The day to dive is here!!!!

Day 8 : Havelock island

No alarm and we were up by 6 am for the morning dive! With some anxiety and some excitement we reached DiveIndia by 7:15 am. We were not sure if having a breakfast before a dive would be fine. After some inquiry, we ended up having breakfast at the cafe in the DiveIndia center.

Once done, we were asked to choose our wet suits and shoes based on the size along with the many others who were in the same batch. Wearing shoes is a must since being amateurs, our feet can get injured in the dive. We were paired with our instructors and then off to Govindnagar beach, which is the dive site.

At the dive site, instructions are given by the instructor on safety and precautions. Since you cannot talk under water, you need to use hand signals for not being able to breathe, moving up/down, all fine, not fine and many other things. Do pay attention to the instructions.

Once done, in low tide we were taken till chest depth water. For a non swimmer it feels a little scary when you are chest deep into water! I had informed that I did not know swimming and once in water, I was asked to immerse myself in water and stay for as long as I could. Next weights are put on at the waist. Weights are used to help us sink down during the dive. I know it sounds scary! Life jacket with Oxygen cylinder was put on. The life jacket can be inflated/deflated to float/sink respectively. Then the mask was put on and I was asked to breathe from mouth. Yes, you need to breathe from mouth since your nose is closed by the mask. Its a little uncomfortable in the beginning but a few mins of practice and you are fine. Next regulator is given which supplies oxygen from the tank and you need to put it in your mouth. Breathing can be done normally the only difference being you will be using your mouth! Next I was made to again immerse myself under water to get used to the breathing apparatus. Next you are taught two more important skills - one to remove water from the mask if it gets in during the dive and the other to remove water from regulator in case it gets in the regulator during the dive. And they make you practice these as well.

In day to day life, the air inside the ears is at the same pressure as the air outside the ears. When you dive, there is water outside and air inside. If nothing is done, pressure inside will be at atmospheric pressure. But on the outside, pressure will be greater. Your ear drum does not want to accelerate and it stretches causing the ear drum to hurt. To help out, equalizing is taught and its important you know how to do it since if you don't do it, there are chances of injuring ears.

With all the gear under water

With all the training and a little practice, you are slowly taken under water by the instructor. I got a little scared when we were going deeper since I suddenly drifted in the opposite direction by a current and I asked the instructor to take me back. In the time I spent under water, I saw clams, moorish idol and some other weird fishes. It was really beautiful to see the clams opening and closing! Its more like watching a Nat Geo show live!

My husband completed the dive and he could obviously see more varieties of fishes like clown fish (Finding Nemo fish), bumphead parrot fish, corals and many others. Videos and pics are taken under water which you can collect later in the day. Never the less, it was a wonderful experience and the instructors teach you well. Hence its important you choose a good scuba diving center and do make sure that its PADI certified as well.

All the morning activity made us even more hungrier and we were at at Anju Coco in no time! Some much needed rest in the noon and we were back at Radhanagar beach for the sunset for one last time in this trip. A veg roll and coconut milkshake at Welcome restaurant, dinner at Anju Coco and were back the resort.

Sunset at Radhanagar beach

Another beautiful snap of the sunset at Radhanagar beach

What an adventurous end to the stay at Havelock island!

Elephant beach and snorkeling....

Day 7: Havelock island

After the normal start of the day and a heavy breakfast, we visited DiveIndia. Havelock island is known for scuba diving and snorkeling. After a good amount of research, we zeroed on DiveIndia. Its located near Full Moon cafe on the main road. I think they do offer stay options since it offers courses on scuba diving as well. After some inquiries, we enrolled for the next day's morning dive!

The best thing about island vacation is you have lots of time and very few things to do! We next visited Elephant beach. Take the road to Radhanagar beach and around 2.5 kms before Radhanagar beach, you will find the base to trek for Elephant beach on your right (if you are traveling from market area). It's approximately 7-8 kms from market. As you park the vehicle, you will find locals offering you to take to Elephant beach for a cost. We decided to just follow the trail and we dint take any guide. It's easy if you follow the trail but for a first timer, you might get lost as well in the forest. Almost near the beach, you will find a marshy land where you need to be careful. I think the land is covered by water in high tides because of which it is always marshy. Trek for half an hour and you reach the beach!

Route to Elephant beach

There are many water activities here like snorkeling, glass bottom boat ride, sea walking etc. But since an incident had occurred near Ross island where a private ferry sank killing a few passengers, there was an inspection going on over Andamans because of which activities involving boats were stopped. So the only option we were left with was snorkeling. I was a little scared after the previous experience but my better half was all game for snorkeling! For INR 300 you get a short snorkeling route and a longer one for INR 500. According to Mr. Husband, it was a good site for snorkeling since you get to see the under water world from a much shorter distance. So do head to Elephant beach for a good snorkeling experience.

Scenery on the way to the beach 

Elephant beach

It was lunch time by the time we returned from the beach and we headed straight to Anju Coco for a lip smacking thali! A small break at the resort and we headed back to Radhanagar beach. Visiting Radhanagar beach in the evenings was kind of a ritual now at Havelock island!

The endless stretch of Radhanagar beach

On the way back, we stopped at the market for some fruit shopping. We used to stock up on fruits in case of some hunger pangs at mid night! your senses are in for a treat when you visit the vegetable market since the market is surrounded by lots of small eateries! We saw a weird drink called coconut milkshake at a restaurant called Welcome. The drink looked inviting and we thought of trying it. Its a must drink if you happen to stop at the market. Just remembering the drink is taking me back in time!

Dinner as usual was at Anju Coco and here we were at the end of another day at the Andaman.

Kala Pathar beach and Vijaynagar beach........

Day 6: Havelock island

The day started with a walk on the Vijaynagar beach. The cool breeze and the sound of waves were soothing to the mind. The agenda of the day was to visit the Kala Pathar beach, laze around Vijaynagar beach and another visit to the Radhanagar beach.

Breakfast was complimentary and was the regular fare of juice, eggs, toast, parathas. Freshened up and left for the first place on the agenda - Kala Pathar beach. Its just a few mins drive from the resort. The beach gets its name from a nearby village with the same name. The sea gives you company on one side decorated with black rocks and the other side of the road is lined with tropical forest. The beach was deserted with the presence of one coconut vendor. Since mornings are high tides and we were told of not entering the waters because of strong currents and rocks, we just took a small stroll on the beach, had water from a really huge coconut(haven't seen this huge a coconut until now) and off to the Makruzz office to book for the onward journey.

Kala Pathar beach during high tide

The Makruzz office is located near the jetty on the left side coming from the jetty. We booked premium class tickets which were priced at INR. 950 per person. Premium class is located on the upper deck. A colleague of mine had advised against the lower deck seats to avoid sea sickness.

Kala Pathar beach

We then headed back to the resort and it was time to get into the waters! The resort has a private beach with trees lined on the shore. Mr. Husband enjoyed swimming and I was just lazing around the shore. The best thing about Andamans, according to us, is just lazing on a beach under the shade of a tree and reading your favorite author! It was just what we needed after a hectic schedule back at Bangalore. Lunch was at Anju Coco and we retired to reading books by the shore.

It had become a ritual to witness sunset on beach while at Neil island and how could we miss the spectacular scene at Radhanagar beach. All our evenings at Havelock island were spent watching the sunset at Radhanagar beach. We reached Radhanagar beach by 4:45 pm, went for a long walk on the beach and saw the amazing sunset.

There are lots of shops and eateries lined up near the parking. On our way back, I was tempted to buy some jewelry and souvenirs. The items are expensive compared to Neil island and do not forget to bargain! In case you visit Neil island and have some time for shopping, do it at Bharathpur beach in the mornings.

On our way back, we stopped at Anju Coco for dinner. It was a relaxed day with nothing much to do or roam around but well spent.  

The very popular Havelock island....

Day 5: Neil Island to Havelock Island

We had spent almost 3 days at the calm Neil island and the serenity of the place din't made us feel like leaving from this island! It was time to say goodbye to Neil island and hello to Havelock island. Havelock island is a lot more popular island among the tourists. It is also more expensive and crowded as compared to Neil island. The places are more touristy.

As was the routine in the Andaman for us, we got up early, took a stroll on the beach and were ready to leave for the jetty by 9:30 am. The ferry to Havelock island was at 11:00 am and we had booked Coastal Cruise for this journey as well. There are local ferries as well though they take some time. We reached Havelock by 1 pm and the pick up was arranged by Emerald Gecko.

Waiting near the Neil island jetty

We had booked Emerald Gecko for the stay at Havelock and the place looked amazing as we entered. But, we were not much impressed by the service. The place had a nice look and feel to it with bamboo bungalows and a private beach with a nice restaurant in the middle of the property. The rooms also looked good with an open air bathroom and a good ambiance. But the cons included expensive food and there were bugs on the bed which made the stay a little uncomfortable here. But that's just my opinion.

Bamboo cottage interiors at Emerald Gecko

You can roam around this island with a 2 wheeler which costs around INR 400 on a 24 hour basis. But since we wanted it for 4 days, bargained it for INR 350. Petrol is a little expensive priced at INR 80 for a litre and it would be advisable to carry an empty 1 litre bottle to measure the petrol while filling the tank since it's available in shops and there are no petrol bunks.

Since it was evening by the time we made some plans to roam around, we thought of visiting Radhanagar beach. Radhanagar beach is very famous in Havelock since it was crowned as 'Asia's Best Beach' by Time magazine. It is a very large stretch of white sand with blue waters and lush forest. The sunset looks amazing from the beach. The beach is so huge that it can accommodate a huge crowd and still look empty! There is also a changing room available at the beach. The route to Radhanagar beach is also very scenic with paddy fields and forest to give you company. Approximately 15 kms from the market.

I had read some reviews on a restaurant Anju Coco. Its near Dolphin resort, easy to locate and well known. The restaurant had decent options for vegetarians and the food was tasty as well. We enjoyed veg sizzlers there. Not to forget the good service. Also, it was less expensive compared to the other places. This restaurant was the place for our lunches and dinners by default for the next few days at Havelock.

And it was the end of another day at the Andaman.