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Neil Island in Andamans is one of the most picturesque islands with some of the best scuba diving spots. Its pristine beauty, rich marine life and untouched beaches attract a lot of tourists every year. Scuba diving in Neil Island lets you dive into the underwater world and experience dreamlike surprises. The vibrant coral reefs on this island are majestic along with a variety of sea creatures. The currents here are medium and depth is safe for an exciting underwater adventure. This adventurous water sport must be ticked off your bucket list.
Factors That Affect Scuba Diving
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Certain factors affect diving on this island and it is essential to consider these when diving here at any site:
Levels Of Scuba Diving
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The depth of water decides the levels of scuba diving – Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert. Tourists can choose the level of the diving site as per their comfort.
Beginner Level: Up to 12 meters and 2 dives
Intermediate Level: Up to 18 meters and 4 dives
Advanced Level: Up to 30 meters and 5 dives
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Popular Scuba Diving Destinations On Neil Island
Here are some of the best places for scuba diving on this island. Each place has a unique charm and a variety of marine creatures.
1. K-Rock
Photo: Biswajit Majumdar / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
K-rock is a huge volcanic rock with sand at the bottom with varied depths and is ideal for scuba diving as the water current is less here. The divers can explore small overhangs, crevices, and boulder formations under the water. This site’s biodiversity is dotted with unexploited coral reefs, and different types of sweetlips, snappers, butterflyfish, and soldierfish. This place offers a very adventurous experience owing to its topography and marine life.
Depth: 12-19 meters
Ideal For: Everyone
2. Margherita’s Mischief
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This is one of the most popular reefs and diving sites that lie between Neil Island and Havelock Island with a sandy bottom bed covered in boulders. The water here is clear and offers good visibility with seagrass on the sandy bottom, which is loved by the dugongs. It is easy to spot them at this site, along with other marine creatures – yellow snappers, soldierfish, pufferfish, angelfish, batfish, blue-spotted stingrays, moray eels, octopus, lobsters, etc. It is a treat to swim with these creatures and enjoy the underwater beauty of the place.
Depth: 7-15 meters
Ideal For: Everyone
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3. Junction
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This diving site is a reef located between Neil Island and Havelock Island. On reaching the tip, divers can see a school of fish living in soft corals and is an interesting diving place that thrills the diver at every step. The shallow part of this reef has blue-spotted sting rays, various types of sea stars, and some large Napoleon wrasses. Reef sharks, called pelagics are very common at this diving site. Other creatures found here are marlins, lionfish, a very large school of trevally, and barracudas.
Depth: 22-30 meters
Ideal For: Intermediates and Advanced divers
4. Jetty Channel Marker
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This diving site is a beautiful reef around the jetty channel marker as it has a sandy bottom and the divers will see a concrete pillar on its side, under the water. Diving is possible here only if the wind and sea conditions are suitable. It offers a view of its exotic marine life that includes schools of angelfish, trevally, parrotfish, small puffers, juvenile batfish, scorpionfish, stingrays, triggerfish, and many more.
Depth: 6-10 meters
Ideal For: Intermediates and Beginners
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5. Bus Stop
Photo: Derek Keats / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only
This diving site is located on the western side of this island. It gently slopes down and has small reef steps strewn on the sandy bed. This place is a convergent point of reef fishes and deeper edges of the slope have branch types of corals. A large number of garden eels can be spotted here in the sand between the reefs. Other marine creatures here are groupers, sweetlips, damselfish, butterflyfish, and soft corals.
Depth: 13-20 meters
Ideal For: Everyone
6. Busy Burro
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This is a channel located between Neil Island and Havelock Island. It is a beautiful and natural plateau where spring tides cause mild to strong water currents. Divers will witness a huge school of colourful fish hanging around them. There are hunting trevally, tuna, lobsters, octopus, and shrimp, near the rocky outcrops. The sand patches have spotted rays, flounders, and garden eels. Juvenile ghost pipefish, Napoleon wrasse, and sea slugs can also be seen here.
Depth: 15-21 meters
Ideal For: Beginners and Intermediates
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7. Lighthouse
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This diving site is a circular reef formed around a small lighthouse on Neil Island. Even though it is small, the variety of fish found here is spectacular. The divers get thrilled seeing its diverse marine life and beauty. Some of the creatures found in its waters are Andaman reef fish, octopus, eel, and Bob – the resident turtle which is a very friendly turtle. This reef offers a comfortable yet enchanting diving experience.
Depth: 5-10 meters
Ideal For: Beginners
8. Nursery
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This is an ideal spot to witness the diverse ecosystem of the Andamans. This is a long fringing reef where the shallow area is a tidal zone and the deeper side extends to the west of this reef. Its sloping topography makes it a very thrilling experience for both divers and snorkellers. Divers can site dugongs, reef fish, octopus, groupers, macro, and a variety of seagrass.
Depth: 5-14 meters
Ideal For: Beginners and Intermediates
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9. Rocky’s
Photo: Francesco Ungaro / Pexels / Image For Representation Only
This diving site houses twin reefs and lies between Havelock and Neil Island. It has a rocky landscape, as the name suggests, but offers very interesting underwater secrets. The edge of this reef leads to a curious cave-like formation. The divers can enter the cave and see a glittering light on the other side of the cake. It has large dancing shoals of glass fish. There are also reef fish, lobsters, Napoleon wrasse, and nudibranchs.
Depth: 15-21 meters
Ideal For: Beginners and Intermediates
10. Aquarium
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The eastern part of this island has patch reefs and the aquarium is an expanse of it. It lies parallel to the main fringe reef and resembles an underwater playground. It is shallow but offers a lot to explore to the divers. Its rocky patches are home to colourful corals and fish. Dugongs are also spotted here. The topography of the base of this aquarium has impressive hard corals with strange shapes. The sand banks have colourful spotted rays, filefish, triggerfish, and banded sea snakes.
Depth: 8-12 meters
Ideal For: Beginners
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Best Time To Visit
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The best time for scuba diving on Neil Island is from October to May. During this time the sea is the calmest and visibility is excellent. The water temperature is also pleasant, which offers a delightful experience under the water.
Price Of Scuba Diving
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The average price of scuba diving is around ₹3500. The price increases in case the diver wants to dive more than once. This cost includes the basic training and the rental gear provided to the diver.
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Scuba diving on Neil Island is perfect for tourists who wish to have an unforgettable experience, as it offers some of the best diving locations. It is a heaven underwater for divers who want to explore the majestic creatures and corals under the water. You must soon plan a trip with TripXL to dive deep into the waters of this island and make unforgettable memories for a lifetime.
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