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In
the next few posts, I will be sharing details of my experience in the
Andaman Islands, hoping it will help you plan your trip. All events
described are from my point of view. There are other good places to
visit apart from the ones described.
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After a good night's rest, we were all super charged and looking forward to our second day at Port Blair. We went to the Rajiv Gandhi sports complex from where a ferry took us to North Island. The activities available at North Bay were - viewing corals from a glass-bottomed boat, snorkeling, sea walking and scuba diving.
In a glass-bottomed boat, 12-16 people sit in a boat with a glass bottom, hold a black plastic sheet over their heads to view the corals clearly. The glass acts as a magnifier, and you can view up to 5 ft underwater.So if you are hydrophobic, or don't want to wet your clothes, this is a decent option for you.
In Snorkeling, your head goes underwater, but there is a tube around you and a guide beside you, so it's perfectly safe. You can breath through a mouth piece connected with a tube which stays out of the water.
In Sea Walking, you are given a helmet with a transparent visor. So you won't have any breathing issues should you choose to go for this. Generally, 4-5 people are taken underwater by an experienced guide. You can walk on the ocean floor and admire the marine life from up close.
In Scuba Diving, you use an underwater breathing apparatus, which takes some time to get used to. This is the activity in which you go the deepest underwater. Even though it seems hard, you don't need to be an exceptional swimmer. There are special programs for first-timers, in which an experienced diver takes you underwater, guiding you with the help of the equipment. All you have to do is stay calm, keep breathing and enjoy the view!
I would recommend the glass-bottomed boat ride at North Bay. Since a lot of corals here were destroyed in the Tsunami, you will have a more beautiful experience with underwater activities on other islands. However, if you are nervous about Scuba Diving and aren't sure if you can go through with it, you should try it here. They first have a training session of about 10-15 minutes. After the training, if you feel you aren't comfortable, you can opt out and get a refund, which is not available on other islands. Once you've paid, you don't get a refund whether you go through with it or not.
We opted for the glass-bottomed boat and snorkeling. We were given 2 hours to spend at North Bay, which included the time of whichever activities you pay for.
We started with the boat, viewing many beautiful, living corals and a lot many hard, dead ones. Along with the corals, we saw tens and hundreds of beautiful fishes of vivid colors. Then, we were dropped off at the Island. We changed and went to enjoy our first-hand at snorkeling. The experience was very refreshing. Since the water here isn't very deep, we could see scuba divers right below us. Once again, we saw many beautiful fishes, which included star, zebra, clown and parrot.
At one point, the instructor let those of us who knew how to swim, dive underwater and touch the corals. Then we were guided back to the shore.
After the two hours, the ferry came and took us to Ross Island, the former capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where the very first settlement of the British was established. Hence, this remains a place of historical significance.
The most magnificent part of the island were the deers and peacocks. A lady named Anuradha has been on Ross island since she was three. She has named all animals on that island and speaks of them as a mother. She takes special care of a blind deer named Baba, who lost his sight due to some careless tourists a few years ago.
After an hour and a half of deer feeding and peacock watching, we heard the ferry call out to us once again and we set towards Port Blair. Before returning to our rooms, we decided to visit the Narial Bageecha beach. On reaching there, the scene was absolutely breathtaking. The water was clear, the beach somewhat sandy, and the weather extremely pleasant. There were wooden recliners along the beach to lay back and enjoy the picturesque beauty of the beach. The sweet chirping of the birds and the spashing of the waves gave such a serene environment to the place, it is indescribable in words. We played in the water, on the sand, clicked a lot of pictures and relaxed till nightfall. Then reluctantly, we came back to our rooms, excited about the next 3 days of fun waiting for us at Havelock Island.
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Disclaimer: The photos used above are taken from Google image search. The author claims no copyright on the images.
**********************************************************************************
After a good night's rest, we were all super charged and looking forward to our second day at Port Blair. We went to the Rajiv Gandhi sports complex from where a ferry took us to North Island. The activities available at North Bay were - viewing corals from a glass-bottomed boat, snorkeling, sea walking and scuba diving.
In a glass-bottomed boat, 12-16 people sit in a boat with a glass bottom, hold a black plastic sheet over their heads to view the corals clearly. The glass acts as a magnifier, and you can view up to 5 ft underwater.So if you are hydrophobic, or don't want to wet your clothes, this is a decent option for you.
In Snorkeling, your head goes underwater, but there is a tube around you and a guide beside you, so it's perfectly safe. You can breath through a mouth piece connected with a tube which stays out of the water.
In Sea Walking, you are given a helmet with a transparent visor. So you won't have any breathing issues should you choose to go for this. Generally, 4-5 people are taken underwater by an experienced guide. You can walk on the ocean floor and admire the marine life from up close.
I would recommend the glass-bottomed boat ride at North Bay. Since a lot of corals here were destroyed in the Tsunami, you will have a more beautiful experience with underwater activities on other islands. However, if you are nervous about Scuba Diving and aren't sure if you can go through with it, you should try it here. They first have a training session of about 10-15 minutes. After the training, if you feel you aren't comfortable, you can opt out and get a refund, which is not available on other islands. Once you've paid, you don't get a refund whether you go through with it or not.
We opted for the glass-bottomed boat and snorkeling. We were given 2 hours to spend at North Bay, which included the time of whichever activities you pay for.
We started with the boat, viewing many beautiful, living corals and a lot many hard, dead ones. Along with the corals, we saw tens and hundreds of beautiful fishes of vivid colors. Then, we were dropped off at the Island. We changed and went to enjoy our first-hand at snorkeling. The experience was very refreshing. Since the water here isn't very deep, we could see scuba divers right below us. Once again, we saw many beautiful fishes, which included star, zebra, clown and parrot.
At one point, the instructor let those of us who knew how to swim, dive underwater and touch the corals. Then we were guided back to the shore.
After the two hours, the ferry came and took us to Ross Island, the former capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where the very first settlement of the British was established. Hence, this remains a place of historical significance.
The most magnificent part of the island were the deers and peacocks. A lady named Anuradha has been on Ross island since she was three. She has named all animals on that island and speaks of them as a mother. She takes special care of a blind deer named Baba, who lost his sight due to some careless tourists a few years ago.
After an hour and a half of deer feeding and peacock watching, we heard the ferry call out to us once again and we set towards Port Blair. Before returning to our rooms, we decided to visit the Narial Bageecha beach. On reaching there, the scene was absolutely breathtaking. The water was clear, the beach somewhat sandy, and the weather extremely pleasant. There were wooden recliners along the beach to lay back and enjoy the picturesque beauty of the beach. The sweet chirping of the birds and the spashing of the waves gave such a serene environment to the place, it is indescribable in words. We played in the water, on the sand, clicked a lot of pictures and relaxed till nightfall. Then reluctantly, we came back to our rooms, excited about the next 3 days of fun waiting for us at Havelock Island.
**********************************************************************************
Disclaimer: The photos used above are taken from Google image search. The author claims no copyright on the images.
**********************************************************************************
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