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| When to visit |
| We are open for accommodation and diving all year-long
Mid-Jan onwards to the late May is our traditional diving season - flat seas, excellent visibility and all sites easily accessible. The sun is also shining, and this is tropical paradise at its finest.
Mid-June to late-July/early August tends to be monsoon season, and as such, depending on weather conditions, we may not be able to visit our further sites at this time of the year - although that can vary on a week to week basis.
August to November provides for excellent diving - there are occasional showers and you lose a few meters of visibility, but fishlife is at its peak at this time of the year and turtles as well as mantas are very prevalent. Some of the best diving we've done in the Andamans ever have been at this time . Initially, we had thought that diving during this period would be less than perfect, but as we have learned over the last couple of years, we were flat out mistaken in our assumption - we are now modifying our literature and plannning accordingly.
Our traditional recommendation was that if you are coming specifically for diving, avoid June/July. Other than that, excellent diving is possible for the rest of the year. If you want sunny weather, then December to early May is the best time; if you want the best diving and are willing to put up with cloudy/rainy days, then August to November is perfect.
However, of late, the weather patterns have gotten so erratic it is hard to say what's a good time and what isn't. June has been fantastic for diving the past 2-3 years. March, right in the middle of our peak season, has gotten rain showers and even a storm a couple of years ago. So the gap between peak and off-peak season is slowly getting blurred.
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| How to get to the Andamans |
| The traditional way to get to the Andamans is from Kolkata or Chennai. There are daily flights from either of these cities to Port Blair, the capital city of the Andamans run by Jet Airways, Jet Lite, Go Air, Kingfisher and Indian Airlines.
You can book online, either at the airline website or on MakeMyTrip.com (usually, one or other will accept international credit cards - if MakeMyTrips' online site doesn't, you can usually call them and book on the phone with an international card)
You can also choose to take a boat (a 3-day affair). Tickets for the boats go on sale a week or two before departure. Be warned that the cheaper bunk and cabin seats are only for hardy travelers!
Do remember that all visitors to India need a visa, which needs to be obtained from the nearest Indian embassy in advance. India does NOT offer visas on arrival .
In addition, visitors to the Andamans also need a Restricted Area Permit, valid for up to 30 days and extendable by an additional 15 days - this is best obtained on arrival in Port Blair (fast, painless and free), either by boat or by plane. Don't bother trying to get this at your local Indian embassy, as it will either take forever or they'll give you a lot of misinformation. |
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| How to get to Havelock |
At present, there are 3 government ferries departing to Havelock - a daily morning boat at 6:00am, a second boat at 11:30pm which goes via Neil and a third, direct boat at 2:00pm. The last two can actually be caught on the same day as flying into Port Blair (tickets sometimes sell out well in advance, so we strongly recommend our Meet and Greet service, which consists of all transfers from airport to airport and round trip ferry tickets for Rs 2200).
There is also a private ferry (a very comfortable catamaran) that has started service between Port Blair and Havelock. This ferry departs at 0900 for Havelock and returns at 1600 - trip time is approx 1:30. If you are arriving by 8am into Port Blair, this is a very convenient boat to take, as you no longer have to waste most of the day sitting around in Port Blair. This ferry is more expensive than the regular government ferry, however - and so a surcharge of Rs 500 per person each way applies on the Meet and Greet service for this.
You will need to return to Port Blair one day before your flight's departure, as the boat and flight schedules don't let you return on the same day. There is no way around it, sorry. |
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| How to get to Island Vinnie's |
| If you are on the pickup service, look for someone at the Havelock Jetty holding an Island Vinnie sign. Otherwise, simply take a taxi. It is a small island and everyone knows us (you may have to ask for DIVEIndia somtimes). Taxi fare is typically between Rs 50-100. |
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| What to bring |
| In terms of clothing - loose cotton clothes are the best. Remember to pack some long sleeves for the evenings, as that is the best form of mosquito repellant. A good book to read is nice, as is an MP3 player. If you are diving, please don't forget to bring your C-card and logbook.
Other essentials: sunglasses, hat, sunblock, prescription medicine and mozzie cream (you get local mozzie cream as well, but some people don't like its smell). Some anti-diarrhea medication and oral rehydration tablets are also good to have - we have some for emergency use but would prefer to let doctors and pharmacies dispense medication.
Virtually all toiletries and supplies. can be purchased in Port Blair, so if you forget something, don't fret.
And if you can bring us a bottle of liqueur or two, we'd greatly appreciate it (and reimburse you for it, of course!).
Do also see our F.A.Q. section for answers to commonly-asked questions. |
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