Best Dive Sites in Havelock
Tribe Gate :
Qualification Level : Try Scuba, Open Water
Depth: 3-15m
Distance: 5 min
This location offers an excellent opportunity to learn diving, enjoy recreational dives, and even experience your first dive ever. Primarily utilized for Open Water Diver training and Try Scuba courses due to its accommodating conditions, this dive site remain a remarkable destination boasting vibrant marine life and incredible underwater photography opportunities. Visitors shouldn’t be discouraged by its training focus; it still offers a spectacular underwater experience with frequent sightings of turtles and humphead parrotfish. It’s particularly cherished by those embarking on their inaugural Boat Diving adventure. With consistently good visibility throughout most seasons, a fulfilling dive experience is virtually assured.
To be Seen: Parrot fish, turtles, clown fish, surgeon fish, trumpet fish, box fish, octopus, snappers, sting rays, groupers etc.
Neem "O" Reef
Qualification Level: Try Scuba, Open water
Depth: 1-11m
Distance: 20 min
This is another dive site famous for its easy going diving conditions and the enormous sea life you got to see. We mostly use this dive site to conduct Try Scuba and Open Water courses. This very accessible dive site is a real treat for first timers with a great marine life and an enchanting mangrove beach.
To be seen: Parrot fish, Pipe fish, Bumphead, Octopus, Sea snake, Crocodile fish, Moorish Idol, Damsel fish, all kinds of anemone fish, Scribbled file fish, Brain coral, Sea horses
The best time for Scuba diving in Havelock usually starts in October or November and extends until May. Water temperature at the Andaman Islands is tropical, ranging from 80-84˚F (27-29˚C).Some sites experience currents including down currents and some sites are mostly calm with predictable drifts.
Dixons Pinnacle
Qualification level: Advanced Adventurer, Deep speciality
Depth: 18-40m
Distance: 1hr
We personally believe this is one of the best dive site in and around Havelock. A famous dive site named after an instructor on the island. The site is formed from 3 pinnacles. A large array of sea life is found here, as well as large schools of fish. All the pinnacles are covered in tube corals and barrel sponges. A moderate to strong current is present most of the time but the abundant sea life certainly makes up for it. The type of conditions demands good mental and physical state. The visibility here remains good almost
To be seen: Manta Rays Groupers, Napoleon Wrasse, Unicornfish, Anemonefish, Shrimps, Crabs, Turtles, Barracudas, Giant Trevally, Tuna, Mackerel, Batfish,, Emperor Angelfish, Red-Toothed Triggerfish, schools of Snapper, White-tip Reef Sharks. Blue Spotted Rays, Magnificent anemone, huge barrel sponge, Sea snake
Johnny's Gorge
Qualification Level: Advanced Adventurer, Deep Speciality
Depth: 25-30m
Distance: 1hr 20 min
This site is a small rocky outcrop in the open sea, with a profusion of large pelagic fish species. The bed of rocky outcrop is surrounded by sand in every direction and these rocks have become an oasis of security and food for both the larger and smaller marine species. This is a world class dive site and dolphins are often spotted on the surface. This is the only dive site where shark sightings are guaranteed. Most of the people like to have two dives on this dive site.
To be seen: White-tip Reef Sharks, Black Tips, Mackerels, Trevally, Tuna, Eagle Rays, Napoleon Wrasse, Giant Groupers, Manta Rays, Surgeonfish, Snapper, Barracudas, Unicornfish, Moray Eels & turtles.
Jackson Bar
Qualification Level: Advanced Adventurer, Deep Speciality
Depth: 20-35m
Distance: 1 hr 20 min
This site is a favourite for experienced divers, as it offers a lot of variety in terms of the marine life. A strong current flows perpendicular to this site and should be taken into consideration when planning to dive there. With the current, there are sometimes thermoclines. Pelagic species are never in short supply here and makes for an exciting experience.
To be seen: White-Tip Reef Sharks, Eagle Rays, Turtles, Barracudas, Groupers, Tuna, Blue Spotted Rays, Wrasse, Manta Rays, Giant Moray Eels, Marble Rays, Lobsters, fusiliers
The Wall
Qualification Level: Open Water, Advanced, Deep Speciality, Tec Diver
Depth: 10-55m
Distance: 30 min
So we do not really need to guess the type of dive site this is, the wall drops off from a plateau which is only 10 metres deep. This dive site is suitable for Open Water divers through to Tec Divers. The aquatic life here is abundant, small Nudibranchs to large Napoleon Wrasse. There can be some moderate to strong currents as well. The dive site is challenging for beginners and interesting for experienced divers. It is also suitable for night dives.
To be seen: Manta Rays, Napoleon Wrasse, Trevally, Snapper, Octopuses, Scorpionfish, Nudibranchs, Puffer Fish, Lionfish, Anglerfish. Variety of Naudibranch, Fusiliers, gorgonian coral, sea fan
Minerva Ledge
Qualification Level: Open Water
Depth: 10-18m
Distance: 1hr
This site is situated on a large plateau of rock and colourful coral and requires more than one dive to visit the 3 different locations that can be found here. Gentle to strong currents are present. This expansive shallow ledge can be found on the north-east side of Havelock and is covered in flat coral gardens. Giant Moray eel and giant grouper are occasionally spotted here. This site is located around 10 nautical miles away from Havelock. This is frequented by pelagic denizens like Tauna, Barracuda and Sting rays. Two dives can be done to cover most of this site.
To be seen: Yellow and Red Snapper, Unicornfish, Giant Groupers, Banded Sea snakes, Fusiliers, Tuna, Barracudas, Surgeonfish, Moray Eels, Stingrays.
Broken Ledge
Qualification level: Open water, Advance Adventurer
Depth:16-25m
Distance: 1hr 30 min
This dive site offers very good population of resident reef fish and turtles, as well as frequent pelagic visitors. The fish life here is abundant and big visitors such as white tip reef sharks, manta or marbled rays, dogtoothed and yellow fin tunas are spotted often there.
To be seen: lionfish, Napoleon wrasses, marbled groupers, shoal of snappers thousands of schooling long fin bannerfish,. Bigger visitors such as white tip reef sharks, manta or marbled rays, dogtoothed and yellowfin.
Inket Wreck aka Vinnie's Wreck
Qualification Level: Open Water, Wreck Speciality
Depth: 6-18m
Distance: 1hr 50 min
This site is the 30-year old wreck of an inter-island cargo ship, and was discovered by Vinnie, a local instructor. Vis here tends to be a little on the low side (5-10m), but that is what wreck diving is all about. The wreck itself is very interesting, with the full propeller lying intact and all the components still in place. Unfortunately penetration is not possible. The wreck is situated at the mouth of the inlet near Duncan Island.
To be seen: hatches and cargo hold of the wreck clearly visible, enormous propeller, parts of the boilers and engine room are intact, Anemone, Coral, Sea Fans, solitary Giant Grouper, Barracudas, Scorpionfish, Cleaner Shrimp, Lionfish.
Mystery Mountains
Qualification Level: Open Water
Depth: 6-20 m
Distance: 1hr 45 min
An outcrop of rocks that break the surface of the water just off the shore of Baratang. Coral outcrops give way to large rock formations that rise from 18m up to the surface. Moray eels, angelfish couples, scorpionfish and fusiliers are regular fare on this site. Some moderate to strong currents can be experienced. The visibility is not that good most of time.
To be seen: Angel fish, moray eels, fusiliers, snappers, naudibranch, Giant groupers, scorpion fish
Jacob Table
Qualification Level: Open Water
Depth: 14-18m
Distance: 1 hr 20 min
This site is named after the massive Table Coral that overlay one other and cover most of the site. This makes for some of the best diving in the area. Huge Gorgonian Sea fans are one of the attractions here, as well as the variety of pelagic species.
To be seen: Blue and Gold Fusiliers, schools of Glassfish, Yellow Snapper, Giant Groupers, Surgeonfish, various type of Triggerfish, Moray Eels, Black Unicornfish, White-Tip Sharks, Dugongs, Turtles.
South Button
Qualification Level: Snorkelling, Open Water, Advanced Adventurer
Depth: 6-25m
Distance: 1hr 50 min
This site is a small island that is basically an overgrown pinnacle sticking out of the rocks. It has vertical columns of rocks, covered with coral, a couple of interesting overhangs and strange-shaped rock formations. The western side of the island drops along á small wall and goes down to 25m. The eastern side boasts a beautiful expanse of coral garden in less than 12m of water. The water is unbelievably clear and it is one of the top sites in the area.
To be seen: Shrimps, Crabs, Cuttlefish, Octopuses, Schooling Snapper, Surgeonfish, Barracudas, Big-eye Trevally, Napoleon Wrasse, Manta Rays, Leopard Sharks, Moray Eels, Lionfish, Nudibranchs.
Nursery
Qualification Level: Snorkelling, Try Scuba, Open Water
Depth: 4-14m
Distance: 35 min
This site is a shallow ledge of reef and rocky outcrop extending from the southern cliff-face of Nicholson Island. It has a lot of hard coral and is therefore ideal for beginners, as well as snorkelling. This is an easy dive for those who are still busy finding their underwater feet.
To be seen: Feather Stars, Anemones, star fish, fusiliers, parrot fish, long spined sea urchins.
Neil's Cove Reef
Qualification Level: Open Water
Depth: 12-18m
Distance: 1hr 40min
Lying between Aquarium and Neil’s Cove, this offshore reef gently tapers down to the sand and is an extension of another very similar dive site called the Aquarium. Therefore much of what is found at the Aquarium can also be experienced here, with minor variations.
To be seen: Snapper, Small Groupers, Moray Eels, Angelfish, Blue Spotted Rays, the occasional mating Cuttlefish couple, Humpback Parrotfish.
MV Mars
Qualification Level: Open Water, Wreck Speciality
Depth: 7-15m
Distance: 30 min
A fishing boat which failed to resist adverse conditions therefore Neptune claimed it for himself. This is an easy dive for Open Water students and is suitable for divers learning how to wreck dive as part of their Advanced or Speciality Wreck Course. It’s a short dive around the wreck and then to the nearby reef. Avoid touching and stirring up the sand.
To be seen: all the usual reef fish can be found in the area.
Junction
Qualification Level: Advance Adventurer, Deep speciality
Depth: 25-35m
Distance: 1 hr 30 min
So we have no guessed what this dive site has to offer. A very popular site amongst advance divers. Sharks, schools of barracuda, a turtle or two, groupers, large schools of fusiliers, trevally, groupers are all spotted on a good day. Some moderate to strong currents can be experienced. This site is suitable for only advance divers. We carry most of our deep speciality course here.
To be seen: Fusiliers, trevally, groupers, barracuda, giant moray eels, turtles, naudibranch