Frequently Asked Questions

Answer: After completing your Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) experience, if you've been bitten by the diving bug and wish to explore further, there are several certification courses you can undertake. These courses are designed to enhance your diving skills and allow you to dive independently. Here are a few of them:

PADI Open Water Diver (OWD): This is the most basic and also the most popular scuba diving certification course. The Open Water Diver course equips you with the necessary skills and knowledge to dive independently with a buddy to a maximum depth of 18 meters/60 feet. The course typically includes knowledge development, confined water dives, and open water dives.

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (AOWD): Once you're comfortable with the OWD skills, you may wish to explore different diving activities and dive to greater depths. The AOWD course offers this opportunity. This course includes five different adventure dives, including deep and navigation dives, plus three others that you can choose based on your interests. After completion, you can dive up to a depth of 30 meters/100 feet.

PADI Rescue Diver: For divers who wish to take their skills to another level, the PADI Rescue Diver course is an excellent choice. This course teaches you how to manage more complex dive emergencies and how to perform diver assists and rescues. It's a challenging yet rewarding course that builds confidence and equips you with valuable skills.

PADI Divemaster: If you're thinking of turning your passion into a profession, then becoming a PADI Divemaster might be your next step. As a Divemaster, you'll be a leader who mentors and motivates others. You’ll gain dive knowledge, supervision abilities, and become a role model to divers around the world.

Apart from these, there are many PADI Specialty Courses you can pursue based on your interests, such as Wreck Diving, Night Diving, Underwater Photography, Enriched Air Diver (Nitrox), and many more. Each specialty allows you to focus on a particular aspect of diving and further enhance your skills and knowledge in that area.

Answer: If you are planning to visit the Andaman Islands, you must enjoy all the fun water sports that the island has to offer. There are many water sports that you can enjoy on the Andaman Islands besides scuba diving, even if you do not know how to swim. You can try sea walking and snorkelling, which are best if you do not want to go so deep into the water but do not want to miss out on exploring it either. You can also try jet skiing, parasailing, and banana boat rides while you are there.

Answer: All freediving courses are offered by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), an organisation that offers training and membership in diving. You can do certificate courses across the world, but, in India, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands offer some of the best locations for PADI freediver courses. Havelock Island with its clear and calm waters and an abundance of marine life is a popular destination for diving. Neil Island and North Bay Island are also great options for beginners, with shallow, sheltered reefs and a variety of sea creatures to observe. If you are an experienced freediver and want to do advanced or master-level PADI freediving courses, Barren Island is a great place to learn. The island with its volcanic landscape and diverse marine life, including sharks and manta rays is the best place to test your skills.

The PADI Shore Diver Course takes about two days to complete. The first day is spent in a classroom setting, where participants learn the theory of scuba diving, and the second day is spent in the water, where they will apply what they learned in the classroom.

Answer: You can book a DSD experience through a local PADI Dive Shop or Resort. Many diving centres in the Andamans offer this program, so it's worth researching online and checking reviews before making your choice.

Answer: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a slice of heaven right here on Earth. The beautiful tranquil sea and the long shorelines of powdery white beaches are a sight to behold. If you love the water, a trip to the Andamans will be your best. You can explore the Radhanagar beach, which has been crowned the 7th best beach in the world by Time magazine or glide through the mangrove alleys in Havelock Island. The biodiversity of Neil Island is famous among tourists across the world. If you miss city life, visit Port Blair for the museum walks and a trip to the famous Cellular Jail.

Answer: If you love scuba diving and are an expert swimmer, then the next step in your journey should be freediving. And what better place to learn this amazing skill than in the beautiful paradise call the Andamans? The archipelago is full of diving sites as well as diving centres. So, you’ll easily find the best place to learn scuba diving. Also, the PADI freediver course is suitable for anyone who is in good health, knows how to swim and scuba diving. While there are risks associated with freediving, the course will help you gain the knowledge and skills necessary to enjoy the activity. 

During the PADI Shore Diver Course, you will learn the basics of scuba diving, including how to use scuba equipment, how to breathe underwater, how to communicate underwater, and how to plan and execute a safe dive.

Answer: The cost of the Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) program in the Andaman Islands can vary based on the diving centre and the specific details of the program. The price generally ranges from INR 3500 to INR 5000 per person.

This cost typically includes basic scuba instruction, equipment rental, the guidance of a PADI professional, and one dive in the ocean. However, prices may have changed, and certain extras like underwater photography, transportation, food, or additional dives might incur additional costs.

Answer: Imagine this: it has just been a few weeks that you started learning how to swim and suddenly your friends decide to make a vacation plan to the Andaman Islands? If you are worried that your lack of training in swimming may hinder your scuba diving dreams, let them to rest. Even non-swimmers can scuba dive, so, you with your few skills in swimming, will definitely be able scuba dive without a question. When you go for a dive, you’ll be strapped with scuba glider and a scuba jacket; these will help you glide effortlessly under the water. You don’t need any swimming skills to make a dive, but it definitely helps to know swimming.