Your dive guide to the Indian coast

AdventureTour amp TasteRelaxingEducationalAncient amp HistOricalIf you live in Mumbai and are a diver its pretty much a daily heartbreakmdashwater water everywhere and not a sea to dive in And while two worldclass dive regions are right within the countrys borders going to the Andaman Islands or Lakshadweep isnt always possibleThe good thing is that dive spots are opening up across the countrys coast and while the visibility isnt well like what a Nusa Penida offers if you want to brush up on your skills and acquaint yourself with the underwater residents of India these might be good spots to take your dive gear toKovalamJackson Peter the managing director of Bond Safari Kovalam in Kerala says diving activities began here five years ago The place is now popular for watersports with underwater scooters kayaking etc Bond Safari Kovalam is a PADIcertified centre and Peter says October to April is season time However off season fresh water diving is available Visibility on good days is seven to 10 metres What you get to see shoals of anchovy and silver moony bluefin trevaly the odd moray eel puffer fish groupers box fish sergeants pipe fish butterfly fish and rabbit fishCall 8448448846PuducherryTemple reef Pic courtesyDonarun DasDont care for the seasons Try your hand at Puducherry which Gail Doveas from Temple Adventures a PADI dive centre says has several beautiful dive sites You can dive in Puducherry yearround There are no seasonal fluctuations the diving never stops here and it has 23 sites she says adding that some of the local favourites are Aravinds wall Temple reef and Tex Mex Aravinds wall is 40 metres deep and accessible only to advanced open water divers or those holding deep diver speciality certificates The reason its called the wall is because of the enormous rock formation thats 25 km long and runs from south to north Youll find a vast population of gorgonian fan corals and whip corals Marine life includes rabbitfishes fusiliers snappers groupers bannerfishes and jackfishes The prime attraction is the manta ray The most interesting dive site at Temple Reef is the parking lot which is a small wreck It consists of a Maruti car truck bike and some triangular metal structures Here you get to see batfish trevallies jackfish groupers snappers Indian lionfish stonefish frogfish and octopusesCall 9940219449GoaSuzys wreck a British ship that sunk in 1942 is a site for the more experienced divers Pic courtesyWestcoast AdventuresIts season time here as well so if you are planning a Goa holiday it might be a good time to go visit Suzy Jason Fernandes of Westcoast Adventures says firsttime divers are taken to Suzys wreck which is a British ship that sunk in 1942 Theres a whole lot of marine life to look out for ranging from tiny blennys and nudibranchs to big Malabar groupers and schools of groupers snappers and surgeon fish he addsCall 7057066669NetraniPic courtesyWestcoast AdventuresDiving is so much about luck If you are lucky you get to see a humpback whale And its a train journey away Murudeshwar is a quiet town on the coast of Karnataka the highlight of which is the Murudeshwar temple and a 123 ft high statue of Shiva Divers are taken to Netrani island 20 kilometres away The visibility here is an average of 10 metres but on a good day it can even go up to 30 metres The best time to visit is from October to end May so you have some time As a beginner diver you have three dive sites to head to Bomb rock Pebble beach and Nursery Theres a reef on one of the dive sites which is nearly 70 metres long and filled with marine life You get to seeoctopus groupers and reef sharks and if youre lucky humpback whales whale sharks and turtles Experienced divers will be taken to a ship wreck and to the crevices in the islandCall 9611147373ChennaiMadhava Reddy of PlanetScuba India says if one were to rate diving areas in India Chennai would come second after Netrani Theres no reef here its rocky boulders but you get good visibility of five to 10 metres he adds Sea life includes barracudas and rare sightings of whale sharks While you can dive through the year December to February offers good visibility Conditions of course depend on the current Recommended dive centres are Salty Bone Divers run by Meenal Bhandari 96267 38876 and DiveIndia by Vandit Kalia infodiveindiacomBefore you go diving If you are on any kind of medication you will need to get a clearance from your doctor Take a letter along so theres no lastminute disappointment The diving season along the Indian coast lasts from October to April except as mentioned in Puducherry Note these while making plans Most dive centres provide you with gear but its a good habit to ask before hand If you are afraid of the water or the water communicate to your dive instructor Bravado is pointless in the face of the ocean Want to get training before you head out Contact Orca Dive Club 24921541 or Lacadives 26400434 which conduct pool training in the city regularly Do check the ratings of the dive centres and how they rate on the safety scale before getting on the boatWant to hear from youWe are looking to visit and write about interesting places of stay and travel near and far If you wish to host us for a fair engaging experience review write to us atsmdmailmiddaycomCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates