Men and women have practiced breath-hold diving for centuries. Indirect evidence comes from thousand-year-old undersea artifacts found on land (e.g., mother-of-pearl ornaments), and depictions of divers in ancient drawings. In ancient Greece breath-hold divers are known to have hunted for sponges and engaged in military exploits. Of the latter, the story of Scyllis (sometimes spelled Scyllias; about 500 BC) is perhaps the most famous. As told by the 5th century BC historian Herodotus (and quoted in numerous modern texts).


During a naval campaign the Persian King Xerxes I. took the Greek Scyllis aboard ship as prisoner when Scyllis learned that Xerxes was to attack a Greek flotilla, he seized a knife and jumped overboard. The Persians could not find him in the water and presumed he had drowned. Scyllis surfaced at night and made his way among all the ships in Xerxes's fleet, cutting each ship loose from its moorings; he used a hollow reed as snorkel to remain unobserved. Then he swam nine miles (15 kilometers) to rejoin the Greeks off Cape Artemisium.

The desire to go under water has probably always existed: to hunt for food, uncover artifacts, repair ships (or sink them!), and perhaps just to observe marine life. Until humans found a way to breathe underwater, however, each dive was necessarily short and frantic.

So its diving you're looking for. There are three main centers of diving in India. Andaman and Nicobar group of islands in the Bay of Bengal, Lakshadweep group of islands in the Arabian Sea and Goa on the mainland. Every destination is completely unique in its own way, and they all have widely different dive conditions and marine life.

While Lakshadweep has the clear blue lagoons of coral atolis, Andaman and Nicobar are volcanic islands surrounded by deep, undisturbed waters that have an astounding bio-diversity. The third destination Goa has many exciting things to do, on land as in water.
 

ANDAMAN & NICOBAR - This is closest you get to feeling like Robinson Crusoe. 362 volcanic islands scattered in the Bay of Bengal, only 37 of these are inhabited. These lush green islands have a colourful historical past. With strings of invasions by the French, Dutch, Japanese and British, raging war between settlers and the native tribes. The Cellular Jail, where hundreds of Indian revolutionaries were imprisoned during the Indian freedom struggle, still stands tall. Descendents of these political prisoners and the local tribes of the area are the inhabitants of modern day Andaman and Nicobar.

The tropical rain forests that loom close to the seashore are home to unique species of birds, and to tribes that still haven't learned to use fire. Andaman is an experience quite unlike another. And if you find yourself using more mosquito repellent here than ever before, you'll be using a lot more camera roll too.

DIVE SITES
Around Port Blair - The waters around Andaman have spectacular bio-diversity, and dive conditions that are ideal for an experienced diver.

- Cinque Island
- Rutland Island
- Snake Island

At Havelock Island - This Island is located approximately 4 hours from the Port Blair airport by inter-island ferry. The dive center located on the island offers a wide range of largely unexplored dive sites rich in underwater marine life.

Miscellaneous Information
The nearest decompression chamber is at the Naval Base in Port Blair. Foreigners are only allowed to visit certain islands in Middle. Little and South Andamans.

Best time of the year - Between November and May.
Climate - Tropical - between 23-28 degree Celsius.
Languages spoken - English, Hindi, Bengali and Tamil.

Lakshadweep - Be warned. There are some things that are really hard to find in Lakshadweep. Like fast cars, or shrinks, or tranquilizers. They do have all that water though. Bright and clear as liquid glass. Fringed by white stretches of sand where the only throngs you'll ever see are of the sandpipers on the shore. And you could sleep by the seaside with the night sky as your ceiling. Therapy has never felt better.

Geographically similar to that other divers' haunt, Lakshadweep is like Maldives without the crowds. 400 kilometers off the coast of Kerala, this group of 36 coral islands and atolls can be reached by a twenty-hour sea journey from Cochin. Of the ten inhabited islands, only two, Bangaram and Kadmat, are open to foreigners and there are dive centers on both these islands. The lagoons are home to a spectacular world of marine life, so unexplored; you may well have a site named after you.

DIVE SITES
Around Kadmat Island - Surrounded on the eastern and western side by the lagoon, Kadmat is the ideal haven of solitude. This little island has an astonishing variety of marine flora and fauna. Some of the dive sites explored till date are beyond any sort of written description; they are ethereal moments of pure wonder.

The Wall - A wall of soft coral starting at 12 meters and cascading down to the deep blue. Dive amongst turtles as resplendent as their surroundings.

Sting Ray City - A 21-meter dive along the sand dunes, abundant with stingrays.

Cross Currents - Located between the islands of Amini and Kadmat, drift dive along with schools of Snapper, Fusilier and Sharks at 15-21 meters.

Jack Point - A drift dive between 21-30 meters with different types of fish like Jack Fish and KingFish.

Garden of Eden - An abundance of table coral at 12-25 meters along with varieties of small fish and Groupers.

East Channel - Located between 9-20 meters an abundance of soft coral and tuna.

Around Bangaram Island - A teardrop shaped island surrounded by a continuous strip of creamy sand. The temperate blue-green waters of the Indian Ocean are an irresistible invitation to the scuba diving fraternity of the world.

The exquisite black coral formations along with AngelFish, Clown Fish, Butterfly, Surgeons, Groupers, Mantas, String Rays and wondrous marine life found in the Lakshadweep.

Visit the wreck of the Princess Royal at 32 meters, sunk in a battle over two hundred years ago, or if luck is on your side, have the pleasure of being escorted by a pod of 10-20 Dolphins...

Visit the dive sites Manta Point, Shark Point and The Wall. Dive amidst a submerged reef with shoals of Giant Parrotfish.

Miscellaneous Information
For both the dive centers, the nearest decompression chamber is a 2-hour chopper ride to the Naval Base at Cochin.

Best time of the year - Between November and May.
Climate - Tropical - between 25-28 degree Celsius.
Languages spoken - English, Malayalam, Mhal

Goa - Goa is a little bit of Rio de Janeiro meets Ibiza. But then Goa is a lot of things. This little Seaside State, with an identity that's a seamless blend of Portuguese-Latin influence and Indian tradition, was cracking enough to have been one of the Millennium destinations of the world.

The waters are safe and temperate, the absence of riptide currents making them ideal for learners and novice divers. And when you aren't wiggling in and out of your wetsuit, you could be sunbathing or bungee jumping, visiting temples or haunting the flea market. Like we said, Goa is a lot of things.

The three hundred years of Portuguese rule has left an indelible imprint on the collective psyche of Goans. It shows in their music, their architecture, and their culture. It's also why Goans make the most wonderful vindaloo this side of the Indian Ocean.

DIVE SITES
The marine life in Goa is similar to that found in Maldives. The presence of wrecks in Spanish and Portuguese galleons, World War II ships make the fish life prolific.

Grande Island - Much of the local diving is conducted around this island. Some of the sites near the island include Suzy's Wreck, Davy Jone's Locker, Sail Rock, Turbo Tunnel, Surge City, Uma Guma Reef, and Bounty Bay.

Angria Bank - A four-hour high-speed boat ride takes you to this world class dive site 120 miles from Goa. A vast underwater landmass about half the size of the state of Goa, it offers an amazing wealth of coral and fish. A 'live-aboard' is available with the local dive center to make diving at this site an unforgettable experience.

Pigeon Island - This rocky outcrop has interesting marine life as well as good visibility.

Malvan Shoal - Some interesting shallow sites in the water between Vengurla and Malvan, 2 hours away from the capital city of Panaji.

Miscellaneous Information
Decompression chamber is available about an hour away by road from any of the dive sites.
Best time of the year - Between November and May.
Climate - Tropical - between 25-28 degree Celsius.

Diving Gear is available on rent at all the above places.
 

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