Frequently Asked Questions

One must be at least 10 years old to earn a Junior Open Water Diver Certification. 10 and 11-year-old Junior Open Water Divers are required to dive with a certified parent, guardian, or PADI Professional. The maximum depth that they can go to is 12 meters/40 feet. 12 to 14-year-olds must dive with a certified adult. The junior certification upgrades to a regular Open Water Diver certification at age 15.

Answer: Dixon’s Pinnacles is located close to Havelock Island and the island is nothing else than a paradise. At Havelock, you can enjoy diving at so many other diving sites other than Dixon’s Pinnacles. If you want to explore kinds of water sports like sea walking and snorkelling, you should visit Elephant beach. You may also be able to experience jet skiing and parasailing there. Radhanagar beach is well known throughout the world as one of the best beaches in Asia. If you want to explore the Nemo Reef, go to Govindnagar beach. Neil Island is also close by as are many other small islands where you can get away from the crowd.

Answer: There are a number of diving spots in Port Blair, let alone in the Andamans. However, we recommend you go for your scuba diving experience in Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park because of its uniqueness. The park covers over 280 square kilometers of the area made from 17 islands and open sea creeks running across the region.

The park is popular for its rich array of coral reefs as well as its marine life. Besides, one can even spot water snakes, saltwater crocodiles, shells, and sea anemones. Needless to say, the national park has splendid life on land besides underwater. This means that when you come here for scuba diving, you can also enjoy birdwatching and walking through the forest area. When it comes to any other diving spot, all there is to see is marine life.

The Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park is home to a wide variety of birds such as sifts, waders, terns, herons, Andaman teals, parakeets, and white-bellied sea eagles. In fact, there are over 271 kinds of species of birds that live in the landscape of the park. Further, the rich fauna and flora of the place makes it ideal for those who love nature.

The park region consists of a wide stretch of exquisite blue waters, glistening sandy beaches, tall magroves, enchanting coral reefs, and bushy vegetated island. The crystal blue water and sandy beaches provide outstanding recreational amenities.

Kids who enroll in the PADI Seal Team program will learn the basics of scuba diving, including how to use scuba diving equipment, how to breathe underwater, and how to communicate underwater. They will also learn about the marine environment and how to conserve it.

It’s quite easy to find the best gear for yourself. The dive professionals at PADI dive shops will help you in finding scuba gear that matches your preferences, fit, and budget perfectly.

Answer: The diving spot at Dixon’s Pinnacle is around 19 km away from Havelock Island. Your diving centre will offer a boat ride, but it may take you around 30-40 minutes to reach the spot. Before that, you’d have to reach Havelock Island. The island, unfortunately, does not have any airport, so you’d have to take a ferry from Port Blair, the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Public ferries are available from the government-run jetty at Port Blair. It will take you around 2-3 hours to reach Havelock Island.

Answer: While you dive underwater in Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park, you will get to see a great variety of marine life. From a wide range of corals to several species of fish, the beauty of the world underwater will amaze you. During your dive, you will witness schools of angelfish, butterflyfish, parrot shark, whitetip shark, surgeonfish, and clownfish. Moreover, you will spot corals like Leptoseris, Acropora, Pocillopora, and Fungia

The PADI Seal Team program is a two-day program that includes five pool sessions and a fun day of diving. Each pool session lasts for about 90 minutes.

One should have a basic level of swimming ability and skills. You should be able to maintain yourself in the water. To assess this, your instructor will ask you to do the following:

• Swim 200 metres/yards (or 300 metres/yards in mask, fins, and snorkel). You are free to use any swimming strokes you wish. Also, there is no time limit. 
• Using any method you want, float and tread water for 10 minutes.

If you meet the performance requirements of the course, then you are qualified for certification.

Answer: If you have any respiratory issues, you’d have to first consult your doctor to be clear about your ability to dive. Scuba diving requires you to have the capacity to control your breathing, which becomes difficult if you have respiratory issues, especially, if the dive is as deep as Dixon’s Pinnacles. You should also consult a doctor if you have heart issues before you go for a dive.