The
Indian peninsula boasts of a coastline that is over 8000Km long.
Coupled with the numerous islands of Lakshadweep and Andaman and
Nicobar, it makes for many perfect scuba-diving destinations.
Scuba diving sites near Andaman and Nicobar Islands
South Button
Level: beginner
Located: 2 hour motor-boat ride south-west from Havelock Island.
The
south button island houses an island national park, which is home to
animals like the dugong and the water lizard. An excellent diving spot
that overlooks tropical coral reefs at 6ft. Depth, the visibility
underwater here is very good, and many types of fish like Crocodile
Fish, Moray Eels, turtles and Angelfish can be seen clearly.
The Wall
Level: beginner
Located: near the jetty, Havelock Island
It
looks exactly what it sounds like. The wall is a 50m long submerged
rock. Red, yellow and purple coloured soft corals adorn the top of this
rock, making one colourful spectacle. Adding to that, there are many
types of fish which can be seen here, like pufferfish and lionfish. One
can even find an octopus or scorpionfish hiding in the crevices of the
rock. All in all, this diving site makes for a very memorable
experience!
Bonus: Interested
in making some fishy friends? Well, watch out for Pierre, a Napoleon
wrasse who is known to be very friendly towards divers!
Cinque Island
Located: On the north side of Duncan Passage, between Rutland Island and Passage Island.
(North point)
Level: advanced
Offering
clear, deep waters with a visibility of over 80ft.This site is perfect
for experienced divers. Known for its diverse aquatic life, the waters
here are dotted with colourful stretches of coral and sponges
(South-east reef)
Level : beginner
Offering
a dense cover of hard as well as soft corals on the bedrock, this site
has a depth of 16ft. A good place for sighting some aquatic life, this
site offers a memorable scuba diving experience.
Corruption Rock
Level : beginner to professional
Located : between Chidiyatapu and Rutland island
Lined
by huge boulders underwater, this site offers a wonderful craggy
landscape to divers. The coral here is sparse and not that spectacular,
but the aquatic life is brilliant and vibrant. Common sightings include
giant napoleons and eagle rays, huge snappers, schooling fusiliers,
banner and unicorn fish, (although sightings of dolphins have also ben
reported).
Fish rock
Level: beginner
Located: near Passage Island
Large
fans of coral and a multitude of sponges line the undulating underwater
landscape which has jagged boulders and rocky slopes. Soft, bushy coral
spread over rocks at a depth of 25m. The diversity of aquatic life
found here is amazing: eagle rays, potato cod, large coral groupers,
fusilier, suitlips, turtles, batfish, parrotfish, squirrelfish,
surgeonfish, triggerfish, tuna, and rainbow runners can be found.
Scuba diving sites near Goa
Suzy’s wreck
Level : beginner to professional
Located : 30 minute boat ride away from Panjim.
One
of the most popular diving spots in Goa, the SS Rita shipwreck, fondly
called Suzy’s wreck, is home to all kinds of tropical marine beings like
molluscs, crabs, barracudas and a wide array of fishes like batfish,
angelfish, barracudas, snappers, lionfish, sargent major, sweetlips,
stonefish, blennies, nudibranchs, parrotfish, moorish idols, groupers,
sea whips, sea fans, and morays. The 30m long WW2 shipwreck offers an
undrwater adventure like none other! The waters are relatively calm most
of the time and offer clear visibility up to 18 ft. The best season to
visit this site is around October to May.
Uma Guma reef
Level : Advanced.
Located : 0.6 km south east of Grande Island.
The
tremulous waters of this reef receive constant surges and currents. It
offers multilevel dives starting at a maximum of 14m.The shallow parts
of the reef are covered by plenty of hard coral. The aquatic life is
very diverse here, and mostly one can find large groupers like jacks,
tuna, mullets, surgeonfish, parrotfish, triggerfish, angelfish, puffers,
moorish idols, sweetlips,and snappers.Divers also reported having
spotted reef sharks around here.
Netrani Island
Level : beginner to advanced
Located : 10 miles offshore from Murudeshwar.
Crystal
clear waters around this island offer 15-20m of visibility. With diving
sites that are ranging from 10-30m deep, it is expected that one will
encounter schools of Barracuda, Jacks, Snappers, Red tooth trigger fish,
Indian Banner fish, Honeycomb Moray Eels, Puffer fish, and Napoleon
Wrasse. Recently imposed security restrictions require divers to apply
for official permits, which require an identity proof in the form of any
government issued photo identity card.
Shelter cove
Level : beginner
Located : North-east of Grande island.
At
a depth of 4-6m the bottom is lined with sand, rocks and gravel. A
variety of hard coral can be found here. Stonefish, lionfish, sargent
major, parrotfish, damsels, triggerfish, angelfish, sweetlips, and
snappers are some of the common fishes that are spotted here. Cuttlefish
and squids also frequent the sandy patches of this area.
Scuba diving sites near Pondicherry
Aravind’s Wall
Level: beginner to advance
Location: 15Km offshore from Pondicherry
One
of the best drift dives out there, this site is fast becoming a popular
tourist attraction. Currently it encompasses more than 12-16 different
diving sites of varying difficulty levels. Aquatic life that can be
spotted here includes angelfish, butterflyfish, lionfish, parrotfish and
triggerfish.
Ravines
Level: beginner to advance
Location:
The
rocky reef beds of this diving site are contoured by rocky jagged cuts
and ridges from 30m depth onwards. The reef bed is home to a variety of
marine life including colourful reef fish and crustaceans.
This site offers a wonderful experience of viewing the irregular underwater topography.
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