Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Havelock is the premier spot for scuba diving in the Andamans. It's world renowned as
much for its relative isolation as for its crystal-clear waters, deep-sea corals, schools of
fish, turtles and kaleidoscope of colourful marine life. Diving here is suitable for all
levels.
The main dive season is roughly November to April, but trips still occur year-round.
Prices are standardised, so it's a matter of finding a dive operator you feel comfortable
www.andamanbubbles.com
; No 5 Village)
, a quality outfit with professional, personable staff; long-
www.diveindia.com
; btwn No 3 & 5 Village)
, the original PADI company in Havelock, and still one
of the best; and new operator
Ocean Tribe
9531836695;
www.ocean-tribe.com
; No 3 Village)
,
MAP
(
run by legendary local Karen divers.
All offer fully equipped boat dives, and prices vary depending on the location, number
of participants and duration of the course. Diving starts from around ?4725 for a two-tank
dive, with options of discover scuba (one hour ?4500), PADI open-water (four dives
?20,000) and a range of advanced courses (three dives ?12,000).
Popular sites are
Pilot Reef
with its abundance of coral,
South Button
for macro dives and
rock formations,
Jackson Bar
for sharks, rays and turtles and
Minerva's Delight
for a bit of
everything. Keep an eye out for trips further afield such as
Barren Island
, home to India's
only active volcano whose ash produces an eerie underwater spectacle and regarded as
one of the best.
While coral bleaching has been a major issue since 2010, diving remains world-class.
The shallows may not have bright corals, but all the colourful fish are still here, and for
depths beyond 20m, corals remain as vivid as ever. The Andamans fully recovered from a
similar bleaching in 1998, and today things are likewise slowly repairing themselves.
Dive companies can arrange
snorkelling
trips, but it's cheaper to organise a
dunghi
(mo-
torised wooden boat) through your guesthouse. Trips cost ?1500 to ?2000, depending on
the number of people going, distance involved etc - if you go with a good-sized group
you may pay as low as ?300 per head. Snorkelling gear is widely available on Havelock
from resorts and small restaurants, but is generally very low quality.
Most boats head to Elephant Beach for snorkelling, which can also be reached by a
40-minute walk through a muddy elephant logging trail; it's well marked (off the cross-is-
land road), but turns to bog if it's been raining. At high tide it's also impossible to reach -
