Diving the Andamans
Havelock & Neil Island
Warm reefs off two small islands, and your first breaths underwater.
Consult Our Travel PlannerJourney Highlights
- Your first breaths underwater on a PADI Discover Scuba dive, no experience or certification required.
- The coral reefs off Havelock, now Swaraj Dweep, with reef fish, rays and the odd turtle.
- A full PADI Open Water course over three to four days for those wanting certification.
- Quieter Neil Island, now Shaheed Dweep, with gentler house reefs and far fewer boats around.
- No passport or visa needed — the Andamans are Indian territory, a domestic flight from the mainland.
- Warm 26–29°C water with clear visibility that regularly runs 15 to 30 metres through the season.
- Snorkelling and glass-bottom boat options, so non-divers in the family still get onto the reef.
Andaman Islands, India
Warm, Blue, Easy
5 Nights / 6 Days
Priced to Your Brief
Island Beach Resorts
Scuba & Reefs
Experience Overview
The Andamans hold some of India’s clearest water and healthiest reefs, and you don’t need a passport or any diving history to get in. Off Havelock and Neil, a first-timer can breathe underwater on a guided dive by lunchtime. Warm sea, soft coral, curious fish — a gentle way into the sport.
You fly to Port Blair, then take the fast ferry to Havelock — now Swaraj Dweep — for a few nights of diving off its reefs and beaches. A short hop reaches quieter Neil Island for gentler house reefs. Beginners do a Discover Scuba dive; those wanting more take the multi-day PADI Open Water certification.
Conditions here are kind. Water sits at 26–29°C, visibility often runs 15 to 30 metres, and dive sites range from shallow, calm reefs for beginners to deeper walls for the certified. October to May is the season, with the clearest water from December. Monsoon months bring rough seas and closed operators; the islands then largely shut for diving.
Some moments are built for lingering: the first time you exhale and sink instead of float, the reef opening up below; a green turtle finning past unbothered while you hang weightless; the last safety stop with the surface silvering overhead; and a slow ferry back at dusk, salt on your skin, the day’s dives replaying behind your eyes.
For families, couples and first-timers curious about the underwater world, and for divers wanting easy, warm-water reefs close to home. Not for those seeking wreck or technical diving, guaranteed big pelagics, or anyone unwilling to get a basic dive medical — some heart, lung or ear conditions rule out diving.
Everything you
need to know
Do I need to be able to swim or be fit to try scuba here?
You don't need to be an athlete, but you should be reasonably comfortable in water and in decent health. Discover Scuba dives take complete beginners with an instructor beside you the whole time. Basic swimming ability and calm breathing help. For the full PADI Open Water course you'll need to demonstrate some swimming and float skills.
What's the honest catch — medical, permits, non-divers?
What does an Andaman diving trip cost from India?
Ready to photograph
Andaman
A first-time diver kneeling on a shallow sandy bottom, instructor alongside, reef fish scattering around them. A green turtle gliding over a coral reef in clear blue water, sunlight rippling on its shell. The white sweep of Radhanagar beach on Havelock at dusk, empty sand and a low tide line. A dive boat anchored over turquoise shallows off Neil Island, snorkellers dotting the surface. A close reef scene, soft coral and a shoal of small fish, a diver’s silhouette hanging in blue behind.