Scuba & Snorkelling
Adventure
Havelock, Netrani and Grande Island — the three places in India with visibility worth the flight.
9 places
Agatti Island
Agatti Lagoon
A shallow turquoise lagoon for snorkelling and kayaking.
Elephant Beach (Havelock)
Elephant Beach Reef
A shallow reef a few metres out from the sand, which is why every boat from Havelock comes here. Gear is hired on the beach. Take the first boat, before the water is stirred up.
Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep)
Elephant Beach
A reef-fringed beach popular for snorkelling, scuba diving and water sports.
Tarkarli (Malvan)
Sindhudurg Fort
A colossal 17th-century island maritime fortress featuring massive stone walls built directly on a sea reef outcrop, accessible via ferry.
Lakshadweep
Agatti Island
The gateway to Lakshadweep with its own airport, Agatti is ringed by a vivid turquoise lagoon and coral reefs, with snorkelling, diving and lagoon kayaking run from the island. The best months to visit are roughly November to February, when seas are calm and skies are clear; the monsoon (June to September) brings rough water and many beach shacks shut. Plan water sports and swimming for the dry winter window.
Maharashtra
Devbagh & Tarkarli Sangam
Near Malvan, the Devbagh sandbar where the Karli River meets the sea has scuba diving, dolphin trips and the clearest water on the Konkan. The best months to visit are roughly November to February, when seas are calm and skies are clear; the monsoon (June to September) brings rough water and many beach shacks shut. Plan water sports and swimming for the dry winter window.
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Elephant Beach (Havelock)
Reached by boat or a jungle trail on Swaraj Dweep, Elephant Beach is the Andamans' top spot for snorkelling, scuba diving and shallow-water coral. The best months to visit are roughly November to February, when seas are calm and skies are clear; the monsoon (June to September) brings rough water and many beach shacks shut. Plan water sports and swimming for the dry winter window.
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Havelock Island (Swaraj Dweep)
Havelock Island, officially Swaraj Dweep, is the most popular island in the Andamans. Radhanagar Beach is the reason most people come — powdery white sand, and the sunsets it is known for — and there is serious scuba diving off the island as well. Turquoise water, coral reefs, kayaking through the mangroves and unhurried beach shacks fill out the rest of it. Elephant Beach is where the diving and snorkelling are done. Honeymooners, divers and backpackers all come for it.
Maharashtra
Tarkarli (Malvan)
Tarkarli is in the Malvan region of Sindhudurg district near the Goa border, roughly 500 km south of Mumbai. The beach lies right where the Karli River backwaters meet the open Arabian Sea, with dense betel nut and coconut palm plantations behind it. The water here is the clearest in Maharashtra — on a calm day you can see 20 feet down — which is why the state's scuba diving and snorkelling is centred on this stretch. There are coral reefs and plenty of marine life on them, and MTDC runs luxury houseboats on the backwaters.
