maya Dugong is a 150 ft expedition vessel that has been the exploratory workhorse of the remote atolls in the Seychelles for almost as long as they have been fished by intrepid anglers.  As such it has a proven track record looking after anglers on long-range fly-fishing expeditions.  It is extremely well-equipped sleeping 12 anglers in 7 twin bed cabins.  Two single rooms are available for a premium.

The spacious vessel’s large public areas allow for maximum enjoyment of guests’ time onboard Maya’s Dugong. A huge dining salon and lounge hosts guests in airconditioned comfort for meals and entertainment and the outdoor leisure deck provides opportunities for al fresco dining and also serves as a comfortable lounge area. There is also plenty of open deck space on-board for sun-bathing and relaxing and a spacious bridge and observation deck allow guests to take in the adventure with a captain’s eye view of all the surroundings.

There are four excellent and extremely experienced guides onboard the Maya’s Dugong, ensuring a three guest to one guide ratio. These four young men rank as some of the most experienced guides in the Indian Ocean. They are extremely passionate about the atoll and its fish species.  At the same time, they are very personable, great instructors and most importantly, highly motivated towards our guests needs. Each of them has a skipper’s licence, a marine safety course and basic first aid training. They have an abundance of knowledge and experience in respect to successfully targeting all of Providence’s flats and offshore species. Their passion and dedication is infectious and rest assured they will go the extra mile to ensure you experience the trip of a lifetime. All guides are fluent in English and strong communicators.  

Planning for the days fishing starts the evening before, working out the tides as well as angler preferences.  Different species are fished for at different times of the day ensuring that over the course of the day and indeed the week the schedule will change to suit the optimum conditions available over that period.   Anglers are usually on the water after a quick breakfast and although it is possible to return to the mothership most opt to take a packed lunch to make maximum use of the day.

With low tides then anglers will predominantly target tailing fish which would include Triggers, Humphead Parrotfish and Bonefish in particular, although at all times having two rods rigged and reday to go is key as you never know what may present itself.  With higher tides when the flats are filling up or draining fishing for GT's is common and when faced with very high tides and the flats are too deep then chasing fish from the panga's in the Bluewater will make best use of that period.

Providence has two major land masses namely Cerf Island in the extreme south and North Island at the most northern part of the atoll. The seemingly endless  flats not only surround both these islands but also run uninterrupted the entire 40 odd kilometers in between. They are primarily made up of Turtlegrass, with the larger white sand flats being found around the islands. Most of the flats are hard, making them ideal for wading. Fishing on these flats for species such as Giant Trevally, Triggerfish, Bumphead Parrotfish, Bonefish, Milkfish, Bohar Snapper, Bluefin Trevally, Indo Pacific Permit, Great Barracuda etc must rank as the best in the world at present. The guides will lead you onto the flats and help you identify the desired target species, the areas which they frequent and then explain the correct techniques with which to catch them

Deep water begins very close to shore at most of the anchorages and it is possible to fish these waters from the tenders. Here the most common species encountered are Dogtooth Tuna, Giant Trevally, Barracuda, Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna, Sailfish and the occasional Marlin. Standard tackle is a 14 – 15 weight, usually rigged with a 700-grain or heavier line and/or an intermediate billfish taper. Surface fishing in blue water with the aid of teasers is also possible with large baitfish imitations from sizes 6/0 and upward being recommended. All the guides are experts in rigging, teasing and the handling of blue water fish

Anglers should arrive into Mahe the night before the start of the trip and from there, the following morning take the privately chartered weekly flight from Mahe to Farquhar on the IDC flight.   From there, they will be transferred in true ‘island style’ using a tractor and cart to the waiting Mayan Dugong for the journey to Providence, a 6-8 hr trip.   The first of six full days fishing will be the following morning, allowing ample time to prepare kit and acclimatise.