| The idea of scuba diving in India has gained great momentum, due the presence of a great collection of adventure laden underwater places in the country. The underwater marine life present in India is marvelous and provides a fun filled experience to the divers who visit the country from every nook and corner of the world. Let's have a look at the different scuba diving destinations which are found in the country:
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Scuba diving in India has become a hit with tourists from all parts of the world. The country is visited by diving lovers with a desire to get a fun time during diving here. Money is always a big issue when it comes to indulging in your favourite adventure water sport. So, let's deduce some of the money saving tips which can be fruitful when you plan for scuba diving in Andaman: § Travel during the off season The hotels usually slash their rates if you visit the Andaman during the off season. That time you can dive in the water without worrying about the crowd. Also during the off season, there is a lesser risk in case you are novice diver. § Shore diving If you are on a limited budget, the best to indulge in the excitement and fun of scuba diving is to go for diving on the shore. When you dive on the shore, you just need a car to reach the shore and diving gears. The charm of shore diving is no less than the normal diving. § Accommodation When we visit a new place, it's the accommodation that burns one's pocket. So, when your prime objective of making the trip is scuba diving, plan to rent a small house or villa, instead of going for a hotel room. When the diving tour is for a good number of days, a house will be an economical option. There you can even cook yourself, thus you can save on the money you would have spent on the food, had you opted for a hotel room. § Travelling fares Just like the accommodation costs more, the expenses for traveling to a particular place for indulging in scuba diving also costs a lot. Hence, make sure you opt for the cheapest mode of travel. So ditch the airplane rides and opt for railways. This way you can save money more scuba diving. 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. Scuba diving is amongst the most popular adventure activities enjoyed by countless people across the globe. The thrill of enjoying the company of underwater creatures in their natural habitat is truly amazing, which is why people are drawn to this activity in large numbers. India, with its vast coastlines, offers various spots and destinations where people can revel in the joy of scuba diving and enjoy the bio-diversity that exists below the surface of vast seas and oceans. Even though scuba diving in India is still not that popular amongst the general masses, it is surely gaining pace as a perfect adventure sport especially in areas close to the shores. The one thing that makes India a popular destination for enjoying scuba diving is the wide range of biodiversity that the divers get to see. The entire coastline boasts of several different ecological zones which are the breeding grounds for diverse types of fishes and other aquatic animals. This ensures that the divers do not have to travel too far to view an entirely different collection of sea plants, fishes and other underwater creatures. Moreover, the abundance of different islands around the coastline also offers great avenues for enjoying this sport. In fact, numerous visitors come to India every year simply to enjoy scuba diving in Andaman, Lakshdweep and other such island clusters. Another popular destination for scuba diving in India is the small island of Goa, which lies just off the western coastline near Mumbai. The experience of scuba diving in Goa is quite different from the experience of enjoying this activity elsewhere in India. In fact Goa is one of the fist destinations to have introduced this sport in India and since then visitors have never stopped coming to this city of absolute fun and frolic. They enjoy the unique thrill and mesmerizing moments of swimming with underwater creatures in their own home and environment, which makes them feel satisfied and relaxed. Scuba diving has become one of the most indulged in water sports these days. The prime reason for such a huge popularity is the chance to explore the underwater life, which scuba divers get. Scuba diving in India has gained a huge momentum, both with the national and foreign tourists. We thought of acquainting the readers with some of the best destinations for scuba diving in India. Explore through:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands The most beautiful and fascinating destination for scuba diving in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Cinque Island, located near Port Blair has a rich underwater marine life, which offers a variety of sharks and corals. This island is an ideal place for experienced drivers. Another one is Havelock Island, which has a beautiful and colourful coral life. When you get inside the fine waters of this island you can easily spot Scorpion fish, Lion fish or Puffer fish as your companion. Goa Goa offers all- colourful shells, beautiful corals and is indeed a treasure for scuba diving. Turbo Tunnel is a beautiful tunnel with shallow depth which makes an ideal spot for beginners in scuba diving. An ideal site for scuba diving in Goa is the Shelter Cove, which is marked by hard coral and lobsters. You can also spot there sargent major, lionfish, damsels, parrotfish, stonefish, sweetlips, triggerfish etc. Indeed, Goa scuba diving is all about experiencing the thrill in its purest form. Lakshadweep Island The crystal and calm waters of Lakshadweep island makes it a peaceful. If you are a first timer in scuba diving sport, then this is the place to begin the endeavour. The blue lagoons, colourful marine life and beautiful coral reefs usher the charm of scuba diving. The wide variety of fishes you can find here add on to the charm of exploring the underwater. One of the most fascinating and unfathomable joy filled adventure sport practiced in very few places of India is Scuba Diving. Scuba diving takes you to a complete different world, a noise free world, moving around you in absolute slow motion that will definitely engulf you in its blue serenity capturing your mind completely. As you have seen in famous Bollywood movies Scuba diving is an underwater sport, best experienced in deep sea or ocean where you will come across some beautiful creatures like corals and admirable, colorful fishes. Scuba Diving is one such sport which needs a proper validated certification. Few essential water gears and breath control practice is must. In India there are only few places where fully fledged Scuba Diving is taught and practiced. Pondicherry, Goa, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Karnataka are locales for Scuba Diving India. But if you see from adventurer’s point of view, everyone would say Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands as “The Place” for Scuba Diving. Only few organizations in India promote Scuba Diving and most of them are not recognized. 365Hops is pioneering in the field of adventure sports and other gaming stations in India. 365hops is the leading event organizers for Scuba Diving in Andaman. Scuba diving in Andaman is perfect in many ways. The islands are made of around 570 small islands brightly exposed in the Bay of Bengal. Port Blair apparently also the capital, is a gorgeous place emitting tranquility and peacefulness. The air is pollution free which makes the ocean water also clean and blue. Most amazing fishes are available there that makes the place even more exotic. The island is surrounded by dense forests, dwelling of many striking Bird Species. So, if you want to go through this subliming experience of deep blue sea diving, contact 365hops and get a ticket to paradise soon. |
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