Seychelles has two seasons and they blow from opposite directions. Once you know that, and you know which way a beach faces, most of this stops being a matter of taste and becomes something close to arithmetic.
The mechanism, in one paragraph
From roughly May to September the south east trades blow. They are dry and steady, often ten to twenty knots, and they push chop and drifting seaweed onto anything facing south or south east. In those months the sheltered beaches are the ones facing north and west. From roughly November to March the north west monsoon takes over. It is wetter, warmer and lighter on wind, and the exposure flips. April and October are the changeovers, when the wind drops to almost nothing and the sea goes quiet on every coast. That is why April is the single best month to marry here, and October is the one that gives you nearly the same conditions for less money.
The year, month by month
| Month | Wind and sea | What it means for a ceremony |
|---|---|---|
| January | North west monsoon, wettest month, humid, light winds | Lush and dramatic. Short heavy showers. Keep a sheltered option ready. |
| February | Very rainy, afternoon downpours expected, humid | Beautiful light between showers. The month that most needs a rain plan. |
| March | Monsoon easing, still warm and humid | Improving through the month. Late March is often lovely. |
| April | The changeover. Wind close to nothing, calm on all coasts | The best month of the year. Every beach is in play. |
| May | South east trades begin | Still excellent. Start favouring north and west facing beaches. |
| June | Dry and windy, trades building | Reliable and dry. Choose shelter, not the postcard. |
| July | Driest and windiest, steady trades | Cool, dry, breezy. North and west coasts only. |
| August | Peak of the dry windy season, strong south east trades | Windiest of all. Veils and loose petals become a real consideration. |
| September | Trades easing | Improving. The south coast starts to settle again. |
| October | The second changeover, calm returns | Nearly as good as April and usually better value. |
| November | North west monsoon begins, warm | Lovely, and the exposure begins to flip back. |
| December | Wet and warm, peak holiday prices | Green and dramatic, but the most expensive time to fly and stay. |
Which way each beach faces
This is the part that turns the season into a decision. Orientation is what decides whether a beach is sheltered or exposed on your date, and it does not change.
Treat these as our working notes rather than a survey. We photograph on these beaches constantly and this is how they behave, but the sea has moods and we confirm the exact spot for your date and hour before you commit to it.
| Beach | Island | Faces | Best window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beau Vallon | Mahe | North west | May to September, sheltered from the trades. Wide and busy, so the chosen spot and hour matter. |
| Petite Anse | Mahe | West | May to September afternoons, sheltered west coast. |
| Port Launay and Baie Ternay | Mahe | North west | May to September. Calm, protected water. |
| Anse Soleil and Anse a la Mouche | Mahe | West | May to September. Small and quiet. |
| Anse Intendance | Mahe | South west | November to April. Big surf and wind in the trade season. |
| Anse Takamaka | Mahe | South west | November to April, for the same reason. |
| Anse Royale | Mahe | South east | November to April. Exposed to the trades in the dry season. |
| Anse Lazio | Praslin | North west | May to September. World famous, so early or late in the day. |
| Anse Georgette | Praslin | North west | May to September. Access is controlled, which keeps it quiet. |
| Anse Volbert, Cote d'Or | Praslin | North east | Mornings. Reported to take twenty to thirty knots by mid afternoon from May to September. |
| Anse Kerlan | Praslin | West | May to September. |
| Anse Source d'Argent | La Digue | West, sheltered by offshore islets | Year round for calm water. A public beach, so day trippers can appear behind you. |
| Grand Anse, Petite Anse and Anse Cocos | La Digue | South east | November to April. Strong currents and heavy swell in the trade season. |
| Anse Severe and Anse Patates | La Digue | North | May to September. |
Seaweed, said plainly
Seaweed is not a scandal and it is not hidden, it is seasonal drift and it follows the same wind. From May to September some southern and south east facing beaches on Mahe and Praslin collect it, which is one more reason to be on a north or west facing bay in those months. From October to April Mahe beaches are usually clearer, while Praslin can still be prone to it.
What we will not do is photograph around it and let you find out on the day. If your date and your chosen beach are a bad combination, we will say so and offer you a better one twenty minutes away.
The hour matters as much as the month
Late afternoon wins almost every time. The heat has gone, the light has turned, and the sun sets soon after for the portraits. There is one important exception. On a beach that faces into the afternoon wind, and Anse Volbert is the clearest example, a morning ceremony is calmer and kinder to hair, veils and vows.
One more honest note about weather forecasts here. These islands sit seven degrees south of the equator with no landmass anywhere near them, which makes local patterns very hard to model. Apps are unreliable. Plan for a shower rather than watching a forecast, because a tropical downpour is usually short and the light afterwards is the best of the whole day.
The one thing the season cannot take from you
Mahe, Praslin and La Digue sit outside the cyclone belt. There is no month of the year that is closed to you and no season you have to avoid. Every choice on this page is about making a good day better, not about rescuing a bad one.