What does the PADI Open Water course on this andaman scuba diving package involve and what does the certification allow afterwards?

The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of three components — knowledge development covering dive theory, confined water dives developing fundamental underwater skills in shallow controlled water and four open water dives in the ocean to a maximum depth of 18 metres. The course takes three to four days depending on the group’s pace and the dive conditions on each day. On completion the PADI Open Water Diver certification is issued — a permanent, worldwide qualification recognised by every dive operation on earth. The certification qualifies the diver to plan and conduct open water dives to 18 metres with a certified buddy independently. It is the entry point to all further PADI certifications including Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver and Divemaster. This andaman scuba diving package structures the course across Days 2, 3 and 4 at Havelock with Day 5 reserved for post-certification fun dives at the named Havelock dive sites.

Can someone with no swimming ability or ocean experience complete the PADI Open Water course on this package?

The PADI Open Water Diver course requires basic water competence — the ability to swim 200 metres without stopping and to float or tread water for 10 minutes. These are the PADI standard prerequisites and they exist because scuba diving in open water requires basic comfort in a water environment as a safety baseline. Strong swimming ability is not required — the 200-metre swim is a comfort test not a speed test and any stroke is acceptable. Non-swimmers who cannot meet this baseline should complete basic swimming lessons before attempting this andaman scuba diving package. Beyond swimming, the course requires no prior ocean experience — the confined water session on Day 2 is specifically designed for participants who have never been underwater with scuba equipment before. The instructor conducts a skills assessment at the start of the confined water session and the course proceeds at the group’s actual comfort level.

What does the PADI course cost on top of this package price and what does the total trip budget look like?

The base price of this andaman scuba diving package covers accommodation, meals, vehicle transfers, ferry tickets and entry permits — it does not include the PADI Open Water course fees or any dive charges. PADI Open Water course fees at Havelock dive operators typically range from approximately ₹18,000 to ₹25,000 per person depending on the operator and whether dive equipment rental is included or charged separately. Day 5 fun dive charges for two dives at a named site typically range from approximately ₹3,500 to ₹5,000 per person per dive. Equipment rental for mask, fins, BCD, regulator and wetsuit if not included in the course fee is an additional daily charge. The Bon team can recommend registered PADI dive operators at Havelock at the time of booking so the group can confirm course fees and equipment charges directly before travel. The total trip budget for this andaman scuba diving package is the base package price plus the separately confirmed dive charges.

Why is Andaman specifically a good place to get a PADI Open Water certification rather than closer to home in a pool or cold-water site?

The PADI Open Water certification requires four open water dives — the quality of those dives, and the reef they cover, becomes the reference point for everything that follows in a diving life. Completing the certification in a cold-water quarry or a visibility-limited coastal site produces a certified diver whose foundational dive experience is grey water and limited marine life. Completing the same certification at Havelock in the Andaman Sea produces a certified diver whose baseline is coral at 15 metres, barracuda schools at mid-water and sea turtles on the sandy bottom between formations. The certification is identical in both cases. The diver is not. The Andaman Islands also offer good conditions across the October to May window, experienced PADI instructors with genuine knowledge of the local sites and the combination of a scuba certification and a beach holiday in the same trip that this andaman scuba diving package delivers — which no cold-water quarry has yet managed to offer.

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6 Day Plunge Andaman Scuba Diving Package | Vivid

Andaman & Nicobar Island

Overview

Overview for Andaman Scuba Diving Package

The Andaman Islands hold some of the finest accessible scuba diving in Asia — reef walls, coral gardens, schools of barracuda at depth, sea turtles on the sandy bottom between dive sites and pelagic fish in the open water passages between the islands. Havelock Island is the centre of the diving scene — the island has PADI-certified dive operators, a range of dive sites from beginner to advanced level and the water visibility in the October to May season that makes an andaman scuba diving package worth planning a trip specifically around. The PADI Open Water Diver course at Havelock takes three to four days in the water — theory, confined water skills and four open water dives to a maximum depth of 18 metres. At the end of it the certification is worldwide, permanent and recognised by every dive operator on earth. Getting your Open Water certification in the Andaman Islands rather than in a pool or a cold-water quarry elsewhere in the world is a specific kind of decision — the reef where you learn to dive is also the reef you actually want to be diving.

Bon Voyagers manages the complete ground programme from Port Blair Airport arrival for this andaman scuba diving package. Day 1 covers Port Blair and the Cellular Jail. Day 2 takes the ferry to Havelock for the course theory and confined water session. Days 3 and 4 complete the PADI Open Water course across the open water dives. Day 5 is the post-certification fun dives at Havelock’s named dive sites. Day 6 crosses to Neil Island for a final reef snorkelling session before the return to Port Blair and the departure. Private AC vehicle covers all island transfers. Ferry tickets in economy class are included. PADI course fees and all dive charges are paid separately to the registered dive operator — these are not included in the base package price. Daily breakfast and dinner on MAP basis throughout.

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Detailed Itinerary for Andaman Scuba Diving Package

Day 1 • Arrival at Port Blair and Cellular Jail: andaman scuba diving package

The andaman scuba diving package begins at Port Blair Airport where the Bon Voyagers representative meets the group on arrival. The first afternoon is the Cellular Jail — the colonial prison built between 1896 and 1906 across seven radiating wings where political prisoners from across India were held during the British period. The evening light and sound show runs approximately 45 minutes in the jail courtyard after dark. The group needs an early night — Day 2 takes the morning ferry to Havelock and the first session of the PADI Open Water course begins in the afternoon. The dive operator briefing on Day 2 includes a medical questionnaire that all course participants must complete before the confined water session begins. Any participant with a medical condition that may affect diving should consult a doctor before travel and before this andaman scuba diving package begins. Overnight in Port Blair.

Day 2 • Port Blair to Havelock and PADI Course Theory and Confined Water: andaman scuba diving package

The private ferry from Port Blair to Havelock departs Phoenix Bay Jetty and covers approximately 57 kilometres in around 1.5 to 2.5 hours. The PADI Open Water course for this andaman scuba diving package begins on the Havelock afternoon — the knowledge development component covers scuba equipment, dive planning, underwater physics and dive safety through instructor-led theory or PADI eLearning completed before travel. The confined water session follows in the sheltered shallow water near the dive centre — five fundamental skill sets including regulator recovery, mask clearing, buoyancy control and out-of-air procedures practised in water shallow enough to stand in. The confined water session typically takes 2 to 3 hours. The purpose of confined water is to build the muscle memory for the skills before the open water environment adds depth, current and the full reef experience. Overnight at Havelock.

Day 3 • PADI Open Water Dives 1 and 2: andaman scuba diving package

Day 3 of this andaman scuba diving package is the first open water dives — the transition from the controlled environment of the confined water session to the actual reef. Open water dive 1 is typically at a shallow, calm site — Elephant Beach on Havelock’s northern side is the standard choice for the first open water dive, the coral formations visible at 5 to 8 metres in clear water with the instructor maintaining contact throughout. Open water dive 2 follows after a surface interval — slightly deeper, the buoyancy skills from confined water now applied against an actual reef rather than a pool floor. The descent, the neutrally buoyant hover above the coral, the sensation of breathing underwater on scuba in the Andaman Sea with the reef moving past at fin speed — this is what the andaman scuba diving package exists to deliver and it begins here. The afternoon is rest and dive log review with the instructor. Overnight at Havelock.

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Day 4 • PADI Open Water Dives 3 and 4 and Certification: andaman scuba diving package

Open water dives 3 and 4 complete the PADI Open Water Diver course for this andaman scuba diving package. Dive 3 consolidates the skills from dives 1 and 2 at greater depth — up to the 18-metre maximum of the Open Water certification — and dive 4 is the final assessment dive where the instructor signs off the performance of the core skills independently. On completion of dive 4 the PADI Open Water Diver certification is issued — a worldwide, permanent certification recognised by every PADI and non-PADI affiliated dive operator on earth. The certification allows independent diving to 18 metres with a certified buddy anywhere in the world. The afternoon after certification is free — most newly certified divers spend it at Radhanagar Beach processing what the previous three days have produced. The dive log from these four dives is the beginning of a record that will follow the diver for the rest of their diving life. Overnight at Havelock.

Day 5 • Post-Certification Fun Dives at Havelock Dive Sites: andaman scuba diving package

Day 5 of this andaman scuba diving package is the first day of diving as a certified diver rather than a student — a distinction that changes the experience in ways that are difficult to anticipate in advance. The morning fun dives are at Havelock’s named sites — Barracuda City and Lighthouse are the standard choices for newly certified divers. Barracuda City lives up to its name in the right conditions — schools of chevron barracuda moving at mid-water, the silver mass of them shifting direction as a unit above the reef. Lighthouse is a coral garden site with high fish diversity — angelfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish, the occasional turtle on the sandy stretches between formations. Charges for the Day 5 fun dives are paid directly to the dive operator on the day. The afternoon is Radhanagar Beach — the long arc of white sand that the andaman scuba diving package has been working around for four days and which earns the afternoon completely. Overnight at Havelock.

The ferry from Havelock to Neil Island on the final morning of this andaman scuba diving package takes approximately 30 to 60 minutes. Neil Island’s reef sections are shallower than the Havelock dive sites and more accessible for snorkelling — the newly certified diver on Day 6 sees the reef from a different perspective than the one they spent three days diving through, which is an instructive comparison. Snorkelling equipment hire is available from local operators at charges paid locally. The natural bridge at Laxmanpur Beach on Neil’s western side is worth the afternoon hour before the Neil to Port Blair ferry. The return ferry to Port Blair takes approximately 1 to 2 hours. The Bon Voyagers vehicle meets the group at Phoenix Bay Jetty and drops at Port Blair Airport. The andaman scuba diving package ends with a certified diver where five days ago there was none.

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6 Day Plunge Andaman Scuba Diving Package | Vivid

Overview for Andaman Scuba Diving Package

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6 Day Plunge Andaman Scuba Diving Package | Vivid

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Overview for Andaman Scuba Diving Package

Journey Route Map for Andaman Scuba Diving Package

Port Blair

Havelock Island

Neil Island

Port Blair

Detailed Itinerary for Andaman Scuba Diving Package

Day 1 • Arrival at Port Blair and Cellular Jail: andaman scuba diving package

Day 2 • Port Blair to Havelock and PADI Course Theory and Confined Water: andaman scuba diving package

Day 3 • PADI Open Water Dives 1 and 2: andaman scuba diving package

Day 4 • PADI Open Water Dives 3 and 4 and Certification: andaman scuba diving package

Day 5 • Post-Certification Fun Dives at Havelock Dive Sites: andaman scuba diving package

What’s Included & Excluded for Andaman Scuba Diving Package

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Frequently Asked Questions About 6 Day Plunge Andaman Scuba Diving Package | Vivid

What does the PADI Open Water course on this andaman scuba diving package involve and what does the certification allow afterwards?

What are the Havelock dive sites like and which are appropriate for newly certified Open Water divers?

Can someone with no swimming ability or ocean experience complete the PADI Open Water course on this package?

What does the PADI course cost on top of this package price and what does the total trip budget look like?

Why is Andaman specifically a good place to get a PADI Open Water certification rather than closer to home in a pool or cold-water site?

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Day 6 • Neil Island Reef Snorkelling and Port Blair Departure: andaman scuba diving package