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Scuba Diving in the Andaman Islands Thailand
Diving in the Andamans is a unique lifetime experience. The coastal water surrounding theses islands is the abode of one of the richest coral reef ecosystem is the world. The specialty is that here the coral reefs and underwater formations are undamaged by human activity. The best season for diving is from December to April.
Many of the islands are surrounded by fringing reefs, often several hundred meters wide and separated from the shore by a lagoon of similar width. There are also more steeply undulating hills of raven volcanic lava, which makes for some unusual diving. There are plenty of steeply sloping and shallow reefs suitable for snorkeling. Large pelagics are plentiful in these waters, as are a variety of sharks.
Large schools of hammerhead often patrol the waters away from the reefs and Grey, Whitetip, Nurse and Leopard sharks are found closer inshore. Silvertip and Ocean Whitetips also sometimes appear out of the deep blue beyond. Enormous manta Rays are also often seen.
A few dive sites near to South Andaman Island and Port Blair
Cinque Island
One of the best dive destinations in the island, it has clear emerald water with a visibility of upto 80 feet. The deep dive offers a terrific variety of marine life, including black coral, sightings of sharks and is ideal for the experienced diver.
North Point
This site at Cinque Island is mostly highlighted by sponges and small corals and diversity of fish life. Southeast Reef at Cinque Island is a good site for novices. The southeast part of the reef consists of hard and soft corals and very dense on the rocks to about 16m(53 ft). Fish Rock near Passage Island offers an extremely colorful dive. The topography consists of rocky slopes, boulders and drop-offs, featuring large fan of corals and plenty of sponges, Below 25m, the rocks are covered in small bushy soft corals in numerous hues. Hard corals are not so evident. Grey and Whitetip Reef and Reef Sharks are almost always in the vicinity as are Nurse Sharks. Among the rest of the marine life are Eagle rays. Potato Cod, large coral groupers, fusiliers, suitlips, turtles, batfish, bumphead. Parrotfish,Squrielfish, curious and friendly oriental sweetlips, surgeonfish, yellow Tangs, Triggerfisk, tuna, Rainbow runners and many spices of trevally.
Bala Reef
On the western side of little Andaman, Bala Reef spreads over 4-5 sq.km amd is said to be one of the best sites in the Anadamans for coral-with vibrant colours. Corruption Rock : Corruption Rock sticks out between Chidiyatapu and Rutland Island. The dive site is on the western side of the rock and is made up of big underwater boulders. The corals are not brilliant but the craggy undersea landscape of boulders is stunning. A fantastic wonderland of gullies, channels , ridges and canyons. Look out for giant napoleons and eagle rays, huge snappers, schooling fusiliers, banner and unicorn fish, Dolphins, tuna and reef sharks have also been sighted here.
Rutland Island
The shallow waters near to the island have a good representation of most smaller fish and coral, and a good place for training open water divers. There is a ship wreck site also.
Snake Island off Corbyn's Cove beach
This site offers awesome rock faces and spectacular dive landscape. Marine life includes Trigger fish, Grunts, Goatfish and Rays.
Havelock Island
This is located approximately 50 Km from Port Blair by inter-island ferry. There is a range of largely unexplored dive sites rich in underwater marine life.
Dive sites near to the Havelock Island
Mac Point.
Mostly hard corals and their inhabitants are found. Usually good visibility, dugongs have been spotted here
Aquarium is a fringing reef with lots of 'fishtraffic'. Usually good visibility, mostly hard corals
Barracuda City.
Tons of fish, sometimes turtles, mostly hard and some soft corals. Rather suitable for experienced divers.
Turtle Bay is an easy pleasant dive site not exceeding 14 meters. Rays are found in the sand and with luck turtles.
Seduction Point.
A huge rock with different kind of aquatic life. Napoleans can be seen. The shallow part is full with staghorn corals and its inhabitants.
Lighthouse is a huge divesite, suitable for any kind of dives. Huge variety of soft and hard corals. Perfect for night dives.
The Wall is a huge dive submerged rock. The wall drops down to a maximum of 55 meters and is full with life. Huge forests of softcorals plus schools of fish circling you, makes it always a memorable dive.
Pilot Reef near to Havelock is a huge block of pristine hardcorals. At the bottom(max 24 meters) 'canyons' are stretching out. Leopard and White Tip Sharks have been sighted.
Minerva ledge at Havelock is even bigger block of hard corals. Tons of fish even bigger block of hardcorals. Tons of fish, usually good visibility and the possibility of seeing sharks makes it one of the top dive sites.
Campbell Shoal off North Button Island.
The bottom of this site is covered in mainly hardcorals, with sporadic sandy patches and hosts a multitude of reef animals. The marine life includes Whitetip Reef Sharks, large cod and groupers, Coral Trout, Blue and Golden-banded fusilers, Giant Trevally and a host of colorful reef-fish.
Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, Wandoor
Hundreds of colorful varieties of coral reef fishes can be seen in the park. Some of these are clownfish, butterfly fish, surgeon fish, angel fish, parrot fish, bat fish and groupers. Whitetip shark, hammer headed shark, Manta ray and blue fin jack are also occasionally seen. More than 50 tyres of corals are found in the fringing type of coral reefs in the park. Some important coral varieties found here are Acropora, Pocillopora, Montipora, Leptoseris, Fungia, Portis, Tubipora and Gorgonians.
The Emerald Islands - Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Floating in splendid isolation, east of the Indian mainland is the archipelago of 572 emerald islands, islets and rocks known as Andaman & Nicobar Islands. This union territory stretches over a length of more than 700 km. From north to south with 36 inhabited islands. Once a hill range extending from Burma to Indonesia, these undulating islands are covered with dense forests and endless variety of exotic flora and fauna.
The topography of the islands is hilly and abounds in evergreen forests. The sandy beaches on the edge of meandering coastline are fringed with coconut palms that sway to the rhythm of the sea. The sea around the islands offers excellent scope for adventure water sports. The rare flora and fauna, underwater marine life and corals, crystal clear water and mangrove lined creeks, offer a dream view of the rare gifts of nature.
The clean roads as well as unpolluted fresh air attract any nature lover, who seeks absolute peace and tranquility in the lap of Mother Nature. Adventure tourism like trekking, island camping, snorkeling, scuba diving, etc., are the major attractions here. A visit to these islands is a memorable lifetime experience.
The History
Mythologically, the name Andaman is presumed to be derived from Hanuman, the Monkey God, who was known to the Malays as "Handuman". Since prehistoric times, these islands were the home of aboriginal tribes. The tribes of the Andaman group of islands are the great Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas and Sentinalese; all of Negrito origin, while the tribes of Nicobars, the Nicobarese and Shompens, both of Mongoloid stock.
The first settlement by the British took place in 1789, which was later abandoned in 1796. The second settlement was basically a penal settlement, taken up in 1858, after the first war of independence, followed by the settlement of convicts, "Moplas", some tribes from central and united provinces, refugees from erstwhile east Pakistan, Burma and Sri Lanka as well as ex servicemen.
People & Culture
In these islands people of all faiths Hindus, Muslim, Christians, Sikhs etc., and of all languages like Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Telegu, Punjabi, Nicobari etc., live together in complete peace and harmony. Inter religion and inter regional marriages are common. This amazing racial and cultural mix is aptly described as 'mini-India'.
The Green Paradise
Forests are the green gold of the islands. The reserved and protected forests extend over 86% area of the territory and the forest cover is more than 92%. About 50% of the forests have been set aside as tribal reserves, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, which are inviolate. Luxuriant mangroves, perhaps the richest in the world, occupy nearly 11.5% of the territory. More than 150 plant and animal species are endemic to these islands. The Andaman Nicobar Islands hold over 110 species of wild orchids, which is about 10% of the known Indian orchids.
Marine Life
The surrounding seas are equally rich in marine bio-diversity. They harbor more than 1,200 species of fish, 350 species of echinoderms, 1,000 species of Molluscs and many more other forms of life. Among Vertebrates dugong, dolphin and whale are common. Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is rich in Corals, varieties of colorful Fishes, Sea Turtles, etc., besides other marine life.
Andaman is also a bird's paradise. More than 246 varieties of birds inhabit the idyllic landscape, out of which 39 are endemic. Birds Megapode, Seiftlet, Hornbill and Nicobar Pigeon are mention worthy. The Avi faunal diversity has always attracted ornithologists and bird watchers to these islands.
Sandy beaches of these islands are famous for turtles nesting. Important species of turtles that are present on these islands include Leather Back Turtle, Green Sea Turtle, Hawksbill Turtle and Olive Ridley Turtle. Water Monitor Lizard, Salt-Water Crocodiles, Reticulate Python etc. are also seen here.
Corals and coral reefs are the most fascinating part of marine ecosystem here. So far 179 species of corals belonging to 61 genera have been reported. Reefs are mostly of the fringing type on the western coast. Coral reefs are important breeding and nursery ground for fish and many other organisms.
A New Haven For The Tourists
Andaman and Nicobar islands have recently been recognized as a world-class Eco-friendly tourist destination and these islands have something very special to offer to the tourists. Cellular Jail, Ross Island and Viper Island create real interest in those, who love Indian history. The Andaman tropical rainforests, beautiful silver sandy beaches, serpentine mangrove-lined creeks, marine life abounding in rare species of plants, animals, corals, etc., provide a splendid experience to the tourists.
The environment lover finds absolute ease and tranquility in the lap of Mother Nature. There is tremendous scope for enjoying the green nature, the virgin beaches, the marvels of underwater, adventure water sports ad other activities like Elephant Safari, Trekking, Lagoon Cruise, Island Camping etc.
Andaman is a popular destination for Scuba Dive Tourists, Cruise Liners and Sailing Yachts. The administration has formulated guidelines/procedures for operating Scuba Dive Centers and Yachts.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands has become the center of worldwide attention thanks to the first sunrise of the millennium at Katchal, an island in the Nicobar group. Now these islands are emerging as one of the most sought after Eco-friendly tourist destinations of the 21st Century.
Information
Area: Andamans District: 6,408-sq-kms
Nicobars District: 1,841-sq-kms
Total Area: 8,249-sq-kms
Distance: 1,255-kms From Calcutta (Kolkata)
1,190-kms From Chennai
1,200-kms From Vishakhapatnam
Languages Spoken: English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil.
Altitude: Varies from sea Level to 732m
Climate: Tropical - Between 23°C (75-85 F) To 28°C (78-95 F)
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The Dive Site Bangkok 1149 Pattanakarn Road Kwang Suanluang,
Bangkok 10250 Thailand,
Phone: +66 (0) 2 717 9219
Fax: +66 (0) 2 717 9218
Email: dive@divesiteasia.com
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