Most people who ask us about scuba diving in Andaman for beginners have never put their face under water with a regulator in their mouth. Many cannot swim. Quite a few are parents booking for a teenager, or a couple where one partner is keen and the other is nervous. This guide answers what they actually ask: what it costs as of October 2026, which island to do it on, whether a non-swimmer or a 55-year-old can dive, which months are worth it, and how to fit a dive into a trip from Ahmedabad without breaking the no-fly rule.
The short answer
- A first dive (called a Discover Scuba Dive, DSD or "try dive") costs roughly ₹3,500 to ₹7,500 per person on Havelock, about ₹6,500 to ₹7,000 on Neil, and ₹2,500 to ₹3,500 at North Bay near Port Blair. Prices vary by operator, site and whether GST is included.
- You do not need to know swimming. You do need to be honest on the medical form.
- Beginner dives are capped at about 12 metres and last about 30 minutes under water, after about 30 minutes of shallow-water practice.
- The season runs October to May. December to March has the calmest sea and best visibility, and also the fullest dive calendars.
- Do not dive on your last day. Keep 12 hours between a single dive and your flight, 18 hours after more than one dive.
What a beginner dive actually involves
A try dive is not a course. You get a briefing on breathing, hand signals and equalising your ears, then 20 to 30 minutes in waist- to chest-deep water practising those things with the instructor. Only when you are comfortable does the real dive start. The instructor stays within arm's reach the whole time, controls your buoyancy and steers you over the reef. Most Havelock centres hand you photos and a short video on WhatsApp afterwards, and some issue an e-certificate for the try dive (it is a souvenir, not a diving licence).
Two formats exist. A shore dive starts by walking in from the beach, is shallower and gentler, and is the one we suggest for nervous first-timers, children and anyone who gets seasick. A boat dive involves a 5 to 15 minute speedboat ride, a backward roll into the water, and a reef with more coral and bigger fish. Boat programmes take 2 to 3 hours door to door; shore dives about 90 minutes.
Scuba diving in Andaman cost (as of October 2026)
These are indicative per-person rates we collected from dive-centre rate cards in October 2026. They change every season and often with demand around Christmas, so treat them as a budgeting range rather than a quote.
| Dive | Where | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shore try dive (Nemo Reef) | Havelock, Govind Nagar beach | from ₹2,500 + GST, or ₹3,500 all-in | 1 to 12 m, easiest entry, busiest in peak weeks |
| Boat try dive | Havelock (Tribe Gate, Red Pillar, Lighthouse and others) | ₹4,000 to ₹7,500 | Farther reefs cost more; 3 to 15 m |
| Boat try dive | Neil Island | ₹6,500 to ₹7,000 | Fewer operators, quieter reefs, 6 AM to 10 AM slots |
| Try dive | North Bay, near Port Blair | ₹2,500 to ₹3,500, usually before GST | Shallow, crowded, short; fine if Havelock is not in your plan |
| Extras | Any centre | ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 | Longer dive, extra footage or a GoPro for the day |
| Open Water course (4 days) | Havelock or Neil | ₹22,000 to ₹36,500 | A real certification to 18 m; needs a 200 m swim test |
The trap to watch for is GST. Many centres advertise a price and add 18% at the counter; others quote all-in. When you compare two quotes, ask "is that including GST?" before anything else. Also check whether pickup from your hotel is included: Havelock resorts at Radhanagar and Kalapathar are 20 to 30 minutes from the Govind Nagar dive shops, and some centres charge extra for the transfer.
Havelock, Neil or Port Blair: where should a first-timer dive?
Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) is where most beginners should dive. It has the most centres, so you can choose on instructor ratio rather than availability, and it has the one true shore site, Nemo Reef off Govind Nagar beach, which is where the famous clownfish live in their anemones at 3 to 6 metres. If you are comfortable after a shore dive, boat sites like Tribe Gate and Lighthouse are the natural second step.
Neil (Shaheed Dweep) is smaller and slower. There are fewer dive centres, boats leave from the jetty at 6, 8 and 10 AM, and the reefs see fewer divers, which some people prefer. Prices are a little higher than Havelock's boat dives. Neil suits couples who are already spending two nights there and do not want the Havelock bustle.
Port Blair (North Bay) is the budget and convenience option: you can do it as part of the standard North Bay and Ross Island boat day. It is shallow and busy, and the briefing can be rushed when 40 people are queueing. If Havelock is in your itinerary at all, wait and dive there instead.
One more thing to know: Elephant Beach on Havelock is a snorkelling and watersports beach. Sea walking and "scuba" sold there are short, very shallow experiences, not the same thing as a try dive with a dive centre. If a package lists "scuba at Elephant Beach", ask exactly what is included.
Can non-swimmers dive? Age and health rules
Yes, non-swimmers can do a try dive, and they pay the same price. You wear a buoyancy jacket and fins, the instructor controls your depth, and at Nemo Reef the water is shallow enough to stand up in for the first part. What you cannot do without swimming is the Open Water course, which requires a 200-metre swim and a 10-minute float.
Age. Most centres take children from 10 and some from 12. A few run a cadet version for 8 and 9-year-olds in water no deeper than 2 metres. There is usually no upper age limit as such, but guests above roughly 45 to 50 are asked for a doctor's fitness certificate at many centres, and some cap try dives at 55 or 60. If a parent or grandparent in the group is in that range, ask the centre's exact policy before you book and carry the certificate from Ahmedabad; finding a doctor on Havelock on the day is a waste of a holiday morning.
Health. Everyone fills a medical form. The conditions that normally rule diving out are heart disease, asthma and other lung conditions, epilepsy, ongoing ear or sinus problems, pregnancy and serious back problems. Diabetes and high blood pressure that are well controlled are usually accepted with a doctor's letter, but that is the centre's call, not ours. On the day itself, a cold or blocked nose is a genuine reason to postpone: you will not be able to equalise your ears, and forcing it hurts. Honest answers protect you; the form is not a formality.
Best months for a first dive
Diving runs from October to May. December to March is the sweet spot: calm seas, 15 to 30 metres of visibility on good days and water at 26 to 30°C, warm enough that a thin wetsuit is plenty. October and November are quieter and slightly cheaper, with the odd rainy day that can cancel boat dives (shore dives usually still run). April and May are hot but the sea is generally calm, and this is when Gujarat's summer vacation falls. June to September is monsoon; some centres close and boat dives are hit and miss.
Two booking rules matter more than the month. First, the 20 December to 5 January window fills up first, and several centres make those dates non-refundable, so lock the dive when you lock the hotel. Second, take the earliest slot of the day. The sea is usually calmest at 6 to 8 AM, visibility is best before other boats stir things up, and you still have the afternoon for the beach.
Fitting a dive into a trip from Ahmedabad
There is no non-stop flight from Ahmedabad to Port Blair. Every routing connects through Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad or Delhi, and the total journey is 6 to 9 hours. For mid-December 2026, return fares for two adults with checked bags showed from about ₹82,000 for the pair (roughly ₹41,000 per person) via Kolkata on a search we ran in late October; fares vary a lot by date and rise sharply for the Christmas week. From Port Blair, Havelock is about 90 minutes by private catamaran ferry, and Neil another 60 minutes beyond.
The rule that decides your itinerary is the no-fly interval. Divers Alert Network's guideline is a minimum of 12 hours on the surface after a single no-decompression dive and 18 hours after multiple dives, and most dive centres will refuse to put you in the water the day before you fly. So the dive belongs in the middle of the trip, never on the morning you return to Port Blair for a flight.
A 5-night plan with the dive in the right place
- Day 1 – Port Blair. Arrive by early afternoon, Cellular Jail light-and-sound show in the evening.
- Day 2 – Havelock. Morning ferry, check in, Radhanagar beach for sunset. Confirm your dive slot and fill the medical form today, not tomorrow.
- Day 3 – Dive day. 7 AM shore or boat try dive at Govind Nagar. Light breakfast before, proper lunch after. Rest of the day free; no flying for 12 to 18 hours is automatically satisfied.
- Day 4 – Neil. Morning ferry to Neil, Natural Bridge at low tide, Laxmanpur sunset. Keen divers can book a second dive here.
- Day 5 – Port Blair. Ferry back, Chidiya Tapu or Corbyn's Cove.
- Day 6 – Fly home. Your last dive was on day 3 or 4, so the no-fly rule is comfortably met.
Our Andaman tour packages from Ahmedabad page has fuller 4, 5 and 6-night itineraries, a ferry planner and the month-by-month weather table; the dive slot above drops into any of them.
Food, families and what to carry on dive day
Eat something light before a morning dive: a banana, toast or a small bowl of poha is ideal, and a heavy fried breakfast is not, because a full stomach and a wetsuit are a bad combination on a moving boat. Pure-veg and Jain food is easiest to find around Govind Nagar on Havelock, where several cafés will do a plain sabzi-roti or a Jain thali if you ask the day before; Neil has fewer options, so carry dry snacks from Ahmedabad.
For families, the practical split is this: anyone 10-plus and healthy can do the try dive, younger children do the glass-bottom boat or snorkel at Elephant Beach, and grandparents who prefer not to dive still enjoy the boat day. If a senior is keen, the shore dive at Nemo Reef is the version we would book, with the medical certificate arranged beforehand.
Carry a cotton T-shirt to wear under the wetsuit (it stops chafing), a towel, a change of clothes, motion-sickness tablets for the boat if you are prone to it, and reef-safe sunscreen. Leave jewellery in the hotel safe. Your phone stays on the boat, so the operator's photo package is worth having.
Check your travel insurance wording too. Many standard domestic policies list scuba as an adventure activity that needs an add-on or is excluded, and the time to find out is before the trip.
Seven questions to ask the dive centre before you pay
- Is the price inclusive of 18% GST, hotel pickup and equipment?
- How many beginners per instructor in the water? One-to-one is best for a nervous diver; one-to-two is normal.
- Which agency certifies the instructors: PADI, SSI or RAID? All three are recognised; the answer tells you they are a real dive centre.
- What is the maximum depth for the try dive, and how long is the actual dive time?
- What happens if I cannot equalise my ears or decide not to go in: refund, partial refund or nothing?
- Are photos and video included, and are they sent the same day?
- If the sea is rough and the boat dive is cancelled, do I get the shore dive or my money back?
FAQ
How much does scuba diving cost in Andaman for a beginner?
As of October 2026, roughly ₹3,500 to ₹7,500 per person on Havelock depending on the site and whether GST is included, ₹6,500 to ₹7,000 on Neil, and ₹2,500 to ₹3,500 at North Bay near Port Blair. Prices vary by operator and date.
Can a non-swimmer do scuba diving in Andaman?
Yes. A try dive does not require swimming; the instructor holds and guides you throughout. Only the certification courses need a swim test.
Is scuba diving in Andaman safe for beginners?
Try dives are shallow (capped around 12 metres), one instructor stays with you, and the Havelock sites are sheltered. The real safety steps are on your side: answer the medical form honestly, do not dive with a cold, and do not fly within 12 to 18 hours of the dive.
Which is the best month for scuba diving in Andaman?
December to March for the calmest sea and clearest water. October to November and April to May are good too and less crowded. Avoid June to September.
Can children and senior citizens do a try dive?
Most centres take children from 10 or 12. Adults above about 45 to 50 are often asked for a doctor's fitness certificate, and some centres cap try dives at 55 or 60. Confirm the exact policy with the centre when booking.
Should I dive at Havelock or Neil?
Havelock for a first dive: more centres, the only shore site, and easier logistics. Neil if you are already staying there and want quieter reefs, or as a second dive later in the trip.
Want the dive slotted into your Andaman trip properly?
Vibrant Holidays has planned private, customised Andaman holidays from Ahmedabad for 11 years. We book the flights, ferries and hotels, pre-arrange pure-veg or Jain meals, and put the dive on the right day so your return flight is never at risk. Call toll-free 1800-313-4262 or visit our office at 2nd Floor, Ashish Complex, above Liberty Showroom, Swastik Cross Roads, C G Road, Ahmedabad.
See Andaman packages from Ahmedabad · Browse all Andaman itineraries
Related reading
- Honeymoon packages and family packages that include the Andamans.
- Maldives honeymoon packing list, for the beach-holiday packing basics that apply to the Andamans too.
- Goa in December, if you are weighing a shorter beach break against the islands.
- All tour packages from Ahmedabad.
Prices, flight fares and dive-centre policies in this article were checked in October 2026 and are indicative; they change by season and operator. Dive-centre medical and age rules are set by each centre. Vibrant Holidays does not operate dives; we book them with established centres on your behalf.
