India/Sub-Indian Continental Diving

[vkalia]

Errrmmmmm.... Andaman Islands..?

DIVEIndia (that's us, incidentally - shameless plug) and there is a few others that are pretty good and professional as well: Barefoot Scuba and Ocean's Pearl.

Good diving. Quite inexpensive. Relatively easy access if you fly to Chennai from Doha.

Vandit

PS: Heya Luko We had another couple of SBers come diving with us last week. They have a very entertaining story to narrate, incidentally (I posted it on the I2I forum but I'd prefer someone else post it for more general consumption).

 

[Nishan]

The west coast season is coming to a close here. Just had some great dives off the northwest coast. There are some really good sites away from the tourist areas if your willing to be adventurous and have a good dose of patience.

PS: Vandit, I have been and still planning a trip to the Andamans. Its easy to get to Chennai from Colombo and then a flight over to Port Blair. I met a guy (Umeed Mistry) who used to work for one of the dive shops in Havelock and he said the diving was very good. Maybe you even know him as he still spends a lot of time in the Andamans. Would you say its similar to the Similan Islands since its in the Andaman Sea and close to Thailand. I found the reefs in Aceh and northern Sumatra to be like the Similans.

 

[Luko]

Would you say its similar to the Similan Islands since its in the Andaman Sea and close to Thailand.

Even though the question is not directed to me, having dived both I will try to give my feeling.
I reckon the divin is pretty much different to the Similans where firstly dives are made close to the island shores, while the best dive sites I've been around Havelock were quite distant from the shoreline, more like GPS dives straight down on a pinnacle.
Nothing like the uniform 25-40m blue viz you get on some Similan weeks, I've only had a 15m average viz, seldom 20m, which could be quickly decreased with currents picking up.
Then where I found Similans soft corals unbeatable (except by Fiji), Andamans would be very dense on hard corals, some of the best I have seen anywhere.
On the fish or moving fauna side, I reckoned mid size and schooling fish population was livelier in Havelock, while strangely enough there was very few macro critter opportunities unlike in the Similan. This might be a little disappointing for a macro photography buff.

 

[maged_mmh]

hey namabiru:
where about are you? if still in Doha, we usually go diving each weekend (sometimes doing night weekdays).. PM if you wish.

 

[Nishan]

Thanks Luko! Yes have to agree with you on the Similans soft coral. Amazing, and having not yet been to Fiji, the best I have seen. I also thought the fish life was nothing special in the Similans. Mostly small stuff and not in huge numbers. Its actually better here in Sri Lanka if you go to the good sites.

Have heard there are a few sites with great viz in the Andamans. Anyway I must make a trip there soon. Its just one of those exotic places I want to visit regardless of how good the diving is.

 

[Oceanic Dreams]

You should go to Maldives. It is an hour away from Sri Lanka. I know in Lanka its cheap. But It is totally worth it to go to Maldives. Underwater life is rich. White sandy beaches. If you really looking for a cheap trip, there are lot of good resorts and liveaboards for reasonable prices.
You are totally isolated from locals unless you want to take a boat out to the local/village islands.

For more information please visit

Maldives Dive Holiday - Liveaboard Dive Tours

Welcome to Maldives Traveller:: Maldives Select Holidays

Warm wishes
Oceanic Dreams

 

[vkalia]

Hi Nishan, sorry for the slow reply, been in the Andamans on a very slow connection and so generally avoiding all unnecessary Internet use (for my own sanity).

Yeah, I know Umeed. He used to work at Barefoot Scuba, our neighbors down the road, although I havent seen him around this season.

Luke has given a pretty good explanation of the differences. From my own experiences based on the 9 years I have been diving in the Andamans and the one trip I did to the Similans (a little skewed, as you can see), I think there is more variety in the Andamans. Similans probably have better topography - cool rock formations and such - but the variety is better in the Andamans. Also, while Luko is right that you are more likely to find hard corals on most sites, there are some really good sites for soft coral.

Luko, we've been doing a lot of exploring for macro recently and have turned up quite a few "firsts" for the Andamans - frogfish, demon stinger, sea moths, electric clams and a few more. There is a lot of muck diving we've been doing and starting next season (once we spend this off-season exploring and getting to know the sites really well), we hope to have some special muck/sand diving opportunities for photographers and critter lovers

Vandit

 

[Nishan]

Hi Vandit, Andamans sounds interesting. Will slot it into future trip considerations. Well it has been hovering in there for some time now.

On the original topic of diving in South Asia I think the Maldives is both easy to access and has world class diving. Diving in SL is a bit different and conditions can be challenging. Some interesting rock formations, great wrecks and good fish life, but generally not very good coral except in a few off the beaten path locations not accessed by dive operators. The west coast season in SL is just ending:depressed: Viz was down to 5m yesterday and the big monsoon breakers are rolling in. Now time to plan some east coast wreck exploration.