Providence Atoll

Providence Atoll is part of the Farquhar Group of islands in the Seychelles that are part of the Outer Islands. It lies 710 km southwest of the capital city, Victoria, on Mahé Island. The atoll consists of Providence Island in the north, Bancs Providence in the south, and an intervening fringing reef. Bancs Providence comprises four large and about six very small islands, but its size and shape appear to be dynamic. In 1967, it was said to be a single large cay with four smaller ones, in 1905 there were seven small islands and in 1882 it comprised three small islets.

History
The crew of the French frigate L’Heureuse, which was wrecked on its reefs in 1763, named Providence. It is so named because it was the salvation of the crew, who were able to survive on the island until they were rescued.

In 1846, Charles Pridham wrote that Providence had "been granted to an inhabitant of Mauritius who has established a fishery and planted cocoa-nut trees and makes a large profit from the sale of tortoiseshell etc. He employs about forty persons. Lepers are no longer sent here….These islands will bear a few years’ cultivation, but beyond the cocoa-nut tree little will remain of further promise. Those, however, who are shipwrecked on these isles, will find water and sufficient means of existence till chance or their own resources may relieve them".

Providence was run as a copra island during the early 1980s up until 2006, when Cyclone Bondo destroyed most of the buildings and about 60 percent of the coconut trees.

Bancs Providence has never been permanently inhabited, though temporary huts of fishermen have been recorded as early as 1882.

Banc Providence is also known as Cerf Island, after Le Cerf, which was one of the ships commanded by Captain Nicolas Morphey, who sighted the island (or islands) on 30 July 1756.

Geography
The islands of Providence Atoll are small, coraline, and inhospitable.

The atoll has a length of 44 km on its north-south axis, and a width of about 12 km. The total area covered by the atoll is approximately 345 km². The aggregate land area, however, is only 2.82 km². West of the atoll, the sea bottom plunges steeply to a depth of 180 m only 2.5 km beyond the fringing reef.

The closest neighbor of Providence Atoll is St. Pierre Island, 35 km west of Cerf Island.

Islands
There are two islands in Providence Atoll.

Providence Island
Providence Island is located in the far north of the atoll at -9.21667°N, 51.03333°W. It is 3.6 km long north-to-south, and up to 650 m wide at its widest part. It has the shape of a kite. The land area is 1.72 km², with a coastline of 7.8 km.

Bancs Providence (Cerf Island)
Bancs Providence is located in the far south of the atoll 30 km south of Providence Island, at -9.53306°N, 50.98611°W. The land area is 1.1 km², with a coastline of 17 km.

Demographics
Providence Island once had a small settlement in the middle of the island, at -9.23056°N, 51.03167°W. It was inhabited by workers engaged in fishing and copra production, probably continuously from at least 1846 until late 2006, when six villagers inhabited the settlement. In late 2006, Cyclone Bondo destroyed most of the buildings and about 60 per cent of the coconut trees. Following the cyclone, the island was evacuated on 26 December 2006.

Cerf Island has never been permanently inhabited, although temporary fishermens' huts were recorded on it in the 19th century.

Flora and fauna
The huge area of reef flats attracts the largest population of grey heron in Seychelles. Large numbers of crab plover, whimbrel and other waders roost at the southern tip of Providence, Pointe Gustave. Black-naped tern and greater crested tern breed on Bancs Providence, discovered only in 2016 by ICS. Madagascar fody, probably introduced, is the only resident land bird. green turtles and hawksbill turtle nest on Providence and forage in adjacent waters.

Administration
Providence Atoll belongs to the Outer Islands District of the Seychelles.

Transport
Following the evacuation of Providence Island on 26 December 2006, an attempt was made to construct an airstrip on the island to serve the inhabitants in anticipation of their eventual return. Construction was abandoned, however, and the island has remained uninhabited. Airstrip construction later resumed, and an airstrip became operational on the island in 2020. The airstrip enables additional support for the surveillance of the area by the Seychelles People's Defence Force.

Providence Island has no jetty. The island is rarely visited by ships except by the occasional Island Conservation Society expedition or by an Islands Development Company (IDC) boat from Mahé.

Economics
Fishing and copra production took place on Providence Island probably continuously from at least 1846 until late 2006, when Cyclone Bondo struck. Economic activity came to a halt when the island was evacuated on 26 December 2006, and it has remained uninhabited since then.

An airstrip was constructed in 2022 and it is planned to open a small resort focused on fly-fishing and ecotourism in 2024.

Flora and fauna
Providence Atoll occupies an extensive bank of shallow water well known for its profusion of fish.

There are no mammals on the atoll, and the only land bird is the Madagascar fody.

Seabirds nest at Providence Atoll. Significant numbers of greater crested terns and black-naped terns breed at Cerf Island. There are also very large numbers of grey herons breeding in the largest heronry of Seychelles and small numbers of fairy terns.

Tourism
Providence Atoll is a famous fly-fishing destination

Shipwrecks
There are many shipwrecks at Providence Atoll, including records of a Maldivian mariner presence at the atoll from the 20th century, when a trading vessel from southern Maldives reached Providence Atoll after drifting in the ocean for weeks.