The Andaman Islands are in Indian territorial waters, but due to the fact that they are far closer to Thailand (with Phuket some 450 km to the southeast) than to India itself (with the mainland well over 1000 km to the northwest), diving here has, so far been pioneered by long-range liveaboard dive boats, such as ours!

The Andaman Islands cover an area of just over 8,000 sq km, and with 500 islands, islets and rocky outcrops in the archipelago (just 26 islands are currently inhabited), they are best discovered by liveaboard diving. The larger islands are fairly mountainous and blanketed with dense rainforest. A high proportion of these forests are protected with a confusing network of Tribal Reserves, six National Parks and Coastal Belts, and no less than 94 wildlife sanctuaries.
Many of the islands in the Andaman area are surrounded by fringing reefs, really only accessible by liveaboard diving. The reefs are often several hundred metres wide and separated from the shore by a lagoon of similar width. There are also more steeply sloping reef walls & coral pinnacles or knolls. Divers can follow around the undulating hills of raven black volcanic lava, which makes for some unusual diving. There are also plenty of shallow reefs suitable for snorkeling.

Forming the border between the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, India’s Andaman Islands are mostly uninhabited and covered with virgin rainforest, a rarity these days. Diving is still in its infancy here, with only a couple of Thailand-based live-aboards visiting for a few trips each season.

Significantly, the Indian government takes a serious approach to protecting its marine resources, and foreign fishing vessels give the region a wide berth. As a result, marine life populations are robust, and divers are often surrounded by fish. At places like Fish Rock, clouds of surgeons and barracuda gather in mid-water, snapper and sweetlips swarm over the rocky reef, and big fish like Giant Trevally and Bumphead Parrotfish are seen on nearly every dive. Giant Grouper and schooling Mobula Rays also make regular appearances. Many sites are home to endemic species like Andaman Damselfish, Andaman Sweetlips, and the distinctive Indian-Ocean Spinecheek Anemonefish.

Among the best sites are isolated volcanic outposts: Narcondam and Barren Islands, the latter of which is still active. Each features healthy hard corals in the shallows, but the best areas are steep drop-offs and pinnacles, where you’ll find huge barrel sponges and fans, plus stunning soft corals. Both islands have dark volcanic sand bottoms, but the substrate at Barren is particularly striking, being almost jet-black, which really emphasizes the vibrant colors of the soft corals and red encrusting sponge. Fish life is impressive at both islands, with plenty of colorful reef species, including various Anthias, Angelfish, Blue Palette Surgeons, Flag-tail and Magnificent Dart Gobies, and shy but beautiful Indian Yellow-fin Grouper. For sheer volume of fish, “HQ Pinnacle” at Narcondam and “Black Magic” at Barren are top contenders, with massive schools of Bigeye Trevally. There is also a good chance of heavyweights like Dog-tooth Tuna, Napoleon Wrasse, Bumphead Parrotfish and Mantas at many sites.