Scuba diving locations in India:

• Andaman Islands and Nicobar are a group of volcanic islands in the Bay of Bengal, surrounded by deep, undisturbed waters that have an amazing bio-diversity..
• Lakshadweep is a group of islands off the south-western coast of India in the Arabian Sea offering clear blue lagoons and coral atolls.
• At Goa, on the mainland, two rivers drop their silty water into the sea visibility may vary between 10 metres to 2 metres, however the sea life is good.

When to scuba dive in India:

The water is warm all year, but the monsoon season lasts from May until November, reducing visibility. In Lakshadweep, you can see manta rays from October to December.

Local standards for gear:

The best scuba diving spots in India:

• At Havelock Island of the Andaman Islands, Lighthouse is a shallow reef sticking out near the Havelock Lighthouse, which provides shelter to yellow trumpetfish, various angelfish, Bannerfishand Fusiliers. Large table corals, a couple of gorgonians, lots of feather stars and occasionally eagle ray and turtle sightings make this a very site.
• Campbell Shoal is around 20 km east of the central Andaman Islands. The bottom is covered with mainly hard corals and hosts a multitude of reef animals including whitetip reef sharks, large cod and groupers, Coral trout and golden banded fusiliers.
• The Suzy Wreck near Goa is a 30 metre long Second World War metal wreck starting at 3 metres depth and hitting a maximum depth of 12 metres. The abundant life includes batfishes, angelfish, barracudas, snappers, lionfish, sargeant major, stonefish, nudibranchs, parrotfish, groupers, sea whips and more.

The best spots to snorkel in India:

Havelock Island of the Andaman Islands and Bangaram Island of Lakshadweep are both beautiful easy locations to see some pretty corals and marine life.

Fun scuba facts:

Country data:

Administrative details

• Currency: Indian rupee (INR)
• Population: is about 1,200,000,000 (2011)
• Time Zone: IST (GMT+5:30)
• Main languages spoken: Hindi, English, Malayalam, Konkani, Marathi, regional languages ## Diveable overseas territories:

Indian diving federations:

Local diving laws and regulations (and PADI-equivalent certifications):

Foreigners are not allowed to visit some of the islands of Lakshadweep.