Beneath the surface: diving the Andamans
For many travellers the Andamans are a beach destination that happens to have reefs. Spend one morning underwater and the order reverses. The water here is famously clear, the coral still largely healthy, and the marine life ranges from clouds of glassfish to the occasional reef shark gliding past at the edge of visibility.
You do not need a licence to start. Most first-timers begin with a guided "discovery" dive in shallow water, and many never look back. This guide explains where to go, what you'll see, and the small things that keep these reefs worth visiting at all.
The best dive is the one the reef survives. Look closely, touch nothing.
Snorkelling vs diving
If you only ever put your face in the water with a mask and snorkel, you'll still see plenty — many Andaman reefs begin in waist-deep water just off the sand. Diving simply opens the next room: the drop-offs, the bigger fish and the sense of weightlessness that keeps people coming back. Both are easy to arrange once you're on the islands.
Where to go
For beginners
The sheltered house reefs around Havelock are the gentlest introduction — calm, shallow and well-suited to a first guided dive. Nearby sites offer easy reef dives with good odds of turtles and reef fish in fine condition.
For certified divers
Further out, dramatic rock pinnacles and deeper sites bring schooling fish, larger pelagics and the kind of visibility that makes photographers very happy. Conditions vary with the season and the tide, so listen to your dive centre over any guidebook, including this one.
What you'll see
- Green and hawksbill turtles grazing the shallows;
- Clownfish in their anemones, and parrotfish working the coral;
- Reef sharks and rays at deeper sites, usually shy and harmless;
- Soft corals and sea fans on the sheltered walls.
Diving without doing harm
Reefs are far more fragile than they look, and a single careless fin-kick can undo decades of growth. A few habits make all the difference:
- Touch nothing — not the coral, not the turtles, not the "harmless" shell you'd like to keep.
- Mind your fins and gauges so nothing drags across the reef.
- Use reef-safe sunscreen, or cover up with a rash guard instead.
- Choose dive centres that brief on conservation and keep group sizes small.
If you're still planning the wider trip, start with our first-timer's guide to the islands — it covers seasons, ferries and how the days fit together.
The quiet reward
There's a particular stillness to hanging weightless over a reef while the islands go about their morning above you. Treat it gently, and that stillness will be there for the next person who slips beneath the surface.