Updated for season 2026-27
Scuba diving in Andaman costs ₹3,500 to ₹7,500 per person for a beginner dive in Havelock, inclusive of GST, depending on which reef you choose. That covers your instructor, all equipment, about 30 minutes of training and 30 minutes underwater, photos and videos, and pickup within 5 km. Non-swimmers pay the same. Courses start at ₹29,000 for RAID Open Water.
I get the “how much is it” message on WhatsApp more than any other, usually with a screenshot of someone else’s price list attached. Fair enough. The trouble is that half the prices online are from 2023, most of them quietly leave out the 18 percent GST, and almost nobody tells you what you actually get for the money. So here is the honest version, with our published 2026-27 rates and the range you will see from other operators across the islands.
The short answer
Rated 4.9 on Google from 2,049 reviews. Prices checked on 22 October 2026.
Nine reefs, nine prices: what a beginner dive costs by dive site
A beginner dive with us costs between ₹3,500 and ₹7,500, and the only thing that changes the price is the reef. Same instructor ratio, same gear, same 30 minutes under water, same photos. The money goes on the boat, the fuel and the time it takes to reach the site.
This is the part I am a little proud of. As far as I know, no other centre on Havelock lets a first-timer choose between nine different reefs. Most places sell one or two spots at one or two prices. Here you can spend ₹3,500 and walk in from the beach, or spend ₹7,500 and sit in a school of sergeant majors at the Aquarium, and both are a proper dive. Three of the nine are standard sites and six are premium, which only matters later when you come back as a certified diver.
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All nine are beginner dives: no certificate, no swimming needed, one instructor with you in the water. Depths and boat times are from our dive sites guide. If you want the simplest choice, Nemo Reef for the tightest budget, Tribe Gate for the best first boat dive.
What the price includes, and what costs extra
The price you see on our site is the price you pay. Nothing is added at the counter, and the few optional extras are listed below so you can decide before you arrive, not after.
Included in every beginner dive
- 18 percent GST. Already inside the number.
- Your own instructor in the water with you, start to finish.
- All equipment, wetsuit included.
- About 30 minutes of training in shallow water, then about 30 minutes on the reef.
- Photos and videos, sent to your phone on WhatsApp.
- Pickup and drop within 5 km of our dive centre in Govind Nagar.
- A RAID Try Dive e-certificate with your name on it.
Optional extras, only if you want them
- Pro upgrade, ₹1,000. A longer 45 minute dive and more photos and video. Nice if you suspect one short dive will not be enough.
- Extra 15 minutes underwater, ₹1,500.
- GoPro for the day, ₹2,000. Your own footage on top of ours.
- Dive computer, ₹500 a day. Mostly for certified divers.
- Pickup from Kalapathar or Radhanagar Beach. Possible, at a small extra charge the team confirms when you book.
Two things worth asking any operator before you compare prices. Is GST included, and are photos included? Those two lines are where a cheap quote usually becomes a normal one.
Shore dive vs boat dive: is the extra money worth it?
A shore dive at Nemo Reef is ₹3,500 and a boat dive starts at ₹4,000, so the gap is small. What the extra buys is a reef with more coral, more fish and more water under you. If you only have one shot at this, I would spend the extra ₹500 to ₹1,000 and do Red Pillar or Tribe Gate.
That said, Nemo Reef is a real dive, not a lesser one. You walk in from the sand, the first few metres are shallow enough to stand up in, and the clownfish are exactly where the film said they would be. It is the dive I suggest for anyone who is nervous, any child of 10 or 11, and anyone visiting in the monsoon, when it is the one site that almost always runs. I wrote a longer piece on shore dives versus boat dives if you want the full comparison.
Havelock vs Neil Island vs Port Blair: where is scuba diving cheapest in Andaman?
Port Blair is the cheapest place to scuba dive in Andaman, Havelock has the best reefs and the most choice, and Neil Island sits in between with fewer sites and fewer operators. I run a centre in Havelock, so read the next paragraphs knowing that.
The Port Blair option is North Bay, a shallow spot that day-trippers reach by boat from the city. Quotes there run roughly ₹2,500 to ₹3,500, and most of them add GST on top. You get a short, shallow dive on a crowded patch with a lot of people waiting their turn. If you have half a day in Port Blair and will never reach Havelock, it is better than no dive. If you are coming to Havelock anyway, wait. The same money buys a far better reef here.
Across Havelock and Neil, other operators’ beginner boat dives run from about ₹3,500 to ₹7,500, and the cheaper end of that range usually has an 18 percent GST line underneath it. Once you add the tax, most of the island lands in the same band we publish. I compared the two islands properly in Havelock or Neil for scuba diving.
| Place | Beginner dive price | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) | ₹3,500 to ₹7,500 with us, GST included. Others quote about ₹3,500 to ₹7,500, often before GST. | 21 dive sites around the island, 9 of them for first-timers, 5 to 15 minute boat rides, the healthiest reefs in the islands. | Anyone for whom diving is a reason for the trip. |
| Neil Island (Shaheed Dweep) | Similar money to Havelock, often quoted before GST. | A handful of sites, a few operators, a slower island. | One relaxed dive on a quiet itinerary. |
| Port Blair (North Bay) | About ₹2,500 to ₹3,500, usually before GST. | A shallow, busy spot reached by a short boat ride from the city, with queues on a good day. | Half a day in the capital with no Havelock in the plan. |
Non-swimmers, children and the medical form: does the price change?
No. A non-swimmer pays exactly the same ₹3,500 to ₹7,500 as everyone else, and a child of 10 pays the same as an adult. There is no non-swimmer surcharge, no child rate and no senior rate, because the dive is the same dive with the same instructor.
The only thing that changes for a non-swimmer is where I would point you. Nemo Reef or Tribe Gate, both calm, both shallow at the start. Your instructor controls your buoyancy and stays within touching distance the whole time. Almost everyone thinks they will panic. Almost nobody does. The non-swimmers page walks through exactly how the first ten minutes go.
On age: the minimum for a try dive is 10. Children of 8 and 9 can do a shallow-water RAID Try Dive Cadet, no deeper than 2 metres, which we arrange on WhatsApp. There is no upper age limit. Everyone fills in a medical form, and you only need a doctor’s signature if you answer yes to a medical question. The full rules are in my post on the scuba diving age limit in Andaman.
Prices for certified divers: fun dives and refreshers
If you already hold a certification, a fun dive in Havelock costs ₹3,500 for one dive or ₹6,500 for two at our standard sites, and ₹10,000 for two dives at the premium sites. A refresher, if it has been more than a year, is ₹2,000.
Standard means Nemo Reef, Red Pillar and Tribe Gate. Premium is the other six on the list above, and your guide picks the pair by the day’s conditions. The premium two-dive morning is the one I would book if you have the card and one morning free. All equipment is included, from BCD and regulator to tank and weights, and your own gear is welcome. A dive computer is ₹500 a day. Pickup is not included for fun dives, but we are a short auto ride from most stays in Govind Nagar. See the fun dives page and the scuba refresher for slots.
Scuba course prices in Andaman: from Open Water to Divemaster
A RAID Open Water course in Andaman costs ₹29,000 inclusive of GST, takes four days, and makes you a certified diver for life, anywhere in the world. Every other course sits on top of that one. Here is the whole ladder with our 2026-27 prices.
- 0
Try Scuba (no certificate needed)
from ₹3,500
- 1
₹29,000
- 2
₹27,000
- 3
₹10,000
- 4
₹10,000
- 5
₹25,000
- 6
₹80,000
- 7
₹1,75,000
People sometimes get a shock at ₹29,000 after seeing ₹3,500 try dives. The difference is that a try dive is one supervised experience and the course is four days of training, theory, shallow-water skills and four real ocean dives, after which you never repeat it. Course prices across the islands run from about ₹22,000 to ₹36,500 once GST is added, so ours sits in the middle. Open Water needs you to be 15 or older (10 to 14 for the junior version), able to swim 200 metres and float for ten minutes. Pickup is not included for courses, and new batches start every Monday.
Why one operator is cheaper than another
When scuba is dramatically cheap, something on this list is paying for the discount: the instructor ratio, the site, the gear servicing, or the extras that appear later. I am not saying expensive means good. I am saying it is worth asking what is being cut.
Instructor ratio is the big one. Qualified people are the single largest cost in diving. We keep one instructor per beginner on try dives and no more than four students per instructor on courses. The cheap way is one guide looking after a whole queue of first-timers, and under water with a nervous person that ratio is the difference between calm and frightening.
Then the site. Some of the cheapest “scuba in Andaman” offers are at shallow, crowded spots where dozens of people wait on the same patch of sand. The price is real and so is the experience. A boat dive on a healthy reef costs more because the boat, the fuel and the reef are all real costs.
Gear servicing you cannot see from the beach. Regulators, the part you breathe from, need regular servicing, and you can ask when it was last done. A good operator will be glad you asked.
Sample budgets: what a dive trip actually costs per person
Here are the budgets I most often help people put together, with our 2026-27 prices. All of them are per person and include GST. If you mix two or more activities on our build your own package page, 5 to 10 percent comes off automatically.
Tightest budget
One dive, first time
- Nemo Reef shore dive₹3,500
Total₹3,500
Most popular
First boat dive
- Tribe Gate boat dive₹4,500
Total₹4,500
Two dives, two mornings
Shore dive, then a boat dive
- Nemo Reef₹3,500
- Tribe Gate₹4,500
- Package discount, 5 percent– ₹400
Total on the builder₹7,600
Certified diver
One premium morning
- Two fun dives, premium sites₹10,000
- Dive computer, optional₹500
Total₹10,500
Family of four
Two adults dive, two children snorkel
- Tribe Gate dive, two adults₹9,000
- Nemo Reef guided snorkelling, two children₹4,000
Total for the family₹13,000
Add stay, ferries and food on top of that; the diving is rarely the biggest line in an Andaman budget. If you want a single number for a packed stay, the combo packages run from ₹8,100 to ₹18,400 per person, and on several of them the dive site is yours to pick.
Best time to dive, and how far ahead to book for 2026-27
The diving season in Andaman runs from October to May, and December to March is the sweet spot: calmest seas, 15 to 25 metres of visibility on good days, water at 27 to 30 degrees. Prices do not change by season. What changes is how far ahead the mornings fill up.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Best divingVery good, fewer peopleMonsoon, boat dives depend on the day
For Christmas and New Year, book your dives before you book your ferry; the week of 20 December to 5 January fills up first every year, and bookings dated 15 December to 15 January are non-refundable. For the rest of the peak months a week’s notice is usually fine. October, November, April and May are easier on the calendar and a little rougher on the sea, so keep one spare morning. June to September is the monsoon. Boat dives run on calm days only, ferries get cancelled, and Nemo Reef and Tribe Gate are the sites that keep going. If monsoon is your only window, message us before you buy flights.
How to book and pay: 10 percent now, the rest on the day
You can book any dive on our site by paying 10 percent of the price online, or the full amount if you prefer, and the balance is paid at the dive centre before you go in. Or message us on WhatsApp and the team confirms the slot and sends a payment link.
- Pick a reef and a morning
Choose from the nine dives above. Reporting is between 5 and 11:30 am, and the whole thing takes about two hours.
- Pay 10 percent to hold it
A ₹4,500 Tribe Gate dive is held for ₹450. Pay in full if you would rather not think about it again.
- Fill the medical form, turn up
We send the form and the pickup time on WhatsApp. Pay the balance at the centre, then gear up.
If your plans change, a dive cancelled 72 hours or more before the slot gets a full refund of what you paid, minus a 5 percent payment gateway fee and GST on that fee. Inside 72 hours there is no refund, except that if we cancel for weather or safety you get a full refund or a free move to another day. Courses and island trips have a longer window. The full wording is on the refund policy page, and it applies to every booking the same way.
One planning rule that saves more trips than any discount: do not dive within 18 to 24 hours of your flight home. Put your dive at the start of the Havelock stay, not the morning you leave. I explain why in flying after scuba diving.
Quick questions about scuba diving prices in Andaman
How much does scuba diving cost in Andaman per person?
A beginner dive in Havelock costs ₹3,500 to ₹7,500 per person with us, inclusive of GST, instructor, equipment, photos and pickup within 5 km. Across the islands, other operators quote roughly ₹2,500 to ₹7,500, often before adding 18 percent GST, so compare the all-in figure.
What is the cheapest scuba diving in Andaman?
The cheapest real dive we run is the Nemo Reef shore dive at ₹3,500, all included. Port Blair’s North Bay quotes can be lower on paper, but they are usually before GST and the dive is shorter, shallower and much more crowded.
Is GST included in scuba diving prices in Andaman?
On our site, yes. Every price is inclusive of the 18 percent GST. Many operators in the islands quote before tax, so a ₹4,000 quote can become ₹4,720 at the counter. Always ask for the all-in price.
Can non-swimmers do scuba diving in Andaman, and is it the same price?
Yes, and yes. Non-swimmers pay the same ₹3,500 to ₹7,500 as everyone else. Your instructor controls your buoyancy and stays within touching distance for the whole dive. Nemo Reef and Tribe Gate are the two I suggest.
Are underwater photos and videos included in the price?
Yes. Every beginner dive includes photos and videos taken by your instructor, sent to your phone on WhatsApp. If you want more time and more footage, the Pro upgrade is ₹1,000 and a GoPro for the day is ₹2,000.
Which island is cheapest for scuba diving: Havelock, Neil or Port Blair?
Port Blair (North Bay) is the cheapest, at roughly ₹2,500 to ₹3,500 before GST, but it is also the shallowest and busiest. Havelock costs a little more and has 21 dive sites, nine of them for beginners. Neil is similar money to Havelock with fewer sites.
How much does a scuba diving course cost in Andaman?
RAID Open Water, the first certification, costs ₹29,000 inclusive of GST with us, for four days and four ocean dives. Advanced 35 is ₹27,000, Nitrox ₹10,000, Master Rescue ₹25,000 and Divemaster ₹80,000. Across the islands, Open Water runs from about ₹22,000 to ₹36,500 once GST is added.
Do scuba diving prices in Andaman change by season?
Ours do not. The price is the same in December as in October. What changes is availability: December to March fills up weeks ahead, and bookings dated 15 December to 15 January are non-refundable, so book those first.
If any of this has made you want to get in the water, come find us in Govind Nagar. Message us your travel dates before you book ferries, so we can fit your dive around the boats, and we will tell you honestly which reef is worth your money that week.
Pick your reef, pay 10 percent, done
Nine beginner reefs from ₹3,500, every price inclusive of GST, photos and pickup within 5 km. Mix a dive with snorkelling, kayaking or a nature walk and the builder takes 5 to 10 percent off.
