Andaman Islands ( INDIA )

[scubajunky17]

How is the diving in the Andaman Islands ? anyone been there lately ? how good is the diving there?

 

[Alaskan Scuba Dude]

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I've heard it's quite good.

 

[Pearlman]

I was there last Nov. IMHO Some of the sites are outstanding! Dixon's Pinnacle is spectacularly awesome! So is Johnny's Gorge...

I am yet to process all the videos (another 4 days of footage pending but here is a sample just to give you an idea):

Edit: Google appears to be deliberately messing up playback quality in MS Edge (even with custom resolution setting - Use Other browser like FF or Chrome and ensure plaback setting at 1080p or higher using Gear icon in player.


I blew the highlights on this one but it looks ok on mobile/tablet screen not so much on a regular TV. Need to reprocess it. The experience of diving here was very charged for me!



Will be uploading another one later tonight.

You can also see some short clips in 4:5 format or the same clips above on my insta if the YT delivery quality is not the best (for some reason I am getting poor quality on my desktop but decent on mobile). Checkout the video of Whitehouse Rock there. Or I'll upload it to YT later today (its vertical 9:16 so cant view here).

Ideally you should drop all other plans and head to Dixon's only when the seas are flat and waveless. Like this:



Another day we went to Dixons on slightly choppy seas, the viz was 5ft or less, completely silted out, and we had to abort the dive in 10mins.

The Island itself is very under developed and the top-side surface experience is not much to write about compared to Bali or Thailand. But depending on your budget if you find a good resort and stick to Diving a bucket list with a single minded focus it should be fine. On the plus side the island is remote and with little traffic and noise pollution so you can enjoy biking around aimlessly a bit daily.

One caveat and FYI - the cost of flight tickets to Andamans is 90%the cost of a flight to BKK and you get much more top-side experience over there. But downside I think a few dive sites here beat Thailand hands-down. As good and perhaps better than Richelieu Rock. Dixon's reminded me of Batu Balong in Komodo but the whole of Komodo is totally a different league for the overall experience. (YMMV with comparisons depending on a good or bad day).

 

[scubajunky17]

I was there last Nov. IMHO Some of the sites are outstanding! Dixon's Pinnacle is spectacularly awesome! So is Johnny's Gorge...

I am yet to process all the videos (another 4 days of footage pending but here is a sample just to give you an idea):


I blew the highlights on this one but it looks ok on mobile/tablet screen not so much on a regular TV. Need to reprocess it. The experience of diving here was very charged for me!



Will be uploading another one later tonight.

You can also see some short clips in 4:5 format or the same clips above on my insta if the YT delivery quality is not the best (for some reason I am getting poor quality on my desktop but decent on mobile). Checkout the video of Whitehouse Rock there. Or I'll upload it to YT later today (its vertical 9:16 so cant view here).

Ideally you should drop all other plans and head to Dixon's only when the seas are flat and waveless. Like this:



Another day we went to Dixons on slightly choppy seas, the viz was 5ft or less, completely silted out, and we had to abort the dive in 10mins.

The Island itself is very under developed and the top-side surface experience is not much to write about compared to Bali or Thailand. But depending on your budget if you find a good resort and stick to Diving a bucket list with a single minded focus it should be fine. On the plus side the island is remote and with little traffic and noise pollution so you can enjoy biking around aimlessly a bit daily.

One caveat and FYI - the cost of flight tickets to Andamans is 90%the cost of a flight to BKK and you get much more top-side experience over there. But downside I think a few dive sites here beat Thailand hands-down. As good and perhaps better than Richelieu Rock. Dixon's reminded me of Batu Balong in Komodo but the whole of Komodo is totally a different league for the overall experience. (YMMV with comparisons depending on a good or bad day).

Thanks for your comparison. I really want to return to Raja ~Ampat but cannot as I have not been vaccinated. I have dived Komodo twice and loved it, I had dived all over Indonesia( Bali, Sulawesi, Manado, Bunaken,R4, Thailand ( unimpressed ) Sipidan, literally all over the Philippines, Palau x2, French Polynesia, Fiji, Mozambique, Galapagos, South Africa, Australia, Honduras, Belize, Mexico. I haven't dived for four years now with the lock downs etc and am desperate to get wet. Will I be satisfied there ? is there any Big stuff

 

[Pearlman]

No big stuff although people have been lucky - its not known for it. We did see a large school of eagle rays circling below after we commenced our safety stop (Grr...!) and we missed out on that grand experience of swimming in their midst. As a complete package from topside to socializing with a group of International divers and size of dive boats (I think mostly <7mtr, 8-9 capacity) it is not comparable to the places you mention but still worth it for a few sites once you are in the water. I think Dixons and Johnny's Gorge are as awesome anywhere on the planet that said (you can see that Whitehouse Rock is also very beautiful from the video in my Insta).
However you should consider International travel restrictions and risk at this time - Havelock may be the safest with a low incidence of Corona happening at the moment. Might as well tick it off your bucket list when all other places look high risk. Won't advice heading there until November though - its the rainy season with back-to-back storms over the area recurring every few weeks. If you come in a group and stay in the more upscale resorts you wont regret it due to boredom on the topside I guess.

 

[scubajunky17]

No big stuff although people have been lucky - its not known for it. We did see a large school of eagle rays circling below after we commenced our safety stop (Grr...!) and we missed out on that grand experience of swimming in their midst. As a complete package from topside to socializing with a group of International divers and size of dive boats (I think mostly <7mtr, 8-9 capacity) it is not comparable to the places you mention but still worth it for a few sites once you are in the water. I think Dixons and Johnny's Gorge are as awesome anywhere on the planet that said (you can see that Whitehouse Rock is also very beautiful from the video in my Insta).
However you should consider International travel restrictions and risk at this time - Havelock may be the safest with a low incidence of Corona happening at the moment. Might as well tick it off your bucket list when all other places look high risk. Won't advice heading there until November though - its the rainy season with back-to-back storms over the area recurring every few weeks. If you come in a group and stay in the more upscale resorts you wont regret it due to boredom on the topside I guess.

Thanks for that, would a trip in August be a bad time to go then ?

 

[Pearlman]

Thanks for that, would a trip in August be a bad time to go then ?

For the money you spend for flights and hotels you will be rolling the dice - it may rain it may not... what if 3 days are rained out? Or the entire week is a washout as no boats will venture out to these sites? You may be restricted to sites within 15min from shore that are not so good and below par for International vacation spend. See the attached rain/thunder weather map for today. Places like Dixons are typically +45m to 60min or greater (depending on the outboard engines) out from Havelock Island. Also ferry from Port Blair to Havelock may be canceled due to sea conditions when you arrive. There was talk about a new all weather ferry boat not sure if it has been commissioned on this route yet.

 

[scubajunky17]

thanks so much for that, much appreciated.

 

[Pearlman]

Posting for future readers - this years July rain has been in excess of 50% above normal in parts of India with flooding and deaths all across India. So planning a trip where activities depend on weather and sea conditions is risky financial proposition in terms of VFM. Another year if you search for weather patterns and find that rainfall has been (or is predicted to be) scanty or below normal - go ahead and please your travel bug whenever it is convenient for you. I did hear that tourist/divers do keep trickling to Andamans all year round and its never near zero so just do your research as your plans inspire you, then decide.

 

[ShamikB]

Used to work as a Dive Instructor in Havelock island, Andamans. The off shore deep sites Dixon's pinnacle, Johnny's Gorge (my favorite) and Jackson's Bar are mostly fantastic diving. On most days The Wall is pretty good too. Best time to dive would be mid January till end of May. Months to avoid would be July, August, November and December.

What bugs me till date is that dive centers don't even have a Nitrox compressor there. Top side life on the islands is terrible, boring and overpriced. Some of the beaches are spectacular though. Also there is a waterfall in the forests if you know where to find it.