Scuba diving is an amazing way to replenish your soul and get a physical workout. It feels even better if you do it in India’s beautiful oceans. Read below to learn more about scuba diving in India.
1.Havelock Islands, Andaman:
The Havelock Island offers a mesmerizing dive experience for beginners seeking underwater adventure.
2.Margherita’s Mischief, Neil Islands:
This is a tranquil diving spot with gentle currents and an array of marine species that is suitable for both beginners and experienced divers.
3.Baga Beach, North Goa:
Known for its thrilling dive adventures, Baga Beach boasts amazing scenery and coral diversity and is perfect for beginners and intermediates.
4.Sail Rock, South Goa:
Sail Rock features granite outcrops with amazing marine life and offers the best water currents for an adventurous dive.
5.Temple Reef, Pondicherry:
Temple Reef is an artificial reef created from recycled materials that offers a unique diving experience for beginners and experts.
6.Aravind’s Wall, Pondicherry:
Aravind’s Wall presents deep dive options for open water divers and features a diverse marine ecosystem.
7.Four Corners, Pondicherry:
Four Corners showcases a vibrant marine life scene with coral reefs, dolphins, lionfish, and other species and is suitable for beginners.
8.Kovalam, Kerala:
Kovalam boasts hidden underwater treasures and is a safe diving spot for divers of all levels.
9.Kochi, Kerala:
Kochi provides a safe and mesmerizing dive experience for both beginners and experienced divers alike.
Here are the top spots to try scuba diving in India:
Best spots to try scuba diving in India
Scuba diving has become a new leisure activity among the general public due to the refreshment and relaxation it offers. So, it is not surprising if you are thinking about trying it on your next vacation in India. Are you interested in scuba diving in India but unsure about the ideal place to go? Continue reading this article to learn about some of the top diving locations in India to make your trip exhilarating. By the end of this article, you will understand the key details of scuba diving in india, so continue reading.
Top places for scuba diving in Andaman
1.Havelock Islands
The beautiful Havelock Island in the Andaman and Nicobar is the largest among the island groups. It is also the area’s most popular tourist destination, located only about 30 kilometers from Port Blair.
Scuba diving on this island will give you an experience of a lifetime, as it has fascinating aquatic life in the surrounding seas. These natural waters offer divers the opportunity to completely immerse and appreciate the wonders, from colourful coral reefs to crowded schools of fish. You can also see amazing creatures like crustaceans, lionfish, kingfish, moray eels, and manta rays while they move from and to the deep blue waters.
Depth: 10-15 meters
Recommended for: Beginners
Cost: Rs.15000 onwards for 1-2 days
Best time to visit: June-September.
2.Margherita’s Mischief, Neil Islands
Margherita’s Mischief is a site for scuba diving in india that boats a good amount of marine life. This dive site has a tranquil, serene atmosphere due to the gentle currents, deep blue waters, and amazing coral and aquatic life.
This diving site is unique because it features boulders scattered throughout the golden sand. When scuba diving in this place, you can explore marine creatures like soldierfish, angelfish, pufferfish, and yellow snapper. You can also see Dugongs, Blue-spotted stingrays, and Batfish on rare occasions.
Depth: 7-16 meters
Recommended for: Beginners to Experts
Cost: Rs.8000 onwards per person
Best time to visit: January to May
Scuba diving spot in Goa, India
3.Baga Beach, North Goa
If you want a thrill and unforgettable memories when trying scuba diving in india, you should choose Baga Beach. This beach is located 16 kilometers from Panaji. If you are a tourist, don’t miss Baga Beach because it offers breathtaking scenery, an abundance of coral species, and diverse marine life. Apart from that, you will get to see dolphins playing in the blue waters, sea turtles, schools of fish, and other aquatic life as you explore this aquatic wonderland in safe diving gear.
Depth: Varying
Recommended for: Beginner to Intermediate
Cost: Rs.6000 onwards per person
Best time to visit: October to May
4.Sail Rock, South Goa
Sail Rock is a rocky outcrop that protrudes into the ocean, about 1 km from Grande Island. Sail Rock in Goa is home to an amazing range of aquatic species, which can be discovered by diving below and off the granite pinnacle. You can also dive further to find larger fish, such as red snapper, giant barracuda, tuna, sharks, and eagle rays, up close and personal.
You will also find smaller marine species on sloppy coral walls, such as Yellowtail Snappers, Moorish Idols, Blue Ringed Angelfish, and Bannerfish. The dive site is almost eight to twenty-four meters deep. Sail Rockers divers have to deal with strong undercurrents, so go to this place if you are an experienced scuba diver.
Depth: 8-24 meters
Recommended for: Experts
Cost: Rs.5500 onwards per person
Best time to visit: Through the year
Top picks for scuba diving in Pondicherry
5.Temple Reef
The Temple Reef is the only site for scuba diving in India, and it was created using waste materials. Temple Reef offers a true diving experience similar to natural diving spots. Temple Reef is an amazing artificial reef built from recycled materials like concrete blocks, iron bars, trees, palm leaves, and rocks. Surprisingly, a variety of aquatic creatures have made this unusual artificial reef home. Currently, a wide variety of Corals, Lionfish, Parrotfish, Butterflyfish, Sea Snakes, and Bannerfish have moved into Temple Reef. This diving site offers four diving spots: • Original Temple Reef • Parking Lot • Beer Garden • Temple 2, aka Wreck City.
Depth: 18 m
Recommended for: Beginners to Experts
Cost: Rs.8000 onwards
Best time to visit: October to November
6.Aravind’s Wall
If you love adventures, you should not avoid adding Aravind’s Wall to your list of sites for scuba diving in india. Aravind’s Wall has also become a spot among the best drift diving locations in India. Aravind’s Wall is 130 feet deep, so it is the perfect dive spot for experienced open-water divers seeking a new challenge.
Aravind’s Wall is named after the enormous rock that stretches 2.5 kilometers from North to South. You can observe jackfish, snappers, blue and gold fusiliers, giant, slowly moving manta rays, and more when scuba diving in this place.
Depth: Varying
Recommended for: Experts
Cost: Rs.6500 onwards
Best time to visit: September to November
7.Four Corners
Being one of the oldest scuba dive sites in Pondicherry, Four Corners allows you to enjoy a deeper dive where a multitude of marine life awaits you. Additionally, people normally suggest Four Corners for open water scuba diving in India. This gorgeous dive location descends 18 meters to a world teeming with 70 different kinds of coral reefs, amiable dolphins, delicate-looking lionfish tendrils, pancake-shaped torpedoes, and more. Furthermore, if you want to see some fascinating marine animals up close and take home memories of the ocean floor in Pondicherry, choose this location.
Depth: 18 m
Recommended for: Beginners
Cost: Rs.9000 onwards
Best time to visit: February to April
September to November
Popular spots for scuba diving in Kerala
8.Kovalam
Kovalam is a tiny beach town located on the Arabian Sea, about 17 kilometers south of the city center. It is a safe and popular spot for scuba diving in india. You will be able to explore Kovalam Beach’s hidden treasures through an amazing underwater experience when diving. This beach’s shoreline is dotted with boulders and is home to many fish species.
Depth: 6-40 meters
Recommended for: Beginners to Experts
Cost: Rs.4500 onwards per adult
Best time to visit: September to February
9.Kochi
Kerala’s main port city, Kochi, is a great spot for anyone who wants an incredible scuba diving experience. Kochi is the greatest place to explore Kerala’s marine life and is a popular diving destination for both beginners and professionals in scuba diving in india. Scuba diving in Kochi is very safe because the ideal combination of low currents and crystal-clear seas makes it possible. Scuba diving in Kochi is a good option for someone who likes amazing reefs and schools of gorgeous fish.
Recommended for: Beginners to Experts
Cost: Rs.4000 onwards per adult
Best time to visit: September to February
Final thoughts
Hopefully, this article must have helped you decide the locations for scuba diving in india. All the above-mentioned Indian diving locations will greet you with crystal-clear waters, golden sand, diverse coral reefs, and marine life, so, choose a comfortable spot without hesitation.
FAQs:
Is scuba diving in Goa easy?
Divers in Goa can feel varying degrees of difficulty depending on where they dive. On the other hand, Goa offers a number of dive sites and tutorial centers for beginner scuba divers.
Is scuba diving safe?
Enjoying scuba diving in india is perfectly safe as long as it is done under the supervision of a qualified instructor, in safe environments, and according to all safety regulations.
Can non-swimmers do scuba diving?
Yes. Non-swimmers can do scuba diving with ease if they have had a little training session before.
