For any beach loving person, Andaman Islands is a name on the bucket list you just have to cross off and even more when you’re based out of Chennai from where the islands are most accessible by air. So done and dusted with my MBA, I had way too much free time on my hands and a trip to Andaman and Nicobar was just what I needed!
An ad-hoc trip of sorts, we made our way to Port Blair in the middle of April. Though much more famous as a honeymoon destination, Andaman has enough and more to offer to a group of friends looking to have a good time.
On reaching Port Blair, we wasted no time in getting from the airport to the point where you get the ferry to the Havelock Islands, we had our goal pretty much set. A journey of 3 hours in the boat with a view to die for all through the way. Clear waters spread across like a never ending oasis all around as far as your eyes can see in mesmerising hues of blue.
On reaching Havelock, we sourced bikes to roam around the town and looked around the nearby markets just to get the lay of the land. One thing to note in Andaman is that the sun goes down really quick and the entire city shuts down by 8 PM and none open till 10 AM the next day morning. You just need to spend an evening in Andaman to totally get why people in the far east in India fight for different time zones. You can see just how badly working in a GMT+ 05:30 reduces productivity in places like Havelock as much of the sunlight during the day is lost by the time the markets open at 10 AM.
Scuba Diving: First Glimpses
Moving on, we were all excited for the Scuba Diving part and opened our eyes in the first light that came in the morning to rush to the spot and get ready for an experience that we have all heard of is life changing. We reach the travel company through which we were planning to go on an assisted dive. We are asked to quickly get into this shady hut and change into the wetsuits they had kept aside before jumping into the water.
No, much to many dismay, our trainer was no Katrina Kaif who takes a vacation every year to train people in Scuba. Our trainers were extremely professional and were clear that the safety and protection of marine life were most crucial.
Training before Scuba Diving
The trainers did a fine job of teaching you how to wear the mask, using the oxygen tank, how to breathe into your nose, how to keep flashing the okay symbol, how the thumbs up symbol mean to bring me up I am drowning and all the basic stuff. The trick as you go lower and lower underwater is to ensure your body adjusts to the altitude drop by breathing out through your ears, popping ever so often to ensure you are comfortable throughout. For your own sake, it is good to pay attention to the instructions as they definitely do ensure a seamless experience.
Scuba Diving
We were gradually taken deeper and deeper inside and with it every man-made noise dimmed lower and lower and suddenly we found ourselves completely cut off like you just plugged in a BOSE Quiet Comfort headphones. It was weird at first, the unusual quiet, surrounding you completely, leaving you with nothing but the sound of the bubbles your breath is making each time you inhale or exhale.
To be very honest, I was mortally afraid before going down below. On land, I am the person who is petrified of all animals except most human beings, so you can imagine what the thought of swimming among fish could do to a person like me. But all those inhibitions just fade away to
Scuba Diving: The First Touch
As we were on our way down, there were not much fish in sight, we could only see the beginning of the corals. I slowly brought myself to touch the corals, they were rough like rubbing sandpaper against a stone, a sort of an unfriendly touch, like it was not meant for mankind to touch them. They were not sharp, just gave a funny sensation when you touch them
Scuba Diving: A colorful Visual Treat
And as we went lower below the corals, the bright colors of different schools of fish shined bright across the clear waters. They were suddenly everywhere, vivid colors, voracious patterns, umpteen sizes, and shapes. Name an RGB and you would have found a fish with a minute pattern in that hue on its fins. It was like an all different universe, a bustling paradise with no honking cars. They moved around like they had a purpose and flocked left to right and right to left. There were plain ones, black from top to bottom with nothing more than scary brown eyes making their way among the other smaller fish like royalty and there were those cute little Nemo fishes with bright patterns and eyes that shined like jewels in varied colors.
There was still no sound to be heard apart from our own breathing, and the visual treat was all consuming. I moved my head left, right, below, above wherever I could glance a glimpse of these species frolicking around like we did not even exist there. There was unseen of plants all around these corals, ones that bloomed at your touch and others that closed down as you went nearer. There were different sea animals all around this vegetation like a different breed of mankind with just about varied characteristics as humans. You could spot the friendly ones, the bullies, the bullied, the young, the old, it was a civilization in itself.
As we went lower the urge to live there among this new found civilization grew stronger. It was like time had stopped still and we took it all in as much as possible.
Alas, reality stepped in and our guides pulled us up when the time was up. As we came back to our world, the simple noises around us were nothing close to jarring. All of us looked at each other and knew that something about our lives till date changed in those 45 minutes underwater, something that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives.
The rest of Andaman was excellent too, the pristine Radha Nagar Beach that deserves its place as one of the top beaches in Asia, the clear waters of Elephant Beach in Havelock where you can just walk a few feet and snorkel and spot just as many species of fish as you did in scuba. The white sand beaches had its own charm, however, Scuba stole a little piece of all of our hearts in that memorable trip to Andaman Islands.