Jan 24 2023

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Scuba Diving in Havelock

By Diveindia Staff Articles, Scuba Diving Andamans, scuba diving in india

Scuba Diving in Havelock – All you need to know in 2023

Why should you Scuba Dive in Havelock Island?

In the world of adventure in India –

The Himalayas is famous for Mountaineering.

Rishikesh and Zanskar are famous for Kayaking.

Gulmarg is famous for Skiing.

And for Scuba Diving?

It’s Havelock Island – The heart of Scuba diving in India and home to millions and billions of dazzling marine life.

But, ever wondered how Havelock became so popular? Where did this craze for Scuba Diving come from?

The answer lay in 2003. So, let’s rewind a bit!

The Poayassay brothers – Jackson, Dickson, and Jhonny from the Karen community in Andaman- are one-of-a-kind, born-to-dive professionals in the industry. When they joined hands with Vinnie from DIVEIndia (The Pioneers of Diving in Havelock), they unlocked a whole new world of opportunities for Scuba Diving with their exploratory dives and underwater recces. Gradually, in 2006, they unfolded the 3 iconic world-class dive sites – Dickson’s Pinnacle, Jhonny’s George, and Jackson’s Bar. Over the years, by word of mouth and with the power of social media, the discovery of the 3 sites elevated Havelock’s identity and embedded it in the world’s radar. Today, experts and people who intend to venture into Scuba Diving aim to land at Havelock to experience at least these 3 famous dive sites apart from the surplus options to be explored.

And that’s how Havelock became India’s most demanding hub and a haven for Scuba Diving.

Coming back to the narrative, nestled in the south east corner of the Great Andaman, Havelock is one of the largest islands in the Ritchie’s Archipelago within the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. This small wonder extends 18 kms long and 8 kms wide, with lush flora and fauna, and has something for everyone. If you have a taste for comfort and luxury, you can find star hotels with exotic packages. If you are a backpacker and an adventure buff, it has affordable accommodations with customized itinerates. If you are not able to decide, settle down for a “workcation” and experience comfort and thrill at the same time. It has all the conveniences of a city and more.

The entire island is adorned with one of nature’s finest and most intricate underwater architecture, the colossal coral reefs. With a blend of rich green forests, serene beaches, and crystal-clear blue waters, the vibe here offers an enlightening experience to our mind, body, and soul. Apart from the massive number of exotic dive sites, one of the key highlights is the charming Radhanagar beach – renowned for its name as Asia’s best beach. Also, do not miss the lip-smacking and tongue-tingling tasty seafood here. It has a variety of options and flavors to choose from.

Still curious why you should be scuba diving in Havelock?

Here are the top 5 reasons to scuba dive in Havelock

1. Controlled conditions –

The diverse dive sites of Havelock are burrowed and perfectly sheltered between a group of islands, making way for cambelts in and around the landscape. This paves the way for both shallow and deep waters for divers, accessible under controlled conditions offering a stress-free and safe atmosphere.

2. Training Reefs –

The training reef near the shores of Havelock Island is the ideal key to unlocking the next level of diving. The reef provides access for instructors and students to conduct, practice and learn several integrated courses and skills to begin or even continue your journey as a scuba diver.

3. 20+ dive sites –

Deep or Shallow.

Dense or light.

Compact or open.

You name the type you want, and you will get it. Havelock is the treasure trove of magical dive sites. Apart from the 3 famous hotspots mentioned above, Havelock offers an array of charming underwater sites. Aquarium, Slope, Turtle Beach, K-Rock, Lighthouse, J-Table, Minerva’s, The Wall, and Vinnie’s Wreck are a few of the never-ending list. Keep your fingers crossed; our dive pros are on the lookout for more.

4. Marine life –

The marine life of Havelock is similar to Neil Island. If you are diving for the first time, keep your eyes peeled for the roaring lionfish, tiny barnacles playing hide and seek, gothic cuttlefish with tentacles, elegant feather dusters, groups of Tuna moving in sync, and hungry parrot fishes. Neither a single dive nor a 100 would suffice to spot the splendors of these mesmerizing sea creatures and their eco systems.

5. Work-life balance –

Maintaining a perfect balance between work and life is a herculean task. What if you get a chance to ace it?

Here in Havelock, with nature at its best, people get some much-needed positive vibes to focus on their work with ease and peace. No matter the stress, the beaches are just a few minutes away. Every day is pleasant, and every weekend is a vacation in Havelock. To make it simple, your search for bliss ends here.

So, if the oceans are calling out to you or you have an unquenchable thirst for diving and exploring the marvels of marine life, you now know where to go or, better yet, perhaps call a 2nd home.

Warm regards,

Havelock

Apr 08 2021

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Scuba Diving in Bangalore

By Vandit Kalia Articles, Blogs, scuba diving in india

Learn Scuba Diving in Bengaluru (Pool Training)

One of the most common questions we get is – “why would we dive in Bangalore? What is there to see?”
The answer to the second question, of course, is nothing. But the answer to the first is, quite simply, because it is a great way to get started with the sport.

Typically, people associate diving with going on holiday, diving in colorful reefs amidst large schools of fish, etc. And yes, that is indeed correct – that is why we dive, after all. But before you get to diving on reefs, you have to complete some theory (online learning and sessions with an instructor) and also some skills training (aka, confined water training).

Yes, you can choose to do it all while on vacation – a lot of people do just that. You can also choose to complete this training in one of our @Home centers, such as Bangalore. What are the benefits of doing so?

Here is a list:

– You don’t waste your precious vacation time in training, but can use this time to get some additional dives in – so you maximize your diving/leisure time while on holiday

– You can learn at your own pace, without the time pressure of a holiday

– You can even use this time to decide if diving is the sport for you (fair warning – for most people, the answer is “yes”).

Even if you are not planning to get certified, but just want to do an Intro to Scuba, doing a pool session first gets you comfortable with scuba diving in a familiar environment, and you are more likely to enjoy your diving experience, as opposed to going diving straight away.

And pool training is not just for beginners.

Perhaps you are a newly certified diver who wants to get more comfortable with some skills, or you want to familiarize yourself with new equipment. Or perhaps it simply has been some time since you dived last and you want a refresher? Again, why waste one of your precious holiday days with refreshers, when you can do that at your convenience at home?

Lastly, want to try out some new gear? We regularly have tester kit available to try – you are welcome to try new masks, fins, BCD, etc in a pool and get familiar with it, before buying.

Pool sessions are a great way to stay involved in the sport and make it a sport that you engage in all the time, and not just once or twice a year on vacation!

Here are a few of our happy customers and their journey from the Bangalore Pool to a remote diving destinations

Mar 23 2021

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Scuba diving in Chennai

By Vandit Kalia Articles, scuba diving in india

Scuba Diving in Chennai

Ever imagined how it will be to wake up in your own bed, pack only a swimsuit, hop in a car, drive to the shore, get on a boat, kit up and dive? Scuba Diving in Chennai is exactly that. We are here to celebrate your love for diving, right in your backyard.

‘Is there life in the seas here? Can you see anything at all in these green waters? Can a new diver like me dive in Chennai?’, you may ask. The answer is yes, yes and yes.

Chennai is one of the big players in Indian fishing industry, owing to the rich faunal diversity all along Tamil Nadu coast. Yes, the visibility under water is not the greatest, and yes, we pray to the Wind Gods for a successful day everyday, but reefs off Chennai are some of the most prolific reefs we have come across along the coast of mainland India.

Scuba Diving in Chennai – Best Dive Sites:

#1 Thoondil Street: One of our deeper sites where the world changes at about 18 meters, where the visibility shifts from tens of meters to only a few. However, the murky waters don’t stop marine life to thrive down there. The flat bottom that sits at 26 meters is made of rocks covered with soft coral and sponges. Right as you enter the murky waters, you are met with schools of snappers and fusiliers leading their fast paced lives and schools of sweet lips swimming around like a parade of soldiers. The bottom is busy with the groupers having one of their Mafia sit-downs and random excursions by sea snakes.

Thoondil Street - Best dive site in chennai

Scuba Diving in Chennai – Best Dive Sites

#2 Castle Rock: This dive site is a beautiful example of conservation efforts by people concerned about the insistent overfishing along Tamil Nadu coast. This is one of the artificial reefs built to promote the use of traditional fishing gear like hook and line over the more destructive trawlers and seines. Sitting at about 25 meters, these blocks of concrete house a variety of fish species. On a good day, you might find yourself stuck here in a traffic jam of fish. Starting from patient groups of groupers, goofy gobies and gliding lionfish at the bottom, you will see fish like longfin banners, oriental sweetlips, snappers, fusiliers and surgeons schooling in hundreds over the structures.

Scuba Diving in Chennai – Best Dive Sites:

#3 Vaddi Pop & Garden Rock: These are our shallow dive sites, perfect for beginners to apply the skills learnt in confined waters. Starting at 12 meters, the sites are built of big boulders running parallel to the shore and go down till about 16 meters. The rocks are laden with sea fans and whip coral, gardened by butterfly and longfin banner fishes. Feather duster worms and nudibranchs can be seen beautifying these fans and rocks frequently.

One of our most treasured dive sites in Chennai, however, is not in the sea. In the hills of Kanchipuram, we have found this abandoned quarry which is just perfect to experience diving in its purest form, and never again be bothered by bad visibility, swells, currents or any out-worldly distractions.

vaddi pop 2 Scuba Diving in Chennai – Best Dive Sites

vaddi pop 3 Scuba Diving in Chennai – Best Dive Sites

Scuba Diving in Chennai – Best Dive Sites:

#4 ShowCat Boneyard: The smaller, right side of the quarry has submerged, mostly dead trees and shrubs growing on a bed of sedimentary rocks, eventually falling down into a valley upto 27 meters. The curious placement of rocks makes it a ‘site’ to behold.

Scuba Diving in Chennai – Best Dive Sites:

#5 Mayajaal: The much larger, left side of the quarry seems like a scene out of Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas. After a gradual slope till 7 meters, the site drops straight to 27 meters along a humongous scarred wall of sedimentary rocks. Ideal for running deep scenarios, the flat bottom will keep you entertained with numerous crab gatherings, random appearances of truck headlights and tyres, TNT shells, fuse reels and scorch marks on the walls.

There is much more to diving in Chennai than what meets the eye. From rich marine ecosystems hidden in murky waters to new ecosystems sprouting in clear fresh waters, diving here is meant to change your perspective of the world underwater altogether. Contact us for more

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