The Ultimate Guide to Scuba Diving in Neil Island (2024)

Can you imagine clear, warm waters, abundant and unique marine life, and a great diving company? It seems like a dream destination for scuba diving or snorkelling, correct? This is precisely what scuba diving in Neil Island offers.

The last time I visited the Andaman Islands, I spent a week scuba diving at Havelock and Neil Islands. This was an incredible scuba diving holiday I could have asked for. In this post, you will find what to expect when scuba diving in Neil Island.

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Short on time? Here are Andaman and Nicobar Islands Travel Resources
For the Best Hotel Deals in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, use Booking.com or Goibibo
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For comprehensive travel insurance, use SafetyWing or WorldNomads

Travel Blogs:
One Week in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Travel Guide to Havelock Island
Scuba Diving in Havelock Island
Travel Guide to Neil Island
Scuba Diving in Neil Island
Plan Your Visit to Chidiya Tapu
One-Day Trip to Baratang Island
One-Day Trip to Ross Island from Port Blair
Never Forgotten Tales of Cellular Jail
One-Day Trip to Jolly Buoy Island from Port Blair
Reasons To Skip North Bay Island

About Neil Island

Nestled in the Bay of Bengal and part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India, Neil Island has the perfect condition for an enjoyable diving experience. The ocean of Neil Island provides ample opportunity for underwater photographs. The visibility is around 10 to 15 meters on a not-so-good day and is about 20 to 25 meters on a fantastic day. This is way better than most parts of the world for diving.

Best Dive Centre in Neil Island

One of the must-do things while on Neil Island is scuba diving. There are around 10 to 12 dive centres on Neil Island, but based on reviews and my research, I found India Scuba Explorers to be the best.

Johann and Samantha founded India Scuba Explorers in 2007. This dive centre is Neil Island’s first PADI dive site. They have diving solutions for all kinds of divers, including beginners and the more experienced ones, and are the best for scuba diving on Neil Island.

India Scuba Explorers Contact Details

• Website: India Scuba Explorers
• Address: Beach No.1, near Tango Beach Resort Neil Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744104
• Phone Number: +91 99332 71450
• Email Address: info@indiascubaexplorers.com

My Honest Reviews of the Dive Centre

I did two recreational dives with India Scuba Explorers and loved diving with them. The dive centre comprises an awesome bunch of people running a fantastic diving centre. The staff were very professional and knew their stuff.

The dive centre’s equipment is excellent. I had no issues with the equipment I used for both my dives. I generally have problems with the mask when diving at other places, but here, I did not have a single problem with it underwater; it was that good.

The dive sites we visited were unique and clear. One was new, where people had hardly descended, so it had abundant and unexplored marine life.

Scuba Diving in Neil Island

So far, Scuba diving in Neil Island has been one of my best diving experiences. With colourful and abundant marine life, diving here seems like a diver’s paradise. I dived at two different dive sites, and both were stunning.

Dive Sites

Angry Jo

One thing that is super cool about India Scuba Explorers dive centre is that they have their own scuba diving site. Yes, this is the first time I have heard of a dive centre exploring by itself and discovering a breathtaking scuba diving site. They have named the site after their founder, Johann, but with an angry emotion. Don’t worry! He is not angry all the time, as the name suggests. He is pretty cool to talk to and listen to the stories of the island.

The dive site is about 20 to 30 minutes from the shore. The skippers of their boat know the location better than the GPS. The dive site starts at 21 metres and goes up to 28 to 29 metres. It is an untouched site with absolutely stunning reefs and marine life. I had never dived to a depth of 28 metres; this was my first time. My dive buddy Navneet was extremely patient with me while descending and always looked out for me during the dives. I saw various marine life, including a Grouper and a Blue Spotted Sting Ray.

Bus Stop

I believe the dive site is named after the sweet-lip fish found underwater. They look like they are waiting for buses at a bus stop, which I found cute!

By now, I had gotten used to being in clear, warm water, and this dive site did not disappoint me either. It was not as deep as the first site, Angry Jo. I had two dive buddies, Johann and Dominic. Johann led the dive. We dived to a maximum of 20 metres.

This site did not disappoint me with its diverse marine life. I spotted an Octopus, a Jenkins Whip Ray, a spotted Sting Ray, a Turtle, and a Nudi Branch—I have never seen so many of them in a dive. I was thrilled after this dive and recommend diving at this site when on Neil Island.

Marine Life

As I mentioned in bits and pieces above, the marine life in Neil Island was one of the best I have seen. There is a vast variety of marine life, and each variety is numerous. Within just two fun dives, I spotted many different fish.

The most common fishes are the Barracudas, Tunas, and Snappers. The island is also famous for Dugongs. When you are lucky, you can also see Mantas while diving.

Closing Notes

I am blessed to have dived at Neil Island with India Scuba Explorers. The sites have been among the best I have ever dived in, and I will revisit them when I get a chance to explore more dive sites. When you are on Neil Island, I recommend diving with India Scuba Divers, as they are professional, and safety comes first for them.

Note: This post was written in collaboration with the India Scuba Explorers Dive Centre. But the views and the opinions expressed are honest and are my views.

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