Creole Travel Services brings ‘Penguins’ to Seychelles… |03 March 2016

You do not need to wear specialised equipment to view under the sea. Neither do you require professional training nor do you have to be an excellent swimmer to admire the wonders of the deep.

Creole Travel Services (CTS), in collaboration with the HBL group from South Korea, offers you a new way to admire the undersea world without getting your feet wet!

The company has brought in two ‘Penguins’, a compact semi-submersible vessel which makes it easy to explore underwater without any diving equipment while concurrently functioning as a boat.

The launch of the new eco-friendly product took place on Tuesday this week in the St Anne Marine Park.          

Present at the launch were the Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St Ange, principal secretary (PS) for tourism Anne Lafortune, the chief executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) Sherin Naiken, the general manager of CTS Guillaume Albert, the honorary consul general of Seychelles in Korea Dong Chang Jeong, among other guests.

‘Penguin’ has been developed by ‘Gocean’, which is an affiliate of HBL group.

The two new eco-friendly vessels are battery powered, enabling a full-day excursion (about eight hours) at sea.

‘Penguin’ can carry 9 to 12 persons, and has a maximum speed of four knots; it uses electric outboard motors that enables for a soft ride and enjoys the calm seas.  

Mr Albert stated that CTS wants to raise awareness of our marine environment and of the importance of conserving our underwater world.

Minister St Ange said Seychelles needs to better develop the tourism sector by providing new activities.

“To increase the capacity of tourists who come to visit Seychelles, we need more creativity, more activities to keep attracting them. We have glass-bottom boats, and today we have ‘Penguin’, so that tourists can enjoy the beauty of the undersea,” he said.

Mr Dong Chang Jeong said the ‘Penguins’ will enable local people and tourists to have a better view of the sea’s secrets.

“You don’ have to worry about learning how to scuba dive and swim, sea currents and safety. Penguins can take anyone – from babies to very senior – who cannot dive by themselves. This is a perfect product for Seychelles because you have a beautiful underwater world,” he said

He added that the launch of ‘Penguin’ this year is also very meaningful, as this year Seychelles and South Korea are celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations.

The accompanying photos were taken during the launch event.