[Maverick79]

Was planning for a Tarkarli dive. But, found the water was very much murky and visibilty was really poor in the 3rd week of Jan.
Any updates on the condition now?

[normally_crazy]

Just for your info guys - a T-BHP, Nitin Bhag, has launched a scuba diving certification and liesure diving trips

[Thamizha]

Looks interesting. Do anyone knows places which organize scuba diving in the coast of Tamilnadu/Chennai

[Maverick79]

I need to get my Open water Diver course certification. Hence looking for one such facility in and around Chennai.
Found one called Temple Adventures @ Pondicherry. They are charging too much compared to Lacadives, which unfortunately is not there in Chennai.

Also, looking for a Shorty Wet Suite. Pls guide where to buy in Chennai.

Thanks in advance,

Regards,
Maverick79.

[Maverick79]

Originally Posted by Maverick79

I need to get my Open water Diver course certification. Hence looking for one such facility in and around Chennai.
Found one called Temple Adventures @ Pondicherry. They are charging too much compared to Lacadives, which unfortunately is not there in Chennai.

Also, looking for a Shorty Wet Suite. Pls guide where to buy in Chennai.

Thanks in advance,

Regards,
Maverick79.

Finally, completed my Open Water Diver Certification in Netrani on 19th and 20th this month. Drove from Chennai to Blgr to catch a bus to Bhatkal and then to a hotel in Murudeshwar. Did 2+2 dives in two days and was back to office on 21st in second half.
Now waiting for the permanent License.

Came to know the waters became very choppy in Goa. Hence the Instructor Mr. Anindya Mukherjee from Dive Goa, insisted us to come to Netrani.
I was really a beautiful site. One has to see to feel and believe it.
The visibility was close to 15mtrs.
But, the sea was about to get rough and choppy.


Regards,
Maverick79

[slicvic]

What about the people requiring glasses? can the spectacles be worn inside the face mask?

[prashant_dv]

Originally Posted by slicvic

What about the people requiring glasses? can the spectacles be worn inside the face mask?

Hi Slicvic,

though i have never performed scuba diving, i have snorkelled a bit and i do use spectacles.

No, it is quite impossible to use the specs with the mask since the legs would expose the sides and water will get into your mask, you might have to consider the use of Contact Lenses for this purpose.

Regards,
Prashant D

[ashlyak]

Hello All,

Well, i know, i am late and most of the updates/info are already added my different people

Just adding my experience, in case, if any one is looking for info in the coming days

I got my basic as well as advanced from Bogmalo Beach, Goa (http://www.goadiving.com/)

This place is nice. I had to stay for 6 days to complete my course, and you know, staying in Goa is a costly stuff. You will find places starting from Rs750/0 to 1000/0 per day, neat (yes neat) places in this beach.

every morning 7 AM to 11 or 12 will be the sessions. (including boar travel to location brakes in between etc) rest of the time, you can see the places around. Since Bogmalo Beach some where in the (somewhat) central part of Goa, you can visit both north and south Goa during ur free time.

Knowing swimming and able to swimming 200 mt non stop, without any aid, is MUST for the certification.

There will be class room sessions and pool training.

Kindly note that, DO NOT take short cuts to pass this certification. It might cost you your life.

Learning the theory is very easy, only thing is do not skip anything.

Bogmalo Beach is a nice location, since most of the diving locations in Goa are near to this. If you select other places, you will have to spend some time on boat travel.

[acurafan]

Resurrecting a dead post. In India, there are three major places to dive Goa/Nethrani, Lakshyadeep and Andamans. Andamans is by far the best diving.
In Goa, Ajey runs Dive Goa, Anindya runs Goa Aquatics and Venkat runs Barracuda. All of them are very good and very good instructors. Rawat runs Dreamz Diving and Nethrani is his home ground.
For Bangalore folks Nethrani is actually a very good dive spot. It has decent visibility, in winter it can be more than 40 ft. It has hard corals but lot of fish. During the boat ride from Murudeswar you can sometimes see dolphins and Orca.
Andaman has Barefoot Diving out of Havelock Island which is quite good. Anindya from Goa Aquatics moonlights in Andaman a large part of the year at Pearl Dive resorts.

Regarding Scuba skills, as it has been pointed out it all depends on how comfortable you are in water. When I got my certification in University, there were very strict requirements enforced. Swim 200 meters in less than 6 minutes and then tread water for 8 minutes. After that we were asked to pick up a weight from underwater in one attempt. The total certification took 4 weeks and for every session we had lot of practice. This is typically not the case for most certifications as it becomes very expensive for the dive operator.

Next the question is what should one own. I am very near sighted, so I need a prescription mask. Also masks are fitted, so it is very difficult to pick up a rental mask and be comfortable. Fins and Snorkels are good buys as one can use all three for snorkelling in most tropical locations. Fins come in two varieties, open heel and closed heel. It is better to buy open heel as one can wear booties if it slightly colder water.
One thing I made sure I bought first was wetsuit because of the reason that wil gross out most of you. Most rentals wetsuits are pee-ed upon. As you can can imagine it is not that easy to take of the suit as you are in water for most part of the day and constantly hydrating in a hot day. Wetsuits come in different neoprene thickness. Fr tropical diving 3mm is good enough, for cold water I use 7mm which probably can stop bullets and for very cold water I use Drysuit with inner jumpsuit and Argon.

The second round of purchases are more clothing such as Gloves, Booties and Hood. Gloves are not so essential as most tropical places don't allow gloves as it stops divers from touching the corals. Hood is some time needed when one dives multiple dives in a day. Most I ever dove was 7 dives in a day.

Next comes the breathing apparatus, buoyancy compensating devices, diving computers and tanks. After that comes Photographic equipments. So end of the day you can see that diving is a very expensive hobby and one needs to dive quite frequently to make use of all these equipments. Though when one dives some of the most amazing places such as Great Barrier Reef, Rainbow Reef in Fiji, California Coast, Muck Diving in Malayasia, Weird creature diving in Indonesia and Philipines it is all worth it.

[nanduchitnis]

Originally Posted by BikerSG

i have dived in maldives, andamans, goa and the great barrier reef.

the best diving for me has been the andamans. by far the best in terms of variety of flora and fauna and sheer abundance of it.

the most memorable though was observing a turtle from 5 feet away for a whole 5 minutes in the maldives.

Where in Andamans? Resort? Costs?

[Automaton]

I've done my SSI open water certification 4 years ago at Dive India. They also offer PADI and NAUI.

They have a website and also an active Facebook page.

Very friendly instructors from India and around the world. Affordable stay and great food at the Full Moon Cafe was all inclusive. You can ask for updated packages and rates.

In fact residents of other resorts used to come over for dinner at our beachside resort.

The package was stress free. Pick up at Port Blair Airport, transfer to AC ferry to Havelock, transfer to Beach resort and same for return. Didn't have to ask or haggle for anything. Stayed in tented cabanas.

We were trained max 3-4 per instructor. Equipment was good and checked, we were given thorough theoretical and practical training. We paid Rs 26000 pp for 7 nights and 8 days, incl new year surcharge, incl all food, equipment, dive, course fees, etc.

Mumbai-Port Blair return flights were extra.

Have dived in Thailand and Malaysia after that. Thoroughly enjoyed each experience.

Regarding equipment, take it one step at a time.

Mask is the most important, as a good fitting one can literally be a life saver.

Since I don't get to dive more than once a year max, I don't think investing and maintaining expensive scuba equipment, carrying the heavy stuff over long Indian and international distances is worth it. Would rather keep space for shopping

So I would suggest you buy if you:

A) Like the experience. Sights can be Jaw Dropping, but may not work out for some due to various factors. So don't be in a hurry.

B) Can dive often

C) Have the storage space and time to maintain the stuff. The plastic and silicone stays best when in regular use, it may harden if not stored properly.

D) Instructors will ask you to get used to peeing in the suits, especially if you are going for longer ranges. The sea is full of salty muck, accumulated over millions of years. Unlike a fish tank no one cleans it periodically. And invariably you will swallow some water so don't worry. The total amount of diver pee, Jacques Cousteau onwards is a drop in the ocean ha ha.

All dive centers rinse the suits before and after each dive with fresh water.

Regarding glasses, water refracts, so for low numbers it's not a problem at all. So you can ask and take a call regarding contacts (wouldn't advise wearing the, you can't poke a finger in the mask at 18m below to 'adjust' the lens) or the mega step of getting the mask powered, if you know that you will be diving often.


In Mumbai, next to Four Seasons is Orca Dive Centre. They first train you in a pool with the basics and then take you to a destination of your choice/budget.

All the best with the exploration of the underworld.

[nanduchitnis]

Originally Posted by Automaton

I've done my SSI open water certification 4 years ago at Dive India. They also offer PADI and NAUI.


Have dived in Thailand and Malaysia after that. Thoroughly enjoyed each experience.

Regarding equipment, take it one step at a time.


All dive centers rinse the suits before and after each dive with fresh water.


All the best with the exploration of the underworld.

Am looking to do SSI with Dive India.

Regarding Thailand and Malysia can you give me the details of resorts, costs, visibilty, uw photography?

Rgds

[Automaton]

If you are on a tight budget, I would suggest Dive India. They have everything you would need, instructors, equipment, stay, transfers and food at a reasonable cost.

Barefoot is also a great place. A notch above the rest of the dive schools in the area.

The reason I say tight budget, is because on Havelock island, apart from renting a bike and buying coconut water you can't spend on anything, even if you wanted to.

Which may not be the case with the other countries. Both Thailand and Malaysia are very close to Andaman Sea so the flora and fauna is similar. Visibility is as good in Andamans as it is in the other places. In the diving world, Andamans is still considered virgin territory and people come from all over to explore the new underwater sights.

The Malaysian part of Borneo island, Sabah state (Sipadan/Kota Kinabalu) is slightly different. And would be good for advanced /practiced divers.
These places also have a lot of divers from Australia and other countries who are good divers and are far more comfortable with the sea and water based sports.

Even though we live in coastal cities, we are not used to the swimming in our dirty seas. So have noticed slightly less patience from the dive masters and instructors abroad, because Indians are not natural swimmers or sporty people. We are all at sea? Couldn't resist that.

After you gain your Open Water Certificate and gain some confidence, you can plan dives in SL, Thailand, Malaysia and so on.

The first 2-3 dives you may not register much, and only when you start mastering breathing, movement, buoyancy control and so on will you be able to really enjoy the sights and the sound of your breathing

Regarding underwater photography, leave it for dive number 6 or later, all scuba schools have cameras and equipment for hire.
You can ask them to carry something to click a memorable video or picture after you have got your Open Water certification. Focus on staying alive and mastering all the relevant rules first, the pictures can always come.

Lakhshadweep and Andamans are world class sites unless you have to have a 'foreign' dive holiday.

[mpksuhas]

^^ To add to Automaton's post. If you are planning of going to Andaman's for dive, do make it a point to dive at Havlock islands (and not Portblair). Though I have not dived in Portblair my PADI instructor had mentioned about water too muddy there.

[KSM-Vtec]

Hi Tbhpians!!! its great to know (surly not surprising, all of us are adventurous in out own ways) that we have a few members with this interest also on our forum.

Just FYI we have started a Facebook Group - Scuba Divers Club - India (SDCI) to nurture and grow this culture in India. We intend to plan scuba trips and discuss personal experiences on this FB page. (this is not a commercial venture)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/176593139211101/

We already have experienced/certified scuba divers from India on this group and also aspiring divers who are motivated and intend to be a part of the magical underwater world.

You are most welcome to PM me or directly join this page on FB.

Rgds
Kaushik Manghani