A new aquarium in the Seychelles is pushing the message of conservation by offering people a visual snorkelling experience without ever having to go into the water.

The African archipelago, famed for its impressive coral reefs and white sandy beaches, has opened a new aquarium on the reclaimed island development of Eden Island, close to the main island of Mahé.

Owned by professional diver and boat charter businessman, Charles Savy, the 100 per cent Seychellois-designed and built aquarium puts an impetus on educating children about the importance of surveying and conserving the oceans of the Seychelles, using the waters sustainably.

The aquarium has 33 tanks displaying a collection of rare marine life collected from the country’s 115 islands, including a variety of hard and soft corals, anemones, starfish, sea urchins, sea slugs, sea snails, seahorses and a collection of colourful and exotic marine fish. The aquarium is also exhibiting a large collection of Moray eels and an octopus. Each tank in the aquarium represents a different type of environment found on different archipelagos of the Seychelles, ranging from mangroves to traditional coral displays.

The aquarium is curated by Valerie MacGaw and Henry Diaz, two knowledgeable guides who also curated the collection, with further dives planned to introduce new juvenile inhabitants to the visitor attraction.

An annual ticket is available for a low SR230 (US$18, €16, £12), with monthly special exhibits looking at different aspects of marine environments to try and encourage repeat visits. The aquarium is also working with the Seychelles government to register for a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) tax to allow running of educational programmes for visiting schoolchildren.

Seychelles tourism minister, Alain St.Ange, praised the new development, saying such facilities would help boost the country’s tourist sector.

“There is a need for us to back up such tourism-supporting projects like this one, and we must encourage our local banks to support these such initiatives as they are a plus to our tourism industry,” said St.Ange. "These facilities will help to increase the yield we get from the tourism sector."