Delightful Scuba Diving Adventures in Andaman's Uncharted Waters

1. Unveiling The Wonders Of Scuba Diving In Andaman’s Pristine Waters youthkiawaaz.com/2024/02/unveiling-the-wonders-of-scuba-diving-in-andamans-pristine-waters/ The Andaman & Nicobar Islands are the prime locations to try some adventure watersports. Beautiful wide-open sandy beaches, thick mangrove forests, rich coral reefs and vibrant marine life in crystal clear water make it an ideal place for scuba diving activities. Scuba diving in Andaman is mainly conducted on North Bay Island (shallow dive), Havelock Island (shallow & deep dive), and Neil Island (shallow & deep dive). The existence of marine life slightly differs location-wise depending on the underwater pressure & depth, safe underwater habitats, existence of coral reefs and fish food. Commonly spotted sea dwellers in Andaman are Nemo fish, octopus, turtles, stingrays, manta rays, lobsters, green jobfish, giant trevally, groupers, snappers, marlin, sailfish, clownfish, angelfish, sweetlips, parrotfish, clownfish, triggerfish, surgeonfish, and some other species of marine life. North Bay Island (Port Blair) It is a popular Island to try scuba diving, snorkelling, sea walking, Jet skiing, and some other watersports. North Bay Island is located around 4.7 kilometres from Port Blair (Phoenix Bay Jetty) and takes around 50 minutes via a ferry to reach there. Here you can try only shore or shallow dives means diving from the shoreline. 1/3

2. It is a nice location to try scuba diving for beginners or non-swimmers up to 6-8 meters. You can book a dive from the dive shops located on the beachside. The charges for scuba diving vary from 2500 to 3500 per person season-wise. It further includes all scuba diving gear, a personal instructor to assist you with actual diving, and scuba diving footage. Before you go to actual diving, a prior practical training session of up to 30 minutes is provided at chest- deep water to learn basic diving skills and to get used to scuba diving gear. It is mandatory to build confidence in you for safe and comfortable scuba diving. Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep) It is the best Island for scuba diving in Andaman and suitable for almost everyone whether you are a beginner, non-swimmer, experienced or advanced diver and looking to learn sea diving. It has a number of wonderful dive sites full of fun that are scattered across the Island. The availability of marine life is quite rich here because of distinct underwater pollution and satisfactory survival mechanisms. Apart from this, cosy sea-facing stay options, crystal clear blue water, pristine white sandy beaches, and adventure Jungle trekking routes attract everyone to enjoy it to its fullest. The cost of one-time scuba diving in Havelock varies from 3500 to 6500 per person depending on dive type, dive duration, dive location, and on a seasonal basis. The accessibility of dive sites is also subject to boat availability and weather conditions. The best dive sites in Havelock for beginners or non-swimmers Tribe Gate: The dive site is an oval-shaped reef and popular for its multiple species of fishlife. It harbour between the channels of Havelock and John Lawerence Island 1.5 kilometers away from the Govind Nagar beach no 3. Tribe Gate dive site is dedicated to boat dives (deep dives) up to 12 meters beneath the sea surface. It has numerous species of colourful fishlife individuals as well as in groups and occasionally encounters sea turtles and octopuses. Turtle Beach: The dive site is located a little further from Elephanta Beach, Havelock. Turtle Beach is popularly known for its massive garden of staghorn corals. It is the home of multiple sea dwellers including sweetlips, parrotfish, butterflyfish, anemonefish, angelfish and usually spotted stingrays lounging on the white sand. It is also an ideal location for snorkelling activities to explore the underwater beauty of the dive site. Turtle Beach has the finest underwater visibility and its depth varies from 4 to 10 meters. Lighthouse: The dive site is located in front of the Havelock lighthouse point and a little further up from Havelock Ferry station. It has a beautiful combination of live coral reefs and fishlife. The depth of the dive site varies from 10 to 14 meters and is also an ideal location for snorkelling activities. List of popular dive sites in Havelock for experienced or deep divers 1. The wall 2. Slope 3. Aquarium 2/3

3. 4. Johnny’s Gorge 5. Dixon’s Pinnacle 6. Jackson’s Bar 7. Broken Ledge 8. Whitehouse Rock 9. Inket Wreck Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep) Neil Island is the second most preferable scuba diving destination in Andaman after Havelock Island. It has vibrant coral formations alongside the coastline of Neil Island and is a perfect place for scuba diving activities. The distance between Havelock and Neil Island is approx 15 kilometres and can be covered in 1 hour and 15 minutes by a private ferry. Neil Island has fewer dive sites because of its smaller size and comprises almost the same marine life as in Havelock. Popular dive sites in Neil for beginners or non-swimmers 1. K-Rock 2. Margherita’s Mischief 3. Jetty Marker Channel K-Rock: The K-Rock dive site has a large volcanic rock that is spread out on a sandy bottom and is an ideal site for all-level divers. The dive site has a lot of small boulder formations, crevices, and small overhangs to explore and is ideal for underwater navigation courses. K-Rock is the home of numerous species of snappers, butterflyfish, sweetlips, and soldierfish that are rarely witnessed at any other dive sites. Margherita’s Mischief: The dive site is equally suitable for beginner scuba divers and open-water divers because of its depth and underwater visibility. It has a maze of boulders on its large sandy bottom that makes anyone get lost easily. Each of the boulder patches has a large number of yellow snappers and soldierfish. There is also a chance to spot angelfish, batfish, pufferfish, and many blue-spotted stingrays hidden in the sand. Jetty Marker Channel: The reef is located around the jetty channel marker and is suitable for all divers including open-water students. The top of the dive sites varies from 7 meters and goes all the way down to 11 meters. As the name suggests, a concrete pillar has fallen into the dive site and over the years become the home of trevally, angelfish, parrotfish, triggerfish, batfish, scorpionfish, and stingrays in the sand as well. 3/3