When was it the last time you scuba dived somewhere REALLY, remote? That too in India itself. The underwater world of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands should be on every diver’s bucket list. I recently experienced my first diving experience in the Andamans and I had a helluva time under water. The next question that may rise in your minds. Do I need to know diving? Certainly not. I am not a swimmer myself and in spite of it being the first time for diving, I had a blast under water.

March 13th Dawned quite early for me and we had planned our Andaman and Nicobar tour for about a week and diving was the third agenda for us at Havelock islands. My husband couldn’t join me for the dive because of a terrible cold and I had to go alone. I had an experienced diver Mr. Bushan from Goa with me throughout who guided me as to how to control my breath underwater and teach me how to dive.

Havelock is famous for its beaches and it is one among the best locations around Port Blair for Scuba Diving, Sea Walk, and Snorkeling activities. It is infringed with rich coral reefs and we must take a cruise to this island for about an hour and a half from Port Blair. The island is famous for its Radha Nagar beach which is one of the cleanest and longest white sand beaches in the world surrounded by mangroves.

The diving that I tool was for beginners who wish to explore the underwater scuba diving experience. Upon reaching the location I was taken into the changing room where I got into the Scuba jackets and gears required during the diving. Once I wore the jacket I was taken into the shallow waters by the shore and Mr. Bushan taught me some basics about scuba diving and how to use the gears. Basic signs were first taught to me before the diving and as since you will be breathing only through your mouth you need to be watchful and careful. The moment you feel uncomfortable you will be taught to show the SOS sign to come up and breathe. I was little apprehensive in between and I had taken a break to come up during the diving session due to congestion in my ears.

The moment I become comfortable with the signs and the gears I was taken into higher depths and we both went deep. I got to spend about 30 minutes underwater and I was amazed seeing the beautiful coral reefs and colorful fishes. I did not go too deep but I got to see them in the close quarters and there was another diver who will be clicking our pictures and videos. I completed the diving and I was brought back to the shore. Changing rooms and Sweetwater showers are available for everyone and I took one to feel refreshed.

I was very happy and thrilled beyond words to experience deep sea water diving in Andaman and this trip has been a memorable one. I was charged about 3500 for the 45 minutes beginner session which includes 15 minutes of training and 30 minutes of atcual diving. There was another diver who clicked my photos and also a video of me diving under water. You can watch the video when you click here. I will be writing about my Andaman experiences in detail in my next blog. Stay tuned.